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Swanson & Swanson. No, that is not the name of a new law firm in town but rather is two brothers helping Callaway baseball try and make a run for an elusive state championship. Brantin, a senior, and Brody, a sophomore, occupy the same dugout on game day but bring their own unique voice and talent to the team.

“So I mean, there are definitely some attributes between the two of us that are that are similar, but we also have some things that are different, but I think our playing styles complement each other more than anything,” Brantin said. 

“I’ve been told that the way we approach the ball is the same, but I’m not going to lie, I think I’m more patient at the plate than him,” Brody said as the two shared a laugh.

The elder Swanson, bearded and burly is in his final run with the Cavaliers while stocky and slightly shorter Brody is just getting started. With two years between them, the brothers did not get to share the field very often growing up. Last year, Brody was a member of the JV team while Brantin was starting on varsity.

That all changed this year. Brody got promoted and now that he has recovered from a shoulder injury, he is starting in the field and not just swinging the bat as the designated hitter. In fact, Brody got his first varsity start just over a week ago, slotting in at third base. It was a special moment for the brothers as they started on the corners of the infield for the first time together as Cavaliers.

“I expected to have a role at third base, but like a week before our first game, I slid into second base and hurt my shoulder. So ever since then, I’ve been building my shoulder back up,” Brody said. “The funny part about that is before the game during in and out. I couldn’t make a good throw to save my life. So when they hit the first ball of the game at me, that was pretty nerve-racking.”

Unfortunately, Brody’s shoulder injury was not the only time that injuries have plagued the Swanson brothers. Brantin always believed that football would be his sport in high school even as he was on crutches when the team won the state championship in 2020 as a freshman. It would not be the last leg injury that Brantin suffered.

“[Football] is actually what I wanted to play in college and then I had I ended up having three knee surgeries,” Brantin said. “I had knee surgery, my eighth-grade year, my freshman year, and opted to play my sophomore year out here with my leg broken and had surgery again my junior year. I’ve had screws, metal plates, you name it, put it in there. 

“Then [Brody] tore his meniscus last year, so we kind of hung it up together and just decided to stick with baseball.”

The Swansons were phased by their injuries but came back with a steely resolve on the baseball diamond.

“It was terrible at first,” Brantin said of their collective decision to give up football. “It was something that we both loved. It was a very hard choice.

“Baseball has been a safe place for us.”

The two brothers did not grow up in the Callaway system but feel at home as Cavaliers. They originally were in the Troup County system and Brantin made the transition from Long Cane to Callaway as a freshman. It was a big transition, but the two have found a home at Callaway.

“We were always on the path for Troup. We went to Rosemont and then played at Long Cane before transferring to Callaway before my freshman year,” Brantin said. “When we had the chance to come here it was a no-doubt decision.”

Like any brothers with a roughly two-year age gap between them, there are highs and lows.

“It’s really energetic between the two. I think that we definitely enjoy the moment and having this experience together,” Brody said. 

Brantin added, “We’re always smiling, always high-fiving and if you see one of us somewhere you’re probably going to see the other.”

It is not always sunshine and roses as the two butt heads on the diamond on occasion.

“We got after each other during one of the playoff games last year, but we just push each other to be better and don’t take it too personally, Brody said. 

No matter what the mood is, there is always a brotherly competition between them. Whether it is one-upping each other at practice or joking around after a game about who got more hits, the classic sibling rivalry is alive and well with the Swansons.