By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – When your father is a former Div. I player and your high school baseball coach, when your older brother plays at the college level, perhaps your destiny has already been set. Whitt Callahan has a family legacy in the game.
Name alone does not guarantee success. The younger Callahan has earned his way, and he cashed in the hard-work check on Wednesday afternoon when he officially signed with Spalding University in Louisville.
Callahan, a second baseman for the Stars, is projected as a corner infielder at the next level. Just pick a spot. He’s ready to play ball.
“I think I’ve known I wanted to play college baseball since I was 10, when baseball started getting serious,” Callahan said., “It just felt right to keep playing.”
Callahan hit .246 with 4 doubles and 10 RBIs as a sophomore for the Stars. His junior season in 2020 was wiped out when the COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of all spring sports in Indiana. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his passion.
He got on the Spalding recruiting radar while attending a camp at the school. The Golden Eagles offered him a spot in the fall of 2019, and he verbally committed in July.
“I like the coaching staff, it just felt like the right fit,” Callahan said. “The program is pretty good and starting to become really good.”
Spalding went 31-12 under coach Matt Downs, a Spalding alum, in 2019. The Eagles were off to an 11-3 start in ‘20 when the virus struck and shut down college athletics.
Despite the lost spring, Callahan was able to compete in summer tournaments and make up for the lost time. Now he’s working to get ready for BNL’s 2021 campaign and his senior season.
“It’s exciting, any time any athlete goes on and plays at the next level, it’s exciting for the family,” BNL coach Jeff Callahan said. “I’m excited for Whitt, it’s a good school and good fit, baseball wise and academic wise.
“He’s a big, strong kid with a good work ethic. It’s going to be tough. At the next level, everyone is good. He knows that. He realizes he’ll have to work hard. He will hit for power, and I hope he gets started on that this spring.”
