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Brantin Swanson’s time has finally come. The Callaway graduate (c/o of ‘24) had to wait for the right opportunity to continue his baseball journey at the next level and got just that when he committed to playing at Huntingdon College.

“One of Valley (High’s) assistant coaches, Ryan Meadows. saw me at work and asked me if I was committed anywhere. And I told him no and he played at Huntingdon. And he asked me if I still wanted to go play in college, and I said, Yes, sir. So he ended up making a call and getting in touch with their coaches. And then I think the next day, they ended up reaching out to me,” Swanson said. “it was kind of surreal. I mean, it didn’t really take long and clicked right off the bat.”

The recruiting process was long and arduous for Swanson. There were a ton of restless nights and days left wondering what the next step in his journey would be. 

“That was my last go around on trying to get an offer. I mean, they were definitely my last school and if they wouldn’t have offered me then I wouldn’t be playing in college, to be honest with you,” Swanson said. “It was really drugged out, but I’m glad it worked out the way it did. I definitely couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.”

Despite getting an offer on his first official visit to Huntingdon, Swanson took a few days to make his commitment. Swanson knew in his heart on the drive back to Troup County that Huntingdon would be his next stop, but waited to make his commitment known until he could share a special moment with his dad.

“I actually waited until Father’s Day, that was my Father’s Day present to my dad. I committed Father’s Day morning,” Swanson said. “I haven’t seen my dad that happy in a while. He gave me a hug. it was really cool to see that smile on his face because ever since I was old enough to walk he’s always been my coach, through rec ball through my early stages of travel ball and even in middle school when I wasn’t able to play all that much because I had surgery, he was still throwing, still hitting with me. He taught me everything I know about the game and he’s honestly the reason I love the game. 

“He introduced me to baseball so I felt like it was kind of fitting to be able to tell him that I was gonna take that next step to the college level on Father’s Day.”

The former Callaway Cavalier made an instant connection with Huntingdon on his first visit. It felt like Callaway. It felt like home.

“It’s a really nice school. It’s honestly, a lot like here,” Swanson said. “I think they only have like, right at 900 Students enrolled. So I mean, it’s basically the same size as Callaway. And it really did feel like what I’m used to here.”

Swanson gets it done all over the diamond. He went 4-3 with 47 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.64 on the mound as a senior. When he was not pitching, Swanson locked down first base and proved a valuable bat in the lineup, hitting .257 with a 404 on-base percentage as a senior. He was second on the team in RBIs (21) during his final season with red and black.

The Hawks recruited Swanson as a pitcher, but he will get the opportunity to compete for reps at first base and from the plate.

“The head and assistant coaches both kind of told me [pitching] is probably going to end up being my main role,” Swanson said. “But in the fall when I go down there starting in August, when we have our first fall practice, they’re gonna let me try at first a little bit.”

Sometimes dreams do come true. And for Swanson, his dreams of playing collegiate baseball were strained to their breaking point. He persevered and now he will be donning a Hawks jersey before he knows it.