There was no hype surrounding Aaron Horanski’s arrival.
Looking for players to fill out the roster for the 2012 season, Langley Blaze coach Jamie Bodaly mentioned to a fellow coach and friend back in Manitoba if he might know of any potential players.
The coach told Bodaly he knew of a kid who worked hard, was an OK player, but not the greatest of hitters. The level of baseball he played at back home in Manitoba would be equivalent to house level.
The kid was athletic, so Bodaly said he would take a look, figuring the player could provide depth.
“I figured he could be an outfielder, a bench guy for us and go from there,” Bodaly explained.
After struggling for the first few games, Horanski took advantage of injuries and made the most of his opportunity.
“He just kept getting bigger and better from there,” said Bodaly.
Not the biggest of players — Horanski is a six-foot, 180-pound centre-fielder — he has exceptional speed and good power.
What the Blaze got turned out to be the U18 B.C. Premier Baseball League’s batting champion as well as a potential most valuable player for the Langley squad which ran away with the league title thanks to a 39-9 record.
Unfortunately for Langley, their offence went absent over the weekend and they were eliminated in the league’s quarter-finals, losing 3-0 and 2-0 to the North Shore Twins.
Despite the early exit, coming west to Langley has been the right decision for the 18-year-old Horanski, who was nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’ early on by Blaze pitcher Jon Bauer.
The nickname stems from his serious demeanor on the ball diamond.
“It was a tough decision,” Horanski admitted about leaving his parents and two younger brothers behind in Oak Bank, Manitoba, a tiny town of about 3,000 just outside Winnipeg.
“I knew this would be a team that would get me the most exposure and opportunities to play the best baseball.”
And now he has turned his one season in Langley — which featured a league-best batting average of .416 and a league-high in runs scored with 50 — into a scholarship next season with the UBC Thunderbirds. 
Horanski also had suitors south of the border from chose UBC in part for their academic reputation.
“I worked really hard to balance both school and sport,” he said. “You have to have good time management.”
Horanski graduated from his high school back home — he took his final two courses online in the spring so he could play with Langley — with a 3.8 grade point average.
“My parents always had high expectations of me, not only on the baseball field, but academically as well,” he said.
“They pushed me to the limit.”
He also credits that hard work and dedication — plus lots of time in the batting cages — for his success on the baseball diamond, a game Horanski has played since he was five years old.
And as for the ‘Mad Dog’ moniker which his teammates labeled on him, Horanski admits it may be true.
“On the field, I am very serious and focused on playing to the best of my abilities,” he said.
“When I go out there, I expect to play my best and win.
“But off the field, I am very outgoing, and very open to meeting people.”