HORTONVILLE (NBC 26) — Former Hortonville standout Thomas Burns is taking the next step in his baseball career after being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Hortonville Head Coach Greg Yeager said he followed the draft from his son's tournament over the weekend, texting with his assistant coaches as they waited to see where Burns would land.
"When one of our assistants caught it right away, he texted us and let us know what had happened," Yeager said. "You're just excited for him."
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Yeager admitted one of his first thoughts after seeing Burns drafted by Minnesota was that the Twins are close enough to make future trips to watch him play.
"The Twins, first thought is like, well, when he makes it to the big leagues, it's at least drivable where you can go see him play," Yeager said. "Hopefully someday we get to go watch him play."
Burns starred at Hortonville, earning back-to-back Fox Valley Association Co-Pitcher of the Year honors while helping lead the Polar Bears to a WIAA state runner-up finish.
After high school, he spent one season at Arizona State before transferring to Texas, where he was a relief pitcher for the Longhorns.
Yeager said Burns' success never came as a surprise because of the work he put in behind the scenes.
"My early impressions of Thomas were just his work ethic," Yeager said. "You look at how much time the kid put into making himself better, and it was all the little things."
Yeager said Burns has become an example for younger players in Hortonville's program.
"All these freshmen come in wide-eyed. They all want to be big leaguers. They all want to play in college," Yeager said. "Having a kid like him, you can show them just how much work it really takes to get to that level."
He added that Burns' combination of talent and work ethic gives him confidence the right-hander can eventually reach the major leagues.
"I would fully expect him to be playing in the big leagues someday with his work ethic and talent level," Yeager said. "It wouldn't surprise me to see him pitching for the Twins or somewhere in the big leagues someday."
Burns joins a growing list of former Hortonville players who have advanced to professional baseball. Yeager said he highlights those alumni during meetings with incoming freshmen each year, pointing to former draft pick Jake Sommers, longtime professional Dave Gassner and former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Caleb Boushley.
"You kind of have that out there, just a little bit of a carrot for motivation," Yeager said. "Baseball is that one sport where size and run speed don't matter. You put in the work and you've got a chance to do something pretty special."
Yeager believes the tradition starts long before players reach high school.
"I've said for a long time I think we have the best feeder program in the state," he said. "You go any night down here at the Little League fields and they're jam-packed. We get 30 freshmen out for baseball. I think that says a lot about how much our community is a baseball town."
Yeager also said it was exciting to watch another Fox Valley Association player, Fond du Lac catcher Jack Brenner, hear his name called in the draft.
"You're tracking the draft and you're looking for Thomas, but you're also looking to see when Jack was going to go," Yeager said. "That's fun to see in our conference and the competitiveness."
Although Burns' professional career is just beginning, Yeager plans to continue supporting his former player however he can. He said the two stay in touch throughout the year, especially when Burns returns home during the offseason.
"I just reach out to him throughout the season to see how it's going and encourage him," Yeager said. "Whatever it takes."
