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Twins are in the fast lane on Gaither softball team
By TERRY JONES © St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2001 NORTH TAMPA -- Nearly eight years before they joined the Gaither Cowboys lineup, Kelon and Tara Whelan were active in the Lutz slow-pitch softball league. There, they honed their defensive skills. In the high school fast-pitch league, the twin sisters have turned their attention to offense. "From their first day as freshmen, Kelon and Tara were both great defensive players," Gaither coach Jerlyn Shaw said. "Where they needed the most work initially was hitting, because was quite an adjustment from slow to fast pitching ... It took a year to make initial adjustments, but their hitting is improving." The 18-year-old Lutz residents have been starters for the Cowboys since their sophomore season. Kelon had played mostly in the outfield until Shaw capitalized on her multiple athletic skills and made her the team's catcher last season. Although she has a small frame, at 5 foot 4 and 135 pounds, Kelon is aggressive behind the plate. She has thrown out six of nine runners trying to steal a base this year. She has also made numerous put-outs of opponents charging home plate. "Every time I see her collide with some of those runners charging home, I wonder if she will get up," Shaw said. "She is tough. The next day she has lot of bruises, but she hasn't lost any time playing. "Both the twins play with tenacity and never slow down. I will miss them next year," Shaw added. Tara has always played the infield. Shaw says her speed and skill at shortstop give her a fielding range from the leftfield line to beyond second base. Tara has made only two errors all season, her coach said. "There was no problem adjusting to the defensive part of the game from slow to fast pitch," Tara said. "We have a very young team this year and it has taken us a little time to pull together as a unit. But we have some good coaching and some highly skilled younger players. They are hungry to learn and willing to listen. We will do well." Even with mostly underclassmen on a team that is rebuilding, the Cowboys' wins have outpaced losses. Shaw credits much of the team's unity to the maturity of seniors, including the Whelans. Hitting has been a struggle for the Cowboys all season, but the Whelan twins have been working overtime in the cage, polishing their hitting skills. Tara Whelan is the leadoff hitter and so far has a batting average of .333. She has speed on the bases as well as in the field, and usually scores when she gets as far as third base. So far she has scored five runs. The Whelans also are standouts in school and basketball. Their grade-point averages are about 3.2, and colleges are courting them for their basketball skills. Their current favorite is Louisville University in Kentucky. However, the twins say they won't make a college commitment until after softball season. "Wherever we go to college, we want to go together," Kelon Whelan said. "We love the Louisville area, it is so pretty. But we don't know anything for sure yet. Right now we want to complete our senior season of softball and we want to finish strong."
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