TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Darin Horn can usually be found somewhere near the back of Coastal Carolina's bullpen.

Talking. Laughing. Waiting.

Then the phone rings, and everything changes.

"It's like a switch flips," Coastal director of pitching development Dylan Eskew said. "Once he hears his name, he's ready to go. He's a warrior out there."

For the fifth-year right-handed pitcher, those moments have become familiar. For Coastal Carolina, they've become invaluable.

As the Chanticleers prepare to open NCAA Regional play Friday night against Northern Illinois at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, Horn enters the postseason as one of the most trusted arms on Coastal's pitching staff — a reliever capable of handling almost any moment a game can create.

Whether it's three outs, multiple innings, traffic on the bases or a season hanging in the balance, Coastal believes Horn can handle it.

"When we get the ball to Darin, we've got a chance to win the game," Coastal pitching coach Matt Williams said.

That trust didn't develop overnight.

Horn arrived at Coastal as an under-the-radar prospect from Bluffton, S.C., where he starred at May River High School. Even Horn admits recruitment came later for him than it does for many elite prospects.

"I was definitely a late bloomer," he said.

By his senior season, there was nothing overlooked about Horn anymore as he led South Carolina with 110 strikeouts while posting a 1.09 ERA and earning Class 4A all-state honors.

Then Coastal called, and after visiting campus, Horn committed just two days later.

"Being a South Carolina guy and growing up watching college baseball, seeing them win it all in 2016, it was always a dream to come here," Horn said. "When they gave me the opportunity to play here, it was kind of a no-brainer."

Five years later, Horn has evolved from developmental prospect into one of the defining pieces of Coastal's postseason run.

"He's been the MVP of our team to this point," head coach Kevin Schnall said. "He's been absolutely lights out for us this year, and our team is not in this position without him."

Horn enters regional play with a 8-1 record, seven saves and 90 strikeouts in 65.2 innings, while filling virtually every bullpen role imaginable. Some nights he closes games. Other nights he bridges the middle innings. Occasionally, he does both.

But inside Coastal's program, Horn's value extends beyond statistics — it's his versatility, composure and willingness to embrace whatever the game demands.

"He's done a really good job of just taking it one out at a time," Eskew said. "I think that's why he's been so successful in so many different roles."

Coaches say the biggest change in Horn has been his command.

The raw stuff was always there. Now, the command matches it.

"He's always had unique stuff," Schnall said. "The difference now is his ability to command it. The sinker, the sweeper and the cutter. He's able to command all three at a much higher rate."

To teammates, Horn's pitches can look almost unfair.

"He can manipulate the baseball and make it do some crazy things that not a lot of people in the country can do," infielder Walker Mitchell said. "It's pretty cool to see, and it's fun to play behind."

Still, those around the program believe Horn's greatest strength may have little to do with movement or velocity, but rather the calmness he brings to big moments.

Eskew points to experience — NCAA Regionals, Omaha, high-pressure innings and years spent inside one of college baseball's most successful programs.

"The moment's never going to be too big for him," Eskew said. "The bigger the moment gets, the calmer he gets."

Horn doesn't shy away from confidence, either.

When he makes the walk from the bullpen to the mound, his mentality is simple.

"Just attack," Horn said. "Knowing whoever's in the batter's box, I'm better than them."

That belief has helped transform Horn into one of the Sun Belt Conference's most dependable relievers and one of the biggest reasons Coastal enters the postseason expecting to make another deep run.

His role this weekend remains unknown.

Maybe it's three outs or three innings. Maybe it comes in the middle of the game or with the season on the line.

Whatever the situation, Coastal knows exactly what it's getting when his name gets called.

"He's a luxury for us," Williams said. "There's no question about it."