Ever since he was little, baseball has been the sole athletic focus for Okmulgee High School junior Daylan Callaway.
“I probably started playing when I was about three and I’m not even really sure how I got started. I’ve always been a baseball guy though I’m thinking about trying football next year,” said Callaway who pitches and plays shortstop for the Bulldogs.
There have been big improvements in his game since last year according to head coach Ed Vaughn.
“Last year he hit around .260 but he’s really come around as a solid stick at the plate this year. Right now he’s hitting .414 and has been on a streak recently going 7-for-10 over the past few games. He played shortstop and third base and was our number two arm last year but this year he’s our number one guy on the mound. The only downside of that for him is that means he’s usually matched against the best arm of the opposition. He gives us the best chance of winning when he’s on the mound. He’s a real competitor and does all the little things right.”
Though Dylan isn’t sure how he got started playing it seems that a solid friendship has helped keep his interest in the game.
“My role model is my best friend Kaden Ballard. We grew up together and played on the same team last year before he graduated. He’s an inspiration to me and I look up to him and want to play like him because he’s a really good player,” said Daylan.
In addition to taking on more responsibility as the pitching ace this year, Daylan has also become more of a leader for this team.
“Everybody on the team is my friend and like a brother to me so that motivates me to lead by helping them to do their best and encouraging them when they need it,” said Callaway.
Daylan says he’s more about the Ws than about the stats when it comes to setting goals for this spring.
“I really just want to concentrate on getting timely hits when we need them and just keep getting better in all aspects of the game.”
But there were a couple of stats that came up recently that did excite him.
“I went 5-for-5 with 7 RBIs against Okemah recently and I kind of liked doing that,” he laughed.
