Twins eye more wins
Oakland recruit Ryan Donley and brother Trevor bring competitive spirit to Chesterton
Chesterton seniors Ryan and Trevor Donley still have their bragging rights.
The fraternal twins each had a talking point ready to go when asked for one.
Ryan Donley, a first baseman and pitcher who has committed to Oakland, started: “Well, I can throw harder.”
Trevor Donley, an outfielder and pitcher who is older by two minutes, responded: “But I can throw a curveball.”
They laughed as they spoke, indicative of where their sibling rivalry stands in their final weeks as high school teammates: a (mostly) friendly competition. Chesterton (8-12) will play Hobart (17-8) in the first round of the Class 4A Valparaiso Sectional on Wednesday. It wasn’t always this way, of course.
“Back in the day, during elementary or middle school, we’d get pretty into it during games of Wiffle ball,” Ryan said.
Trevor agreed.
“We were rougher on each other when we were younger,” he said. “But as we’ve grown up, it’s become more of a friendly competition.”
The competition has always been there for the Donleys, with the venues ranging from sports to video games to what Ryan described as “more gentlemen’s games,” like pingpong and bags.
But neither was ready to completely dismiss the notion that moments of animosity still arise at times, such as when one throws something at the other.
“Oh, that’s happened,” Trevor said with a knowing laugh.
As baseball teammates, the Donleys agreed that their interactions are often geared toward pushing each other for better results.
“If one of us has a bad at-bat, the other one will let us know about it,” Ryan said.
Added Trevor: “We hold each other accountable.”
Chesterton coach Jack Campbell said he sees only the constructive aspects of the Donleys’ relationship.
“They’re everything you’d want in a player,” Campbell said. “They always get here together at the same time and play catch together.
“They’ve been good kids at practice and great leaders. I’m sure they’re more competitive when they’re doing other things, but
just been great teammates.”
The Donleys also have been staples of Chesterton’s lineup all season. Trevor Donley, who plans to major in business at Indiana, is hitting .237 and has a perfect fielding percentage. On the mound, he is 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in 10 innings of work.
Ryan Donley, meanwhile, has shown off the talent that put him on Division I radars before he signed with Oakland in November. Through the first 15 games of the season, he led Chesterton in batting average (.404), hits (19), RBIs (15) and doubles (7). He’s also the ace of the pitching staff with a 2-2 record and a 2.71 ERA in 31 innings.
According to Campbell, Ryan Donley has been on a steady upward trajectory since he made his varsity debut.
“In his freshman year, we took him down to Lafayette to pitch for a game, and he won it,” Campbell said. “And he came back later because we needed extra arms. Then we brought him up for his sophomore year, and he’s gotten better every year.”
Ryan Donley pointed to increased confidence as a key part of his success this season.
“I’ve been stepping on the mound like I own the place, acting like you’re just not going to get a hit off of me,” he said. “And I’ve really been competing on the mound.”
That competitive spirit will help Ryan Donley as he tries to be both a pitcher and a position player at Oakland.
“Neither one is going to be easy,” he said. “They both have their challenges, so I’ll have to keep working hard at both of them.”
For now, the Donleys and their teammates are focused on winning as many postseason games as they can.
“If we come ready to play and play as a team, we’ll have a good shot at winning some games,” Ryan Donley said.