PAWLEYS ISLAND - When it comes to baseball, there's probably not a lot that David Horton hasn't seen.

The former Newberry College player has been around the game for quite some time. When he took the job as the Red Raiders head baseball coach in 1968, he never dreamed of reaching 800 career wins. But thanks to a 23-2 pounding that Bamberg-Ehrhardt gave to a New York high school team at the Mingo Bay Classic at Waccamaw High, he won't have to dream about it anymore.

"I don't think, when anybody starts out in coaching, that you could put a number on the amount of games that you intend to win or that you will win because most coaches don't coach as long as I have," Horton said.

Horton has been at the helm of the Red Raiders program for 41 years. Even with the success that he's had over the years, Horton believes that he shouldn't be the one to get the credit for these victories.

"I've had a lot of good players that have come through Bamberg-Ehrhardt that have put those wins on the board," he said. "Players win games. Coaches don't win games. I firmly believe that."

Horton believes that his high school coaches, college coaches and family are just a few of the factors that have shaped his coaching philosophy. He's also traveled to different clinics locally and nationally to learn more about how to become a better coach. However, the players he has coached over the years have also had a major influence on how he sees the game today.

"You can't let yourself get bent out of shape about winning," Horton said. "I might have thought that way, maybe, when I first started coaching. My philosophy was a lot different back then. It's just win, win, win when you start as a young coach, but I think as you get older, then you begin to realize that there are more important things sometimes than winning."

Reaching a milestone of 800 wins is something very few coaches from any sport can lay claim to in the state of South Carolina, but Horton would gladly trade the milestone for state championships. Even with the state titles, there is a much bigger picture and a much better prize in his eyes.

"Seeing the boys have fun, winning, being able to enjoy winning and the camaraderie with each other," Horton listed. "To me, that's what it's all about."

T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com.

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