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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

Callaway’s Luke Swann loves being behind the plate.

The catcher position is arguably the most important one on the field, and there’s nowhere else Swann would rather be.

“I like being a leader,” Swann said. “I like it riding on me.”

That attitude has helped Swann develop into an elite baseball player, and when his time in high school comes to a close, he’ll have a chance to play the sport on the collegiate level.

Swann has signed with Coastal Alabama Community College, and he made it official during a signing ceremony on Wednesday morning.

“I’m blessed to have this opportunity,” Swann said. “I’m just really happy, and I’m excited to go.”

When Swann’s time at Coastal Alabama is done, his plan is to transfer to a four-year school to continue his baseball career.

“That’s the goal, to continue to progress and go to the next level, and just keep going,” Swann said.

Dusty Hubbard, Callaway’s head baseball coach, said Swann leaves nothing to chance.

“The big thing with Luke is, he just works hard,” Hubbard said. “I bet Luke hit every day in the fall. He’s one of those guys you couldn’t keep out of the cage. Right now, Luke has been unbelievable in inter-squad this year. He’s hit two or three home runs already. He’s just been on everything. He’s one of our leaders of our team. I’m just proud for him. It just shows how hard work pays off. Luke’s going to be counted on to hit in the middle of the order, and do his job behind the plate.”

Hubbard added that “from what I’ve seen, they’ve got a steal. At the position he plays, where everybody’s trying to find a catcher, they got a steal.”

Before making the transition to college, Swann has one final season of high-school baseball remaining.

The Cavaliers have reached the state semifinals the past two seasons, and they’ll try to keep the good times rolling this spring.

“I’ve been working all offseason,” Swann said. “I think I’ve gotten so much better from last year. I’m really excited to see what happens.”