Horton reached the majors thanks to a collaborative process that began during spring training in Arizona: "He's going to impact this team."

On his way home from the OU baseball facilities Wednesday evening, Skip Johnson’s phone buzzed. On the other line was a pitching pupil and one of the Chicago Cubs’ top prospects in Cade Horton, a leader from OU's 2022 College World Series runner-up squad.

Cade Horton handled his second New York City traffic jam Saturday much better than his first. After sitting through a 90-minute bus ride to the ballpark, Horton twice worked out of trouble against the New York Mets’ best hitters to win his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs.