Winston

by: Steve Doyle

Posted: Aug 22, 2023 / 04:52 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 22, 2023 / 05:12 PM EDT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – A couple who took a chance on relocating from Winston-Salem to New York City has gained some notoriety for their attempt to purchase their first home.

Mat and Taylor Batts moved in 2018, and this year decided to find a place they could call their own. That’s what led them to become the topic for last week’s edition of “The Hunt,” a regular feature by The New York Times that follows the house-hunting process and allows readers to guess what the couple chose.

The Batts, both 32, met while students at UNC-Wilmington and were living in Winston-Salem, Mat Batts’ hometown, when they decided to pack up their two dogs and explore their interest in living in New York, the Times wrote in a report published Saturday on its website. They eventually landed in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, and she found work teaching at a charter school and he as a copywriter.

Mat Batts is a name that might ring familiar. He graduated from Mount Tabor High School and was a pitcher for three seasons on the baseball team at UNC-Wilmington before being drafted in the 17th round in 2014 by the Minnesota Twins.

He pitched for five teams in two seasons in the Twins’ farm system but, despite impressive statistics, retired in March 2016. A lefthander, he posted a combined record of 15-7, with a 2.36 earned-run average. He struck out 196 and walked 35 in 202 innings. He also had two complete games and one shutout.

The pursuit of a first home by the Batts, who have no children, included three brownstone apartments that the Times described in detail. Hint: Their dogs were key in their decision-making.

See what you think about their choices and how their decision evolved.

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