Feb. 24—AIKEN — Monday meant major milestones for a pair of South Aiken High School athletes, with seniors Matthew Dziczkowski and Santos Whitt Hernandez confirming their commitments to make the leap to collegiate sports.

A Feb. 23 gathering at the school had Dziczkowski putting a pen to paper to aim for baseball at Milligan University, in Elizabethton, Tennessee, near the North Carolina border; and Hernandez made his mark to aim for football at Charleston Southern University, in North Charleston. Dozens of teammates, friends and family members took part in the assembly.

Chris Hamilton, the Thoroughbreds' head football coach, helped lead a salute to Hernandez, whom he described as a three-year starter as an "outstanding" offensive lineman at the Stomping Grounds, with North-South All-Star Game and Border Bowl recognition among his accolades.

"We're really going to miss him. He's worked really hard for this," Hamilton said, describing Hernandez as a hard worker with "a story about what happens if you persevere and really strive hard for the things you want in life, and trust in God."

Bowen Smith, the Thoroughbreds' head baseball coach, expressed similar appreciation for Dziczkowski and also recalled having him in the classroom two or three years ago. "I remember teaching him... He was a little guy, and... he just progressively got bigger and now I have to look up to him."

Dziczkowski, who has served mainly as a pitcher and also around the bases, is "the definition of hard-working" and "didn't miss a day of open season," Smith said. "Just can't say enough good things about Matt and his character. He's not always the most vocal leader, but he's going to do things the right way."

Dziczkowski described himself as 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, said his extended family includes connections in the area near Milligan, which led to his collegiate connection. His academic interests, he said, are in the area of business, largely due to experiences with an uncle who works in banking.

Smith described himself as "super-proud of Santos, too, being somebody that's got to watch him over the past four years, too."

Hernadez, at 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds, was also among the Aiken-Augusta area's top wrestlers, going 30-6 in the past season. On Friday evenings in the fall, he has mainly played mainly at left guard, with occasional duty as center, with the likelihood playing either of those position at CSU, in light of his intensity and aggressiveness. He said he hopes to study business administration.

Charleston Southern is an NCAA Division 1 school and belongs to Big South Conference, which has nine full members spread among the Carolinas and Virginia. CSU's teams are known as the Buccaneers, and the football team went 4-4 in the conference and 5-7 overall in 2025.

Milligan, with its athletic teams known as the Buffalo, competes in the NAIA as a member of Appalachian Athletic Conference, which is composed of 15 members spread among the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky, including Smith's alma mater, University of Pikeville, in Kentucky. The Buffalo, in 2025, went 19-11 in conference action and 32-22 overall.

Dziczkowski, offering his impression of Milligan, said, "It's an amazing campus, great place, great people and great coaches."