‘They don’t want breaks.’ Twins starred in high school, will stick together in college.
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The Stories of the Spring
High school sports seasons across Kentucky were canceled this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. This series by the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com is telling some of the best stories of the spring that we were denied from each Lexington high school. Click below to read all the stories published to date.
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Editor’s note: High school sports seasons across Kentucky were canceled this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Herald-Leader continues a series today telling some of the best stories of the spring that we were denied from each Lexington high school.
Tates Creek softball twin sisters Lillie and Sophie Kluesner took different paths to their senior-year team captaincies and both were looking forward to possibly their best seasons yet for the Commodores.
Of course, the coronavirus unfortunately intervened, canceling the 2020 campaign. But the Kluesners aim to continue their playing careers together at the University of Pikeville — Sophie playing softball and Lillie, a two-sport standout, hitting both the diamond and the soccer pitch for the Bears.
Tates Creek Coach Page Portman, who has been involved with Tates Creek softball and athletics since the Kluesners were in eighth grade, credits their success to their work ethic and competitiveness.
“They don’t want breaks. Neither one of them do. And that’s fun,” Portman said. “They just want to continue and continue and you don’t see that a lot anymore, especially with kids in this generation (who can be) all about technology and social media and playing (video) games and hanging out with friends more than practicing.”
The Kluesners drive each other.
“We have definitely a little bit of a rivalry, but it’s mainly just friendly competition and, whether or not we like to admit it, we definitely push each other and we definitely bring out the best in each other,” said Lillie, Tates Creek’s longtime pitching ace and a starting forward on last season’s soccer team. “Having a twin play with you for your entire childhood and all of this and even going to college with her, it’s definitely something that I am very thankful for.”
Two paths
Both have been varsity softball players since eighth grade, but a desperate need in the pitching circle put Lillie in the spotlight earlier than her sister.
“She’s incredible,” Sophie said of Lillie. “She was put in a really hard position at a young age. And I mean, I think that’s just built her and gave her that little extra boost. … She’s kind of been the head name of the varsity for a while now, and I was just kind of working my way up waiting for my chance.”
When she got it, Sophie established herself at third base and then shortstop helping make plays for her sister.
“Thankfully these five years — well, it would be five if we’d played this season — I’ve had a strong team behind me that makes plays defensively,” Lillie said. “Stats will show I’m not a strikeout pitcher. I make the batters have weak contact and I rely on my defense to make plays for me and they have. That’s how we win games.”
Tates Creek went 30-8 in 2019. With five seniors back, including the Kluesners, they felt like they could have had another exceptional season in 2020.
“They both bring a lot to the team,” said Portman, who was an assistant during the Kluesners’ eighth-grade through sophomore years before taking over as head coach this season. “Lillie showed a lot of confidence and … took on a hard role as a team leader as an eighth-grader. Then Sophie’s a real force in the infield. Both of them are very strong fielders and are in the top of the lineup.”
Their leadership set an example, Portman said. “They’re always positive. They’re always the last ones finishing drills because they want to be perfect at everything.”
Two sports
While softball was each of the Kluesners’ primary sport, Lillie continued to enjoy playing soccer and has been rostered on Creek’s varsity since she was a freshman. They played soccer and basketball, too, when they were younger.
Last season, Lillie started at forward for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the state for much of the year before narrowly losing out in the finals of the brutally tough 11th Region. That team featured three players who signed Division I offers and a host of others who will keep playing at the next level.
“Playing with all the highly skilled players at Creek, I definitely had to earn that starting position this year,” Lillie said. “It’s fun playing with good players and they definitely motivated me to always give my best.”
That meant juggling the demands of fall travel softball against the soccer season, but Lillie said she was largely able to avoid overlaps and conflicts. And her softball coaches saw the benefits of her side gig.
“Lillie, whenever she would come in in November to preseason stuff after soccer’s over, she’d just be in tremendous shape compared to everyone else,” Portman said. “She’s very dedicated.”
Rather than wearing Lillie down, the switchovers seemed to keep her fresh for both sports.
“I think you could sign her up for any sport and within like a month she would be good at it,” said former Creek girls’ soccer coach Ally Tucker, who stepped down after the 2019 season. “She’s just got that kind of athlete’s mentality. She’s a problem solver. She figures out how something can be done and then she learns how to do it.”
That coachability might be why her primary sport at UPike will be soccer instead of softball. The Kluesners chose UPike after attending a few softball camps there, hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Creek teammate Brynna Souels. But along the way, UPike’s soccer coaches spotted Lillie.
“I was definitely just about to sign for softball and wrap that all up,” Lillie said. “I never reached out to the soccer team or anything. They just emailed me one day and seemed really interested. I made a visit to UPike and we met with (softball) Coach (Robert) Staggs and Coach (Gary) Warford, the soccer coach. It seems like a blast to play for them. And I love the feel of UPike’s campus. It’s gonna be fun.”
Moving on together
Amid the pandemic lockdown, the Kluesners are each working restaurant jobs this summer and preparing for their new student-athlete careers at UPike. They’ve gotten an early start with their softball and soccer conditioning. Sophie’s even trying out some of Lillie’s soccer workouts.
“But those 3-mile runs — I’ve had to catch up with her a bit,” she said.
As they get adjusted to their new life in Pikeville this fall, the Kluesners plan to room together (at least for a while) and continue to be a huge part of each other’s lives on the field and off.
“I think that definitely in college on the team, we’re going to be closer than ever, but we also have to grow individually and find our own strengths,” Sophie said. “… I’m just I’m looking forward to creating some friends and family like I did at Tates Creek.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
