Published: May 05, 2008 11:58 pm            

Dorsett twins finishing off strong athletic careers

TERRE HAUTE — It’s certainly been a year to remember for the Dorsett family.

Former Major League Baseball player Brian Dorsett was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame and is an active partner in the hopeful resurgence of the Terre Haute Action Track.

And he and wife Gina’s twins, Terre Haute North seniors Brandon and Brittany, will graduate from high school after memorable athletic careers for the Patriots.

Despite her pedigree of diamond success, Brittany never had dreams of being a star softball player. She discovered this by the time she was of kindergarten age.

“I picked clovers in the outfield. I was horrible. I don’t think I ever got a hit,” the future Butler student said after winning the long jump in a triangular meet against West Vigo and Greencastle on April 22.

Brittany was a four-year letter winner as a cheerleader at North, and she knew at a young age that’s what she wanted to do.

“I wanted to be a cheerleader, then I did track in middle school,” she said before walking to North’s baseball diamond from her track meet just in time to catch Brandon collect one of his team-leading 22 RBIs on the season with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Brandon is sure to express is support for his sister in her pursuits whenever possible in his schedule of football and baseball.

“I love having my sister around at school, her being my twin it’s great, it’s fun cheering for her. She’s succeeded a lot,” Brandon said, adding that his sister has developed into a “great athlete.”

Brittany took fourth in the long jump in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championships recently with a career-best leap of 17-3.

“My goal, I would love to get to 18 [feet]. I’m waiting for sectionals. Hopefully, I can get it there,” she said of the upcoming May 15 meet where she can jump on her home pit.

While she has used her explosiveness to garner a state finals appearance in the long jump as a sophomore, Brittany reports that she has learned to build on her speed for a longer distance, as evidenced by her 100-meter dash win Saturday in the Big 4 track meet. She also helped North’s 400 relay team take first in addition to her long-jump triumph.

“I think my conditioning for long jump has helped my speed. In that short distance [on the runway] you have to get to your top speed,” she said. “In the middle of the race, usually people pass me at the 50-meter line. I just stayed ahead [Saturday]. I usually tense up. I’ve just gotten way more relaxed.”

Brandon had three homers and a .385 batting average prior to Monday’s 7-6 loss against Terre Haute South gave the Braves the Big Four title. His best high school sports memory is a the game-winning touchdown he caught from Matt Seliger in 2006 to beat South at Memorial Stadium, and Brandon hopes to play football and baseball at Indiana State next year.

“He by no stretch has come close to the amount of potential he has,” North baseball coach Shawn Turner said. “We’re talking about a very talented player in football and baseball. If he’s able to put all his time into one sport, I think you’ll see a lot of improvement.”

Brandon loves each sport equally.

“To be honest, I love them both so much. It’s hard to pick out a favorite. In football, I love football, and in baseball season, I love baseball,” he said.

Brandon said he has never felt pressured to live up to his dad’s baseball success.

“I don’t want to say it’s pressure. I love having him there. He knows a lot about hitting,” Brandon said.

Brandon has also been called upon to be one of North’s top pitchers this season. His complete-game effort on the mound earned him the victory in the Patriots’ 11-8 victory against South on Thursday.

While Brandon has been a baseball contributor the past two seasons, he’s been counted on as a leader for his senior campaign.

“He’s been a bright spot offensively for a team struggling to find an identity,” Turner said early last week. “He saw varsity action as a sophomore and junior, but this year he’s got a defined role, where as he was a role player before. He’s one of the main cogs of the operation.”

In the days leading up to the Big 4 matchups last week, North was sitting with a disappointing 7-11 record.

The Patriots are still a work in progress.

“I think we’re just as good as South is. We’re not working as good as a team as we could be,” Brandon said with the sectional just a few weeks away. “I think we’ll compete with some good teams.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.