Blackhawk Christian’s Callan Wood signed his letter of intent today, to play college baseball at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He will double-major in Finance and Insurance & Risk Management. He announced his commitment to the Cougars via Twitter on October 3rd of last year. The relationship Wood has developed with some of the Cougars coaches played a role in his decision.
“I really like the coaches; [Head] Coach [Dustin] Butcher and their pitching coach, Coach [Connor] Lawhead; they were really great, helping me,” Wood said. “I did some stuff with them in the fall, and I just really liked the atmosphere there.”
Coach Butcher, himself, is a 2001 USF graduate. He is about to enter his third season as the Cougars’ head coach. Wood is excited to join Butcher’s team.
“I did some open gyms with him and some scrimmages with him in the fall,” Wood said. “He seems like a really great guy. I’m excited be coached under him.”
Blackhawk Christian did not get to play last year, since the baseball season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Wood has been successful in his Braves’ career. In 2019, he had a .364 batting average and drove in 15 runs. As a pitcher, he has struck out 47 batters in his career. His best season on the mound came as a freshman in 2018, when he gave up an earned run average (ERA) of 2.36. Wood will serve only as a pitcher at Saint Francis.
In addition to playing baseball, Wood has also played basketball at Blackhawk Christian. This season, he is averaging 8.7 points per game and 3.0 assists per game. He is coming off of a game against Lakewood Park where he hit six three-pointers.
All-in-all, Wood has greatly enjoyed his Braves’ athletic career.
“It’s been fantastic. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” Wood said. “And I’ve had just a lot of great classmates and teammates on the field.”
Being a senior, Wood stands to play one more season of high school baseball. At this point, the Braves are scheduled to open the season against Snider on Tuesday, March 30th.
“I’m really excited, I can’t wait,” Wood said. “And with the lockdown last year, [where we] couldn’t play, it just makes me even more excited to play and finish it out.”
