As the saying goes, “There’s no place like home.” And while North Callaway Thunderbird Davis Woods would certainly agree, it would be fitting to amend that to “There’s no place like home, and South Callaway.”

If that statement ever catches on, it will be with good reason, as Woods recorded a baseball feat that few have while playing there.

The Thunderbirds junior drove in nine RBI in the team’s March 19 season opening game against Kirksville at South Callaway, accounting for half of the Thunderbirds’ runs in an 18-8 win. That’s no small feat, but it was the way he delivered that is noteworthy.

Woods did it in three innings, with eight of his RBI coming on a pair of grand slams. Sandwiched in between them was an RBI earned when he walked with the bases loaded.

There must be something in the air at the park, as he opened last season by hitting a grand slam there as well. Assistant coach Zach Lavy made a simple pregame suggestion to him: ‘Why don’t you hit a couple of grand slams this year?’
Woods took his coach literally.

St. Louis Cardinals fans may remember when Fernando Tatis hit two grand slams in one inning. That was 1999. And few things in sports are as rare as multiple grand slam performances.

“Honestly, it’s pretty hard to compare to hitting two grand slams in a game,” said Woods. “Besides hitting a grand slam in the past year, my closest comparable achievement is probably our game against Linn my sophomore year.”

In that game, Woods picked off four Linn base runners. The pitcher-outfielder prides himself on his pick-off ability, for which he’s earned a reputation amongst the Callaway fans and the competition. Offensively, he’s never hit two home runs in a game.
“When I was younger, I would have a game when I either hit a home run or would get a few RBI, which makes it feel pretty special,” he said.

The junior powered up on a pair of fastballs and drove each over the leftfield fence, making both home runs opposite field blasts.

“The pitcher was struggling to locate in the zone, so I just took what they gave me,” Woods said, “and it seemed to work out perfectly.”

While the individual accomplishment is nice, and something he and the North Callaway faithful will remember for years to come, Woods is focused on the team.

“A goal I’ve really been wanting for the team is to compete for the EMO (Eastern Missouri) Conference title,” he said. “Our team has the talent to compete with anyone in the conference.”

And team goal two: Make it to another district championship.

Davis is a multi-sport athlete and has been playing baseball since he was young, competing on Columbia teams as well as in area little league. He is the son of Jason and Jana Woods.

All three of his high school career home runs are grand slams.