Dyersburg's Horner, Wilder to continue careers at Bethel

When his senior baseball season at Dyersburg High School came to an end at the state tournament in Murfreesboro, Bryson Horner was, for all practical purposes, done with the sport.

After a few weeks away from the game, the switch-hitting Horner had a change of heart and decided he wanted to pursue his college education and resume playing the game.

The baseball program at Bethel College in McKenzie was the beneficiary of Horner's decision after he signed a scholarship with the school on Monday at DHS. First-year head coach Rusty Thompson was elated at being able to sign the versatile Horner, a player that played every position during his four years at DHS.

"I know Bryson can play a lot of different positions and is above average at all of them. We hope he will be able to come in and play early for us on the varsity level," said Thompson. "Having a switch-hitter is an exciting thing to add to your offense, and coming from such a strong program we're excited to have him."

The fact Horner played multiple positions throughout his high school career simply means Thompson and his staff will take a long look during workouts to find the right position for the newest Bethel signee.

"It's going to be a wait-and-see type thing. We've got several returning players, but we are thin up the middle so he'll have a good chance to compete for different positions, and we'll find which one he plays the best," added Thompson.

Horner said the decision to return to the field was made after a getting a good look at the school.

"They have a good academic and athletic program and I'm real excited about having the opportunity to play again," said Horner. "It was a sudden change in my plans, but I'll be close to home and that was a big thing. The coaches here have done a lot to get me ready for the college game by instilling in me a solid work ethic and I'm looking forward to playing in college."

Dyersburg head coach Tom Mathis was glad to see Horner have a change of heart and continue his baseball career as well.

"Outside of being a college pitcher, Bryson can play anywhere defensively. Also, he is the best switch-hitter I've ever coached and just a super kid so I'm really proud for him today," said Mathis.

While Horner had a change of heart to continue his career, teammate Joey Wilder had a change of heart as to which school he wanted to play for.

Originally signing with Columbia State prior to the start of his senior season, by the end of the year the squad was without a coach after Kelly Bratton left to return to his alma mater at Martin Methodist.

The change, along with Wilder's impressive 9-2 season on the mound for the Trojans, had the right-hander and his family thinking about a change to stay closer to home and perhaps a four-year college.

"After Joey threw in the all-star game in Jackson we had a few people come up to us with offers and we thought as parents, and as a coach that we really needed to explore those opportunities," said former Trojan assistant coach Steve Wilder.

After visiting Bethel, the Wilder family felt like the school was the perfect fit, both athletically and academically.

"We really felt comfortable mainly with the education he will get there, and we were really impressed with the coaching staff. They listened to us and were interested in what we were looking for, so I think it's going to be a great fit and Joey's really excited about joining some of his former teammates at college," added Wilder.

With Wilder's decision to join the Wildcats, Thompson now will have four members of the state tournament Trojan squad in his program, something he had good reason to smile about on Monday.

"Hey, we're very excited to get these guys. They are coming from a solid program that won a lot of games during their four years. Today's a great day for Bethel baseball."