Hillsdale's Courtney Tyler and Carlmont's Taylor Yzaguirre will both be in action Thursday at PAL Stadium, which is entirely fitting.
Outside of not playing on the same high school team, Tyler and Yzaguirre seemingly do everything together.
The Peninsula seniors have the same hitting coach, have the same workout instructor, played on the same travel ball team and will attend the same college in the fall, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where they'll play softball. Together, of course. Could it be any other way?
"It's great to have someone to work out and hit together with," Yzaguirre said. "We clicked right away and it's going to make the transition easier when we meet the whole (Cal Poly) team next year."
Said Tyler: "It's fun to have formed this relationship. We have the same schedules and we push and motivate each other and it will be good going into our freshman year (together). She's also good competition in the weight room and the (batting) cage."
Both girls are tutored by Frank Fano, the former Serra baseball star who now works at The Cage batting venue in Belmont.
"He talks a lot about staying through the ball and getting more power," Yzaguirre said. "I used to slap, but now I'm hitting normal. I'm more productive now."
Said Tyler of Fano: "He's awesome; I've grown up with him. I've been going to him since I was 12 and I couldn't ask for a better person. He tells me to stay inside the ball and to stay all the way through the ball."
Yzaguirre, a catcher, is also tutored by former college softball star Haley Woods. Both girls are put through their strength and conditioning paces by Pete Monchek, the father of Hillsdale athlete Mason Monchek, a friend of Tyler's.
All of the togetherness and extra coaching seems to have paid off. Yzaguirre is hitting .419 this season with 20 runs batted in for coach Jim Liggett's 25-3 Scots. Tyler, a center fielder, is hitting .525 with seven home runs and 25 RBI for coach Randy Matheany's 20-8 Knights. She also has a .633 on-base percentage and .932 slugging percentage and has struck out only twice all season.
Given Yzaguirre and Tyler's familiarity, it would only seem fitting if Carlmont and Hillsdale were to meet in the post-season. Alas, they're in different divisions, with Hillsdale taking on Mt. Pleasant at 7 p.m. Thursday night in Division II and Carlmont meeting Leland at 4:30 p.m. in Division I.
Perhaps if both girls bring a title home they can meet and have a soda together.
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John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com and followed on Twitter @PrepCat
