Twin sisters Sydney and Katelyn Hornbuckle, both on the Colorado State University softball team, have been playing softball their entire lives. The two grew up together, played softball in high school together and ultimately chose to attend CSU together.

“We probably started playing together when we were 6 (years old),” Sydney Hornbuckle said. “We have an older sister. She played at the University of Kansas, and she just actually graduated. She was a second baseman, so we kind of followed in her footsteps.”

Originally, the pitcher-catcher combination did not start as perfect as it has ended up. Sydney Hornbuckle knew she wanted to be a pitcher, and she needed someone to catch for her, so the position was automatically designated to her sister, Katelyn Hornbuckle.

Being a pitcher-catcher combo as twins definitely has its advantages. Naturally, any pitcher-catcher duo has to be close, but being twins makes the “getting-to-know-you” part of playing together that much easier.

“It was almost like she was reading my mind,” Sydney Hornbuckle said. “There’s always like the joke that twins can read each other’s minds, but it’s almost exactly that all the time.”

This past weekend Colorado State played against Iowa State University, and the twins were able to get their first career start pitching and catching to each other in college play. Despite the two wins and two losses, it was a monumental weekend for the siblings.

“It was a lot of fun,” Sydney Hornbuckle said. “I know (Katelyn) was really ecstatic and super pumped to be out there. She’s always getting told that her attitude and effort is always there, and so the fact that she was able to get the opportunity (to play) was great. It was just like being in high school again.”

Whether it’s the twin telepathy or the amount of time spent together, there’s definitely a connection between Sydney and Katelyn.

“We actually shared a room up until our junior year of high school until our sister moved out, and then in college we shared our freshman dorm together as well,” Sydney Hornbuckle said.

CSU provided the perfect opportunity for the sisters to play together.

“Softball-wise, I wanted to be a pitcher, first-baseman and hitter, and they were one of the few schools who really pushed that on their pitchers,” Sydney Hornbuckle said. “On the academic side, I’m majoring in civil engineering, and not a lot of schools let you do that.

“I actually committed (to CSU) first, but Kate always says she wanted to go here first. We never thought we would go to the same school together, but it wasn’t until after our junior year in high school that we thought we actually would want to play together.” 

The Hornbuckles are both juniors, and with only a few games left in the 2022-23 season until their senior season, there’s a lot to look forward to.

“Obviously we want to make it to the tournament, and we’re still in it, but it’s coming down to these last couple weekends,” Sydney Hornbuckle said. “Next year we’re looking to work hard over the summer and develop our skills more.”

Reach Emma Askren at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.