Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 4 | March 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 39 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com Makers of the world’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. That did not happen—which ended up working in Horanski’s favor. Several college programs lost catchers to the draft, and thus he suddenly became a desired commodity. Szefc took over the Virginia Tech job on June 9, and he hired former VCU assistant coach Kurt Elbin as one of his assistants. Elbin saw Horanski play while recruiting another junior college player, so he put in the first call. That call eventually led to another move, one to the East Coast. “They offered me a visit down here, and I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll come down,’” Horanski said. “I visited here, and I fell in love with it right away. I was comfortable with Coach Szefc and the whole coaching staff. That was the decision I wanted to make from the beginning. I wanted to feel at home with the coaching staff and with someone I really liked and who I could see myself playing for. “When you have a difference in personality and what you’re trying to accomplish, it doesn’t work out as well. So I was just like, ‘Yeah, I want to go with someone I really like.’ I met with Szefc and was like, ‘Hey, this is guy I definitely could see myself playing for.’ He’s the best coach I’ve ever had. I’ve loved my time here and really enjoyed it.” And the baseball program has loved him. Horanski provided production and leadership GETTING TO KNOW … LUKE HORANSKI Q: What is your dream vacation? LH: I’ll go with Hawaii. I’ve never been to Hawaii, so that would be kind of cool. It’s still in America, which I’m a fan of. I’ve hit most states, at least the warm ones. I like the warm ones. Even though I’m from Canada, I like the warmth. I did Mexico with the world tournament. Got hit with a hurricane while there, so I don’t know if I want to go back there. So I’ll go with Hawaii. Q: If you could play another sport, what would it be? LH: I kind of always wanted to try football. I wanted to try hockey, too, when we [he and his brothers] were younger, but now with me being the statue that I am, everyone is always like, ‘Are you a fullback or something?’ and I’m like, ‘No, I just catch for the baseball team.’ Definitely football. Being that fiery, energy guy, I can see myself going out there and getting really hype and wanting to hit somebody, honestly. Q: What is your favorite form of social media? LH: I’m not a crazy social media guy. I have Twitter and Instagram. Don’t really use Twitter except tagging my friends in posts that I think are funny. I don’t really post on Instagram, but one thing I’m definitely known for is commenting on everyone’s photos, so I’ll go with that one. I always put down something that I think is funny to say. I don’t know if it is funny or not, but I’m definitely known to be the one commenting on people’s photos . Q: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be? LH: David Goggins [a former Navy SEAL and an American ultramarathon runner]. He’s a former Navy seal, and he’s known as the hardest man alive right now. He does some crazy stuff. He puts himself through 200-mile runs, stuff like that. If you research him, you’ll know what I’m talking about. He’s got this mindset that’s just like, when I talk about taking your body to the next step when your mind tells you what you can and can’t do, he’s broken that barrier, and he just doesn’t know when or how to stop. I really envy that.” Q: What is your favorite thing about being a Virginia Tech student-athlete? LH: You guys get this all the time, I bet, but just the sense of family. It’s kind of cool to go around … I’m a social, talkative guy, and I have friends on every single sports team, I bet. I don’t know if I’ve covered every single team, but just the fact that I can walk around and know that I have guys on my left and guys on my right with the same goals on my team and then in the athletic department, in the training room, everywhere, everyone treats you like family and that you’re important and that you matter, which I believe everyone does. So yeah, just the overwhelming sense of culture and family that Virginia Tech has. during Szefc’s inaugural campaign last spring, knocking in runs and taking charge of the pitching staff. Unfortunately, a foul tip ricocheted off Horanski’s catcher’s helmet during a game at VMI, giving him a concussion and shelving him for the season. How badly did Tech miss its leader? The Hokies lost nine of their final 10 ACC games after Horanski’s injury. For that reason, Horanski desperately wants to end his career in different manner. He graduates in May with a degree in economics, but typical of his breezy nature, he isn’t thinking about his future employment. He only focuses on the present and keeping his team focused on the same, and he hopes each step leads the Hokies to an NCAA regional for the first time since 2013. “I’m trying to live in the here and now in the present,” he said. “That’s kind of something I’ve been focusing on this year. Nothing in the past has mattered. Nothing in the future matters. The only thing that matters is what is happening right now.” Hopefully, this season is a lot of fun for the Hokies. Horanski expects as much. But that comes as a surprise to no one. When it comes to having a blast, he certainly lives life like few others.