Hard work pays off.

Many athletes acknowledge the importance of this axiom, but never truly understand it. Some, like senior third baseman and pitcher Brady Horn, live by it.

As a Little Leaguer first learning to play the game, Horn was never “the stud player” of any of his teams; however, he set lofty personal aspirations and constantly tried to improve.

After years of years of struggling in Little League, Horn finally saw his effort translate into games during his second year in the Saratoga Pony League, a recreational league for 13 to 15 year olds.

“I was horrible until I played my second year in Pony,” Horn said with a chuckle, “then I found a new found comfort in the game that I hadn’t felt before. I finally felt in control on the field.”

He carried his success into his first season in high school. As a freshman, Horn started every game at third base for the JV team. Although his offensive numbers were impressive, Horn knew he could have done better, and in that offseason, he continued to develop his hitting and defensive. Adding to the list, Horn started weight lifting to turn his gap to gap power into more consistent home run power.

At the turn of sophomore year, Horn walked on the baseball field confident and ready to compete.

“At the time, I felt the best I ever had about myself as a baseball player. I had the most important trait: confidence,” Horn said.

As a sophomore on JV, Horn hit .440 and even hit two home runs. He also captured a First Team All-League Award to go with his Team MVP award.

In his junior year, Horn ascended to varsity and appointed co-captain. Despite being a quiet person, Horn led by example. His work ethic rubbed off on the younger players: work hard and never stop practicing. Although Horn didn’t hit as well as he wanted, he still collected a respectable .275 batting average with one home run. The most impressive feature of Horn’s game that year was his defense though.

“(Brady’s) the best defensive third baseman in this league,” head coach Adam Varteressian said.

Horn had a fielding percentage of over .900, an impressive feat for a high school baseball player.

“I would say that I’m more defensively orientated player instead of an offensive player,” Horn said.

Horn entered the off season prior to his last high school season hoping to upgrade his offense, deciding to harden his workout during the off season. He worked hard with his coaches to continue his quest to be the best on the field.

“I based my workouts to include more cardio instead of strength to increase my speed and make me a better overall player rather than just a better hitter,” Horn said.

Horn entered his season confident that he had put in the hard work to make this a great season. The first swing Horn had in tryouts, the results showed—he launched a home run deep over the left field net.

“It feels awesome to be back on the field. I’m going to cherish my last season and enjoy it,” Horn said.

In the Falcons’ season opener against the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Feb. 24, Horn went 1-3 with a single in the 3-2 loss. Senior pitching ace Will Dennis went 5 innings in the losing effort.

“It was a good effort, but ultimately, the hitting needs to do a better job,” Varteressian said.