Penn State baseball landed right handed pitcher Mason Horwat (6-foot-1, 185-pounds) from Avonworth High School and Sewickley, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
I am extremely excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at Penn State University! I would like to thank my family, coaches, and teammates for supporting me along the way. #WeAre 🦁 pic.twitter.com/pNMyLiu0xc
— Mason Horwat (@mason_horwat) July 9, 2022
Horwat is rated as an 8.5 recruit on Perfect Game. An eight rating is described as a “potential draft pick and/or excellent college prospect” while a nine rating is a “potential top 10 round pick and/or highest level college prospect.”
For a more traditional star rating, an 8.5 would be similar to a three-star recruit in football or basketball.
Horwat throws four pitches, a traditional fastball alongside a change-up, slider and curveball. His fastball has topped off at 87 mph while typically sitting in the 84-86 mph range. His change up sits around 72 mph and his slider sits around 78 mph.
His curveball shows 12-6 motion and ranges from 63-67 mph. His curveball and fastball were the two pitches highlight by Perfect Game.
”Primary pitcher that generates good downhill plane and quality extension,” wrote the site. “Hides the ball well to add an element of deception. FB was 80-84 with late sinking action that plays up due to the deception. Breaking ball averaged 62 MPH to go along with plenty of depth with its 12/6 shape.”
Horwat was also an infielder in high school and generates power using a big leg lift. Both Perfect Game and Prep Report have him as a solid defender with an infield throw speed of around 82 mph.
Horwat will join the team next season as Penn State baseball looks to continue moving forward after a strong 2022 year that had them in the Big 10 conference tournament for the first time in a decade.
