Successful sport teams are usually brought together by teammates who get along so well they form a bond similar to brotherhood. For Garrett and Evan Hill of the Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team, that brotherhood is real.
The Hills are not only brothers, but also identical twins.
Garrett and Evan are both Bear Cub pitchers. Being identical twins makes it difficult for the average person to tell them apart. On the mound, though, it is clear to see which Hill is which, Garrett is right-handed while Evan is left-handed.
The Hills started playing baseball at age 8. “We have played on the same team together our whole life,” Garrett said.
Over the past 11 years they have gone through little league, high school and college baseball together. “It’s awesome [having Garrett on the team] because I always have my best friend with me; we’ve been playing baseball together since we were very young and to play it at the college level together is great,” Evan said.
On any team it’s valuable for a player to have a teammate they can go to for help. “It helps a lot [having Garrett on the team] because he can give me feedback about how I do, and what I need to do to get better,” Evan said.
The Hills lean on each other when one needs a tip or help on the mound. “I always try to push him [Evan] to be better and he does the same for me,” Garrett said. “He points things out that will help me do a better job. One game my shoulder was flying open and I was rushing to the plate; he came up and said to me that I need to stay closed for a little while longer, which is super helpful.”
So far this season the Hills have been successful on the mound. The two have combined to pitch 23 and two-thirds innings, allowing only one earned run. In seven appearances the two pitchers have produced three wins for the Bear Cubs.
Along with playing baseball, the twins joke with each other on the field, often getting the rest of the team laughing. “The team thinks it’s cool to have twins on the team, since I am right-handed and Evan is left-handed; it’s like having a mirror image,” Garrett said.
Outside of the diamond Garrett and Evan have a great brotherly relationship. “We are always together,” Evan said.
It’s hard to find the twins away from each other even when they are not playing baseball. “We have always done everything together,” Garrett said. “We go to the same places and everything; he’s my built-in best friend.”
As their baseball careers progress, Garrett and Evan both plan to attend four-year colleges and play baseball. They hope to make it into professional baseball.
No matter what happens with their baseball careers, they will always have each other to lean on.
