In a world where college basketball players spend a year in school just because they have to, and a lot of star players seem to be marking time until they’re ready for the pro draft, it’s easy to scoff at the term “student-athlete.”

There are those, however, who embody the term, and it seems like a lot of them are coming out of Warren County these days.

Warren Central softball pitcher Darby Gain is on course to be the valedictorian for the Class of 2015. Her 4.20 grade point average is higher than her 1.62 ERA this season.

Luke Eckstein and Bash Brown have competed in a number of sports for St. Aloysius — Eckstein runs track and cross country, and plays basketball; Brown was a four-year starter in football, and also participates in track — and might be competing for their country soon. Eckstein has received an appointment to West Point. So has Brown, who also got one to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Getting accepted to a service academy is about as easy as flapping your arms to fly to the moon. It’s an arduous, months long process that involves getting a member of Congress’ approval along with numerous essays, exams and interviews.

Gain and Eckstein will be honored for their academic success April 2 in Jackson when they receive the Lindy Callahan Scholar-Athlete Award from the Mississippi High School Activities Association.

The award honors both academic and athletic achievement and comes with a $1,500 scholarship. The selection process is highly competitive. A list of nearly 300 candidates is narrowed down to 16 winners statewide — one boy and one girl from each of eight districts. Warren County’s district also includes Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Claiborne and Yazoo counties, so its student-athletes are competing with some of the state’s best for the award.

Gain is the first Warren Central athlete to win the Lindy Callahan Award since Greg Scurria in 2003. Eckstein is St. Al’s fifth winner since the award was first given out in 1996, and first since Riley Griffith in 2012.

The academic success of Gain and Eckstein — and likely a couple dozen more student-athletes we don’t have time to mention today — is a sight to see. Being successful in one area or the other can consume all of a teenager’s time. Doing both well, and still finding the type of life balance that Gain and Eckstein have, is nothing short of amazing. Being among the best in the state is an even greater feat still.

Kudos to both of them.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer. He can be reached at 601-619-7120, or by email at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com