Shinn Twins Lead Team

From the Capital-Journal

Sara (on left) and Lora Shinn lead the Lady Dawgs in batting.  
Sara has 7 home runs and Lora has be better batting average.

As sisters, there’s always been a natural competitiveness between Lora and Sara Shinn.

As twin sisters, that level of competitiveness really knows no limit.

“We’re beyond competitive,” Lora Shinn said, with Sara quick to back up that sentiment.

“I agree,” she said. “We’re just really competitive all the way around — in the classroom, on the field, everywhere.”

Everywhere?

“It can literally be competing for which twin looks better for dress-up day,” Lora said. “It can be anything. Which twin gets to the microwave first. It can be pretty bad.”

It can also be pretty good.

In trying to out-do the other, the Shinn sisters have been a driving force in a 10-0 start for the Rossville softball team. Hitting back-to-back in the Bulldawg lineup, the Shinns have put together an impressive start at the plate, each hitting well above .500 for a Rossville team averaging 12.1 runs.

“They really push each other and they’ve drug the underclassmen along with them,” Rossville coach Adam Roorbach said. “We have a really good senior class who felt like they kind of left some things on the table last year.”

In position to return to the Class 3A state tournament last year for the first time since 2013, Rossville was upset 4-2 in the regional title game by Council Grove, ending an 18-4 season in which the Bulldawgs went undefeated in Mid-East League play.

Both Shinns had solid junior seasons with Lora, a catcher, hitting .356 with 16 RBIs and Sara, a center fielder, hitting .352 with 19 RBIs. But each went into the offseason determined to have big senior seasons with the main motivation doing everything they could to try and get Rossville back to the state tournament.

“I wanted to get my team somewhere this year and I knew my batting would be a big part of that,” Lora said. “I really just wanted to be a leader and take my team back to Manhattan. I wanted to have a better batting average than I did last year — I kind of had a slump — and this year I’ve definitely surpassed it.”

Spending the offseason constantly working on the fundamentals of her swing, Lora has seen the fruits of her labor. Through eight games, she was leading Rossville with a .615 batting average hitting out of the No. 6 spot in the lineup. She already has 14 RBIs and might have more if Sara wasn’t being so productive in the No. 5 hole right ahead of her.

Entering this season, Sara had one career home run. Even that came as a bit of a shock, she admitted.

“It came in the regional game with Silver Lake and everyone was like, ‘Wow! Sara hit a home run!’” Sara said.

An offseason spent working on not only her fundamentals but also strengthening her upper body has paid dividends for Sara. Big time.

Though eight games, Sara already had seven home runs and 20 RBIs, easily eclipsing her previous bests.

“I didn’t expect seven home runs in the first eight games and I don’t think anyone did,” said Sara, who is hitting .542. “I’m excited to see how many more I end up with.”

So the question begs to be asked: Who is the better hitter?

Lora quickly raised her hand, but then qualified her reaction.

“I’ll say it’s me because I have a better batting average — though that doesn’t always mean you’re better,” she said.

Given their competitiveness, one would have expected Sara to jump in and argue her case. Instead, she somewhat deferred to Lora’s assertion.

“She hits the ball really hard and gets a lot of runs for us,” Sara said. “For me, it’s usually one or the other, a little dinker or a home run. But she constantly hits the ball really hard. I agree actually.”

Even Roorbach couldn’t really pick between the two.

“They each have similar things about their swings,” he said. “Lora makes a little more contact; Sara has a little more power. But it’s kind of splitting hairs with each of them hitting as well as they are this year.

“We’ve talked about moving them up in the lineup, but they’re pretty comfortable there. I think there’s a lot to be said for getting settled in and we’re scoring a lot of runs that way. That’s not to say we won’t change things later, but right now it’s clicking pretty good for us.”

The twins do have moments where they clash. Take early in their softball careers.

Lora began her career playing third base while Sara played other positions. That soon changed, however.

“Here’s where the competitiveness comes into play,” Lora said. “I started at third and Sara was like, ‘I want to try that.’ She ended up kicking me out (of the position) and I became a catcher. She thought that was too hard.”

Sara moved from third to the outfield last year and both Shinns will continue their playing careers at Highland Community College next year, even though that wasn’t the original plan.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to go to the same place,” said Sara, who recently committed to Highland after Lora had previously done so. “But I knew I couldn’t do it without her. She’s my support system and she’s pretty much my backbone.”

Their bond has helped form the backbone for Rossville’s unbeaten start. Now the Bulldawgs are looking for the special finish.

“I think we’re both very encouraging of each other and all the girls,” Sara said. “We just want the best out of all of us. The girls have really stepped up. We lost some really good players from last year, but the young ones have stepped up and done well.

“We’re really driven to get farther than we did last year. Last year came to kind of a sudden halt. We want to get back to Manhattan, that’s the ultimate goal. We know we’re a pretty good team, but it’s more than just saying it. It’s showing it.”