SEEING DOUBLE: Twin sisters anchor Legacy Eagles softball

Legacy High School softball team twins, Madison and Avery Velazquez, have been inseparable since birth — Oct. 24, 2005.

Setting aside the 30 seconds Madison spent in this world without her sister (she was born first), the twins have done everything together — including sports. 

“We’ve always done everything together,” Avery said. “Being in the same classrooms, playing in sports: We are always on the same team and then being on a team, we are always together. We are inseparable, pretty much.” 

When it comes to sports — especially softball — the twins enjoy each other company on the field. They truly believe they have a constant emotional support that will not waver when either one of the two needs it. 

“It’s good to have her, because I have an emotional friend with me no matter what happens on and off the field,” Madison said. “On the field, we play together, and then off the field, we can talk about it, understand what happened, evaluate and help each other grow in other ways.” 

EAGLES SOFTBALL

The Velazquez twins are a double powerhouse when it comes to representing Legacy High School on the softball field. 

This year, both are statistics leaders in most — if not all — of the team statistics. The secret? The twins usually practice together. Avery pitches and Madison catches, which helps them improve their game — and their hitting skills. 

“She helps me improve my pitching skills,” Avery said. “She helps me locate more balls and all that stuff. So, let’s say I’m pitching a ball, and she hits it really (well), then she can tell me what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve on what I do to help me fix what I was doing.”

Besides being each other’s most reliable trainers, playing sports together — and being in the same sports teams over the years — the twins have developed a lot of trust on each other. 

“It’s definitely helped us to trust each other — no matter what,” Avery said. “We know we can always back each other up and everything. And then (in terms of competition) we are equally matched — we are both competitive. When I’m pitching and she’s hitting against me, I like to strike her out, and she likes to hit against me. My goal is to at least get her to not get a hit, but she normally gets a hit off me so I’ve been working on (that).” 

TWIN TELEPATHY

Not only do the 17-year-old twins believe they complement each other on the field but, also, they feel emotionally connected in a way they cannot explain.

“She knows when I’m getting in my head or I’m getting frustrated — she know how I’m feeling,” Avery said. “She’s able to help calm me down and be able to help me get through the stuff I’m feeling.” 

The connection between the twins is so strong — especially coming from Madison — that every time Avery is feeling down, upset or frustrated, she gets a feeling that something is wrong.

“(Usually), I’m going about my day, and I just feel like something is wrong,” Madison said. “And, I go to her and it’s like, ‘What’s up?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m not in a good mood or something.’ And I’m like ‘Oh, so that’s what was wrong,’ because it just doesn’t feel right throughout the day.” 

The connection doesn’t always involve negative emotions. Both Madison and Avery are able to feed off of each other’s energy when they need a booster during practice, individual practices or just their daily routines. 

“When she’s happy, I’m usually happy, and we share the same energy burst,” Avery said. “We just like feed off each other’s energy, especially when we are tired. … It’s pretty weird because if she’s in a bad mood, I’m in a bad mood. If she’s happy, I’m happy. It’s funny.” 

LIFE BEYOND THE EAGLES

The twins hope to continue experiencing all moments of life together, having a best friend at all times, as they are looking at playing softball together at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. 

“One of our friends is on the softball team,” Avery said. “She told us about the school, and she introduced us to her coach and the team. I was very impressed. I loved it a lot and hopefully, we’ll be able to go up to visit in two weeks. So, we are praying on it. It’d be really cool.” 

As they approach the end of their junior year and their last year as Legacy Eagles, the twins are excited to experience all their last year in high school will offer and apply everything being on sports together has taught them. “Collaboration, camaraderie and the group of girls we have,” Madison said. “You can experience people with negative energy and people with positive energy, and just with the right team, you have a ll the right positive-energy people. Your team can go places with it, because everybody is always on a positive outlook, and the team never lets one bad error or mistake get to them.”

However, they are going to miss their family — their support system — and their close group of friends. 

“I’m definitely going to miss my parents,” Avery said. “But at least, when (we) go to college, (we’ll) be meeting new people and having the time of (our lives) out there.”