Horvath, known as ‘Donkey,’ makes ‘swamp time’ pay off with huge 3-run homer

By R.L. Bynum

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Swamp time was the right time for slugger Mac Horvath and North Carolina.

Before the game, he had the words “SWAMP TIME!” written on the tape that was around his left arm, and “Donkey” — as his teammates call him — proceeded to deliver a key three-run homer in the Tar Heels’ 5–0 victory Saturday over Wright State at Bob Warn Field to stay alive in the Terre Haute Regional.

“I just wrote that today; switch it up a little bit,” Horvath said of the motivational phrase before hitting his 23rd homer of the season. “My nickname on the team is ‘Donkey.’ In the movie ‘Shrek,’ they get out in the swamp.”

Horvath wasn’t ready to tell the whole story of his nickname. But junior right-handed pitcher Max Carlson, who threw a gem on Saturday, was more than happy to help, explaining that Horvath’s nickname on PS4 is “Donkey Teeth.”

“So, we just started calling him ‘Donkey’ because we play PS4 together. That’s where it came from,” Carlson said.

Eddie Murphy did the talking for the Donkey in the movie but Horvath did the talking with his bat after struggling up to that point. He was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts before getting the barrel of the bat on a Luke Stofel breaking ball that hung over the plate for a three-run home run in the eighth inning.

“My timing hasn’t felt really good these last two days,” Horvath said. “That’s baseball. I felt like the past month, my timing, I was on time for every single pitch. You can’t be perfect every single day and it’s just kind of a matter of time. You’re gonna go through a little slump. Focusing on my timing pregame today and just trying to make sure I’m in a good position to swing.”

UNC coach Scott Forbes knew Horvath had been struggling and had a chat with him that seemed to help.

“The power of the tongue, obviously, is vital as a coach,” Forbes said. “So, you want to pick your words wisely. And you want to do something that’s going to be productive or not say anything at all.

“And the only thing I said to Mac is you’re taking pitches and your hands are really drifting with you,” Forbes said. “We talked about getting your foot down and keeping your hands back, so you’re in that launch position. Because he’s so strong, even if he’s out front a little bit. He keeps his hands back. He’s got a chance to do something.”

Horvath made yet another pitcher pay for throwing a breaking ball over the plate.

“He was in that good position because he’s made a lot of teams pay you when they’ve hung breaking balls throughout the year,” Forbes said. “That’s why you leave him in the two hole. He’s just your guy.”

Pitchers don’t want to deal with Donkey at swamp time.