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Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

Sean Lynch: Todds reunite on Merced College baseball team

Logan Todd packed his bag and gave his dorm room a last look.

The day marked the end of a number of things and Logan stole a moment to reflect.

Seeing no future for himself on the Texas Tech football team, Todd gave up his dream of walking on at the school and decided to return to Merced.

While it was a significant decision in Logan's life, it was made all the more difficult because he was returning home alone.

His twin, Carter Todd, chose to stay in Lubbock and continue his dream of playing Division I football.

"I honestly thought it was probably the end," Logan said. "It was the first time in our lives we were going to be apart.

"It looked like we were heading in different directions and I thought we'd probably never play anything together again."

Carter shared similar sentiments.

Both brothers thought their paths would diverge permanently that day.

Life's funny like that.

A year later the two brothers are teammates again, playing baseball for Merced College.

"I don't think either of us saw this coming," Carter said. "Neither one of us saw ourselves playing baseball at the next level.

"It always seemed like football was going to be our opportunity."

Sometimes it's about creating opportunities.

That's what Logan did.

He enrolled at Merced College for the spring semester of 2008 and joined Chris Pedretti's baseball team.

Logan became a big part of Pedretti's bullpen and made 17 appearances on the season.

He recorded a 4-1 record and a 3.83 ERA. Logan also made five spot starts for the Blue Devils.

He continued to develop over the summer and has begun to receive interest from four-year schools.

With an improved fastball and a devastating changeup, the southpaw promises to be a big part of MC's success this season.

"Logan has done a good job increasing his velocity, but he's never been a power pitcher," Pedretti said. "He knows how to change speeds and work the zone.

"We expect a lot from him this season."

Carter, meanwhile, finished out the year at Texas Tech.

Ultimately, he didn't see things progressing as he would have liked and elected to return home as well.

Carter enrolled at MC and joined Logan on the baseball team this season.

For the first time in his life, Logan -- born an hour after Carter -- gets to play the role of older brother.

"It's kind of fun because I've already been here a year and know what's expected," Logan said. "I think the time apart was good for us. It kind of allowed us to get our own personalities."

Logan said the separation was good for their relationship as well.

"You could say it eased the tension," Carter said with a grin. "You go from sharing this tiny dorm room to not seeing each other for six months.

"It's the longest we've ever been apart.

"You kind of get an appreciation for the other one."

It didn't take long for the brothers to fall into old routines.

Siblings that grow up playing sports together tend to have a sixth sense when out on the field together.

Being twins only enhances that awareness.

"It's nice having Carter here," Logan said. "He's been my center fielder all my life, so I know what I can expect when he's out there.

"But even just hearing his voice from the dugout when I'm on the mound is comforting."

Carter agrees.

"I've seen him throw so many pitches that I know how the ball is going to come off of the bat," Carter said. "I get better jumps on balls with him than anybody."

With an extremely talented Blue Devils baseball team, expect the Todd twins to make the most of what could be their final season playing together.

"We've been on a couple of championship teams," Logan said. "After all the stuff at Texas Tech, it'd be nice if we can go out with one more."

Sean Lynch is a Sun-Star sports writer. He can be reached at 385-2476 or via e-mail at slynch@mercedsun-star.com.