For many of the 22 sports on Muhlenberg’s campus, teammates become bonded like brothers and sisters on and off of their team’s respective fields. Many teams on campus even chant “Family on 3. 1. 2. 3. Family” in pregame huddles before their contests. Win or lose, each team exemplifies the true meaning of family.
However, nothing says family like playing on a team with your twin sibling. There are many sets of twins here at Muhlenberg, even a few sets who do play on the same team together. The Cimring twins (Zach & Jordan ‘20) and the Vazquez twins (Troy & Taylor ‘18) are two sets of twins who have had great experiences playing soccer and baseball, respectively, together here at Muhlenberg.
Zach and Jordan have been playing soccer together their whole entire lives. They have always had that twin connection on the field, as they both know what their brother is going to do with the ball at all times. They have always been on the same team and since they are brothers there is no love lost between them. “He [Jordan] always tells me straight up how I’m playing, good or bad. He has always been a great motivator for me,” said Zach. Playing together at a collegiate level has always been something that the Cimring twins have aspired to do. “It’s pretty cool being able to play together at such a prestigious school. It means a lot being able to represent the school while playing with him,” said Jordan.
The Cimring twins have had a lot of great memories together on the soccer field. However, some of their best memories have been off the soccer field as well. In order to be the best at any sport, it is important to put in as much work off the field as on the field. One of the greatest memories that the Cimring twins share happened during thier off-season training. During their summers the twins will train for several fitness tests. All summer long they would wake up early and would either go for a run or hit the gym. For many, summertime is all about having fun and being lazy, but Zach and Jordan motivate each other to work hard because they know that the results will show when the soccer season starts up again. Zach and Jordan are excited to return to the field for their junior seasons, as they look to continue to improve as Muhlenberg Mules.
As seniors, Troy and Taylor Vazquez have been through a lot both on and off the baseball field for the past four years. They have always played on the same Little League and high school teams together, but it was like a dream come true when they decided to play together at the collegiate level. “Our experience was not much different from playing baseball before college. The only thing that has really changed is that we are playing in a much more competitive setting,” said Troy. The Vazquez twins have always had a passion for competition and getting to play baseball with your twin brother just makes it all the more enjoyable.
Taylor found the transition into collegiate baseball much easier because he had his brother by his side. The Vazquez twins have had a lot of memories together, but none was more meaningful to Taylor than their most recent game on Senior Day. “It was nice to look back on all the memories and see where our path has brought us. It also was incredible getting to share the memory with our parents who have been there every step of the way,” said Taylor.
Something that Troy has always found to be pretty funny, is when he sees the confusion on the other teams faces when they think they are seeing two of him standing on the field. There was a specific memory last summer when they were playing in a summer league game. Troy started at third base, while Taylor was coming off the bench that day. When they put Taylor in to pinch hit they accused Troy of batting in two different spots in the lineup. After arguing for two innings with the umps that Troy was batting in two positions, they finally realized that they were twins. Sometimes one of the best strategies is getting in the other team’s head.
The Vazquez twins plan to prolong their baseball careers, despite their Muhlenberg playing days reaching an end. When they graduate, the Vazquez twins plan to continue to play on their summer league team in Allendale, NJ. “We both still have that competitive spirit and love for the game, so we would love to play whenever we can,” said Taylor. Having the opportunity to play sports for the rest of your life is an unbelievable accomplishment, but there is nothing more meaningful than getting to do it with your best friend.
