Ty Horn grew up with dreams of one day playing professional baseball. After a strong junior season with Nebraska baseball, the right-handed pitcher will get the chance to make that dream come true.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Horn in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, with the 94th overall pick.
“It was kind of unbelievable at first,” Horn told Hail Varsity. “It’s kind of something I’ve always just dreamed of since I was like 5 years old. It was definitely just super surreal, and I was able to live in the moment, especially with my family. I kind of hugged them and got to be emotional with them, so it was awesome to be a part of.”
Horn spent draft weekend in Nebraska. His mother and father flew from Texas to be with him.
“I’ve grown up with a plan A and not having a plan B, so it’s kind of all my chips are in one thing, and if it doesn’t work out, I’m kind of screwed,” Horn said. “I kind of just went all in on it, and it ended up paying off.”
Horn became draft eligible this season after completing his junior year. He received an invite to the MLB Combine in Phoenix, where he met with and showcased his talents in front of scouts.
“It was just fun being able to meet a lot of guys, and kind of size up to them I guess,” Horn said. “It made it more fun for draft day, because I was like, ‘Oh, I talked to that guy, I talked to that guy.’ It was super fun just meeting the teams and throwing on that field.”
The righty said he had interest from Cincinnati and the Houston Astros, and when he met with the Reds, they gravitated toward his competitive nature.
“I met with the Reds at the combine, and it went well,” Horn said. “They told me they liked me a lot, so once they drafted me it kind of all made sense.”
What made draft day even more special is the adversity Horn had to navigate during his final seasons with the Huskers to get there. He went from being the Friday night starter, to being used as a bullpen arm, to then returning as a starter. He said it was a mutual decision between the coaches and himself.
“They sent me to like a two to two-and-a-half-week bullpen stand,” Horn said. “It definitely paid off. It helped me a lot with my mentality and stuff like that.”
Horn’s efforts on the mound helped guide Nebraska to a 43-17 overall record and a chance to host a regional for the first time since 2008.
“I think our chemistry was pretty well this year,” Horn said. “We kind of just hit it off right from the jump, and it was unlike any other year I’ve been here. Usually, we have some oddballs the past few years, but this year it was a little different not having a guy. Even having oddballs, if you would consider them oddballs, we still meshed well with them.”
As a junior, Horn made 22 appearances with 12 starts. He went 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA and had one save. Horn recorded 87 strikeouts in 82.2 innings pitched while limiting hitters to a .241 batting average.
One of Horn’s best outings came in Nebraska’s 6-3 regional loss to Ole Miss. Horn pitched into the sixth inning and struck out a career-high nine batters. He said that the regionals atmosphere was, “great.”
“You walk into the stadium, and there’s people honking and stuff as we’re driving by,” Horn said. “It was awesome seeing that an hour and a half before the game, it’s damn near full. It was a good thing, and it was easy to pitch in that environment for sure.”
Horn said he credits pitching coach Rob Childress for helping him succeed. Horn and Childress have known each other since Horn was young. Horn grew up with Childress’s son in Texas, and Horn’s mom and Childress’s wife were friends.
“He’s not going to sit there and say he loves you with his whole heart, he’s not going to sit there and say you’re the best to ever do it, he’s going to make sure you’re levelheaded and have your feet on the ground,” Horn said. “I appreciate him for that, not letting me get too high or too low.”
Horn said Childress has helped him a lot.
“He’s kind of shaped me into the man I am today,” Horn said. “I came in with blond hair and an ego through the roof. I’m not saying the ego went down too much, but he levelheaded me quite a bit.”
Now, Horn will take what he’s learned at Nebraska with him into the pros. He said he’s spoken with fellow Reds draft picks UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu and Eastern Carolina left-handed pitcher Ethan Norby.
“I’m looking forward to just meeting new guys and kind of picking their brains and learning about them,” Horn said. “There’s a chance I have new teammates every year, obviously, so it’s not much different from college besides the part where you might pick up your things and move to a different state half way across the world.”
Although Horn is moving on to pursue his professional dreams, he said he considers Nebraska home, and it will always have a special place in his heart.
“I’m very grateful for the past three years, and I don’t regret my decision to come here,” Horn said. “I wish it worked out like every other sport where you go for all four years and you can still get drafted just as easily, but baseball obviously is a weird sport. It definitely worked out the way I wanted it to. I’m grateful for all three years, even through the ups and downs.”
