Van Horn trying to keep a lifelong dream alive

                        
062011 Vanhorn Promo: Ex-Scot Van Horn signs with Rockford RiverHawks of the Frontier League Van Horn trying to keep a lifelong dream alive By Brian Questel For Greg Van Horn, it’s not complicated. “I’m just trying to keep the dream alive,” said the recent College of Wooster graduate from Rockford, Ill., where he had signed June 13 with the Frontier League’s Rockford RiverHawks. It was a positive move for Van Horn, who was recently named third-team All-America for the second season in a row after a season in which he batted .422. He had been mentioned as a possible draftee when Major League Baseball held its draft June 6-7, but when that didn’t happen, Van Horn moved to find a team. He found that with the same owner of the Chillicothe Paints, a team Van Horn played for a year ago in a college summer wood-bat league. When he purchased the RiverHawks, Van Horn opted to venture west. Van Horn hopes that will be short-lived. Van Horn had a recent tryout with the Cincinnati Reds and was invited back for a second look June 22 at the Reds’ Great American Ballpark. “The difference between the two tryouts is all the top scouts, the head guys who can make the final decision to sign someone, will be there,” said Van Horn. “At the last one, there was the lower level scouts who report to the upper ones. “I’m going to try and go out in front of all the top guys, give it my best shot and show what I’ve got,” he added. “The big thing is to stay within myself and trust my abilities. I going out in the middle of the summer and playing a game I love; I’m trying to play a game for a living. That’s not really pressure. I’m just going to try to go out and enjoy what I can.” That comfort level was what drew Van Horn to Rockford. “Last year I played on a college summer team with the Chillicothe Paints,” said Van Horn. “The owner of that team bought Rockford. I signed a contract yesterday (June 13), so today is my first day on the roster. Last year was a college league and no one was paid; this league is a technically a professional league. We get paid minimally, but we still get paid. “A couple other teams showed interest, but the big thing for me was because I had a relationship with the owner last year, I felt more comfortable come here. If you have a few bad games, they will can you on the spot. This situation is one where I felt I had the best opportunity to stay with a team for the longest period of time.” Rockford is 23 games into its season and is off to a 10-13 start. “We play over 90 games, so it’s a long haul,” said Van Horn, who is looking to find a starting spot anywhere in the roster. “To be honest, my expectation is I’ll be in a utility role,” he said. “I feel comfortable playing anywhere. I’m just looking for any spot in the lineup. Our shortstop right now is hitting close to .500, but I didn’t expect to play shortstop. I’m looking at second base or a corner position -- any place to get into the lineup.” Van Horn wasn’t surprised not to be drafted. “To be honest, of the past three years, this was the year I least expected to be drafted,” he said. “As much as some people around me said there was interest, I didn’t get that sense. ... I had the feeling it was not going to happen. “A Reds’ scout came to several games over course of our season and he invited me to a tryout after the season. Fortunately, things went well and now I’ve got to out and do the same thing in next one on the 22nd.” As Van Horn knows full well, that’s how dreams realized.


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