Sunlake duo defy conventional thinking
By Kyle LoJacono
Meghan and Courtney Durbin are twin sisters on the Sunlake softball team, but the similarities end with their parents and taste in athletics.
“We’re night and day,” said Courtney, a junior outfielder. “Meghan definitely gets more frustrated. I try and stay positive. I’m usually the one who laughs it off even if I’m not doing so well. She’s harder on herself. I try and do the opposite to make her laugh.”
Meghan, a junior pitcher and second baseman, added, “We’re just completely opposite,” Meghan said. “She laughs things off and I’m harder on myself. I don’t get down, but I tell myself I can do better so I can make the changes in my next at bat or my next pitch.”
The two fraternal twins also look very different. Courtney, who was born one minute before her sister, is three inches taller and has brown hair. Meghan, by contrast, has red hair.
Another difference is Courtney bats left handed, while Meghan is a righty.
The Durbins started playing softball around age 6 and have developed a special chemistry from playing together for the last 10 years.
“If one of us is having a bad game we’re there to pick each other up,” Courtney said. “We can tell when the other is upset with something. It’s kind of like our twin telepathy. We know how the other is going to react to something and when something bad or good happens we know how to approach the other.”
First-year Sunlake coach Jami Finan said she has never had twins on the same team before.
“Sisters yes, but no twins,” Finan said. She then added, “They are really like coaching any other kids. Their maturity level is the same. There isn’t a sibling rivalry that has been going on for years. They’ve played together their whole lives, so it’s easy to coach them.”
The Durbins and the rest of the Sunlake softball team will play in the Class 4A-District 8 tournament at Hernando. The championship game is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21.
