North Texas Daily

It has almost come down to a science.

Senior infielder Kelli Schkade leads things off for the Mean Green, and she normally reaches base. She ranks 16th in Conference USA in on-base percentage with a .444 clip. She has come around to score 35 times this season, and a big reason is there are two .300 plus hitters that follow her in the order.

And those hitters are more alike than just their batting average.

The Gregory twins, freshmen infielders Lindsay and Lacy, have established themselves at the top of the North Texas line-up as key contributors. What drives them?

A little friendly competition, mainly stoked by their parents.

“Sometimes our parents will be like, ‘oh Lacy got the better of you this weekend,” Lindsay said. “I’ll get her next weekend. It’s been good so far. We’re going to keep the competition up.”

The twins have settled into the front of head coach Tracey Kee’s line-up with flying colors. They currently trail only Schkade in batting average, with Linsday getting the better of Lacy so far with a .354 average. Lacy clocks in at .336.

Kee recruited the duo knowing exactly what she would be getting, and so far, they haven’t disappointed.

“I had a feeling,” Kee said. “You could just see they had that it factor. It’s hard to describe what that is. But when you’re a coach you see it. I knew they had something that would allow them to blend really well into what we want.”

With softball being a spring sport, it gave Lacy and Lindsay time to settle into the program and get acclimated to all the changes associated with being a college freshman. With an offseason to work and prepare for Division I competition, Lacy and Lindsay steadily improved, and have started all 38 games for the Mean Green this season.

Combined, the tandem has driven in 47 runs.

“It was helpful having the fall,” Lacy said. “I can’t imagine having a fall sport. We had to adjust to a completely new schedule. The fall gave us valuable time to work with.”

Softball, class and sharing a car in Denton was all new for the Gregory twins. And even though they have been together since birth, spending time in the same environment day in and day out also presented a challenge.

“Luckily we have our own separate rooms,” Lindsay said. “If we need to get away from each other, we can.”

But sometimes escaping isn’t as simple as jumping in the car.

“It’s not always easy,” Lacy said with a laugh. “She’s the driver. Wherever she goes I tag along.”

Along with sharing a car and university, the twins also spend hours on the field together. Kee tried out a new infield over the weekend by shifting Schkade to third in place of sophomore Harley Perella. This meant moving the Gregory twins to the middle infield, with Lindsay at shortstop and Lacy at second.

The duo played middle infield together for the majority of their career. To do it at the DI level is something of a dream come true for the twins.

“It’s what we’ve done our whole life,” Lacy said.

When Lindsay heard about the change, she was ecstatic.

“I was ready,” Lindsay said. “We’ve always done it, and to do it at this stage was really special for us and our family.”

Kee has enjoyed having the option to change up her infield should she see the right situation, and having the twins has given her that luxury.

“They don’t have to talk to each other a lot in the middle infield because of their experience there,” Kee said. “They’ve both been impact players. They have great intuition and a bit of sisterly instinct.”

For the Gregory duo, this is just the beginning of what they hope to accomplish on the diamond together. The adjustment to DI softball was quick thanks to help from their coaches, upperclassmen teammates and personal ambition.

As the heart of the season rolls on, the twins know they must continue to perform.

“It’s a very long season and the schedule is grueling,” Lindsay said. “But the physical preparation and work we’ve done will help us push through. We work a lot of situational stuff, and the pressure is always on. I think all of us are always ready.”

Featured Image: North Texas freshman Lacy Gregory and Lindsay Gregory pose for a portrait. Koji Ushio