Jamie Callahan and Kwinton Smith are facing new opportunities after both Dillon Wildcats were drafted in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday, June 5.

Callahan was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the second round as the 87th overall pick, while Kwinton Smith was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 14th round as the 456th pick.

Drafted players have until mid-July to decide whether to sign on to play professionally or to continue with their college plans. Both Wildcats had signed on to play for the University of South Carolina next season, though Callahan has committed to the Red Sox. The 17-year-old has a signing bonus slot worth at least $565,500, though Callahan could sign for more.

Smith and Callahan are the first Wildcats to be drafted since Dillon’s L.A. Owens was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006, and Callahan is also the highest drafted Pee Dee player since Hartsville’s Jordan Lyles was selected in the supplemental first round in 2008.

Both Callahan and Smith played under Coach Greg Dozier, who had nothing but praise for both of them. “They were both pulled off the junior varsity team their freshmen year because I thought both would be a great asset to our teams,” he said, noting that they helped get Dillon to the playoffs during that season and every season since.

“They’re both great kids…great families, heads are on right,” he said.

“Everyone has watched and has seen what these players mean to our team but these are two of the finest young men I’ve had the privilege of coaching during my 18 years at Dillon High.”

Dozier said they are never satisfied and always pushing themselves to be better. “It’s been a joy for me for the past four years. It’s been a blessing for me to have watched what they have accomplished,” he said. “It’s been truly a great run for me. These two young men and this crowd of players has made it really enjoyable to be a part of these kids’ lives.”

Dillon athletic director Jackie Hayes agreed. “They’re two tremendous athletes but more importantly, kids with great character.”

Callahan, who got the call on Tuesday, June 5, while at a gas station in Florence, was off to Boston on Wednesday with his parents for a physical. Afterwards, the right-handed pitcher was on his way to Fort Myers, Florida, to join Boston’s rookie league team, the Gulf Coastal League Red Sox. The GCL season begins on June 18 for the Red Sox.

Callahan has amassed numerous awards and honors throughout his high school career, and was most recently named the Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year. He is a two-time all-state selection and was also named the Region 8-2A Player of the Year, and was chosen to pitch in the North Carolina/South Carolina Select game in Myrtle Beach. He was also named the Player of the year by the Morning News, and was ranked as Baseball America’s 144th best prospect, and was ranked by multiple sources as one of the top 100 high school seniors.

Callahan played in the Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field last year, and just prior to the draft, he demonstrated his pitching for the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Scouts attended all of his starts this spring, and Callahan met with a total of 15 clubs.

This season, Callahan went 7-1 with a save and an 0.89 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. He hit five home runs with an average of .408, picking up 32 RBI.

At 6-foot-3 and 210-pounds, Callahan’s fast ball has been clocked at a max speed of 95 and usually sits in the low 90s, according to his scouting report. The report also says that he has
“a good 12-6 curveball” and a promising changeup, though his slider is a bit inconsistent. But Baseball America called Callahan’s slider “a good breaking ball…with short break and depth” and said he’d need to work on the changeup. Regardless, Callahan will have time to work on his delivery in the minor leagues.

Callahan is one of several pitchers recruited by the Red Sox, including Ty Buttrey of Providence, North Carolina, who was selected in the fourth round, and Carson Fulmer of All Saints Academy, Florida. Buttrey is committed to the University of Arkansas and was also expected to be a top prospect, but was drafted later due to signability concerns. His fastball hits 96 miles per hour. Though he’s also a top prospect, Fulmer was taken in the 15th round of the draft due to a strong commitment to Vanderbilt.

Over the three-day draft, Boston took 23 pitchers, eight infielders, eight outfielders, and three catchers, with 15 from high school and 27 from college teams.

Boston’s gain is USC’s loss, as the Gamecocks lost three other recruits in the draft in addition to Callahan: shortstop Corey Seager was taken by the Dodgers, outfielder Jamie Jarman was drafted by the Rangers, and left-handed pitcher Zac Wasilewski was selected by the Blue Jays.

Callahan, who graduated with a 3.93 GPA and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is the son of Greg and Sandra Callahan of Hamer. His grandparents are Leroy and Joann Callahan of Little Rock and Sonny and Sylvia Bethea of the Oakland community.

While Callahan has committed to play professional baseball for the Red Sox, Smith will face a much tougher decision with the Rangers. Smith signed on to play football as a wide receiver for the Gamecocks in the fall and has already enrolled in summer courses at USC.

Smith told reporters last week that he was excited to be drafted, but he doubted he would sign, saying that he was happy with his current arrangement with USC. He added that he was going to take his time and discuss his options with his family. Smith is the son of Milton Buie and Shirley Smith, and the grandson of Chad Smith, who Kwinton credits for getting him interested in football.

When he committed to USC, Smith had discussed playing baseball for the Gamecocks in addition to football. He also joined Dillon’s basketball team in midway through the season.

But Smith can remain eligible to play college football while playing for the Rangers in the offseason, provided he does not play baseball for USC. Texas running back Ricky Williams set the precedent for it in the late 1990s.

While Smith hasn’t received as much attention as Callahan in recent weeks, he said he wasn’t surprised to be drafted and had been told by a scout that the draft was a possibility. Smith had previously turned down offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Illinois, LSU, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech before signing with USC.

At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Smith had a .438 average with four home runs and 13 RBI this season, while going 3-0 on the mound with a 1.27 ERA in 22 innings. He recorded 35 strikeouts.

Smith was chosen to play for the South in the upcoming Class 2A/3A North-South All-Star games on June 15 and 16.

In his senior year of football, Smith caught 34 passes for 564 yards and 10 touchdowns. Among many football honors, Smith was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and also played in the Offense-Defense All-American Game, and was named to the Region 8-2A All-Region team.

Smith was not the only football player that the Rangers signed. Their 15th pick was Jameis Winston of Hueytown High School, Alabama, one of the top quarterback recruits in the country, who is committed to Florida State.

Rangers’ senior director of player personnel A.J. Preller said that with Smith and Winston, the Rangers were identifying talent and giving them options, as well as giving the Rangers options should either player decide not to pursue football.

Preller added that Smith was “obviously talented” as a football receiver and an outfielder, and the draft pick will give him the option to play baseball with them “down the road.”

The Rangers went into the draft looking for high-ceiling players with good character and makeup, and scouting director Kip Fagg says they’re confident that these players will break out and reach their potential. After the three-day draft, the Rangers had selected 26 pitchers, nine outfielders, five infielders, and three catchers, with 25 from college and 18 from high school teams. At least 20 of their 43 picks have reached agreements to play for the Rangers.

Smith has until July 13 to decide whether to sign with Texas.

This weekend, Smith will be in action as he, Dozier, and fellow Wildcat Daniel Huggins head to the North-South All-Star game at the Cal Ripken Baseball Experience. Smith and Huggins will be playing for the South team, and Dozier will be coaching for the South.

Callahan was also supposed to appear in the South Carolina/North Carolina Select game this weekend at Coastal Carolina, but will be training for the Red Sox instead. Lake View’s Kip Herlong will be coaching the South.