As far back as they can remember, this was always the plan. From the time spent in their younger days terrorizing the opposition in the Laconia Little League ranks, through four years of high school baseball where they led the Sachems to a 50-14 record, Andrew and James Salta were always counting on being at each other’s side.
“All along we’ve always played together, from when we were young until now,” said James Salta, who recently wrapped up his freshman season on the Plymouth State University baseball team along with identical twin brother, Andrew. “We always talked and joked around through high school about playing together in college if that was an option – and even playing together professionally if we could. As our junior and senior years came closer, we really decided that we wanted to play college baseball together. We planned it out pretty much.”
That plan became a reality late in the summer of 2016. After touring college campuses and taking the season off from the Concord Cannons – the duo’s summer league team out of Concord Sports Center where they played since the age of 13 – the two started to hone in on Plymouth State.
“We were both on the same page,” Andrew said. “We always took tours of colleges together. We always talked about the same schools and always talked about reasons why we should or shouldn’t go to the school.”
Eventually, it was second-year Plymouth State baseball Coach Clay Jenkins who tipped the scales for the siblings.
“Right when we started to show interest in Plymouth, our coach, Clay Jenkins, always texted us, always called us when he could and he just made us feel like Plymouth was where we were supposed to go,” James said. “(Jenkins) said, ‘If you guys come here, you’ll both play baseball here,’ so I don’t know, he just made it seem like we were a perfect fit here.”
For the Salta brothers, Jenkins was the face of Plymouth State baseball. He was the one who scouted them when he could, both at Laconia High School and for the Cannons during summer showcase tournaments as they developed into some of the top players in the state. He was the one who talked to them on the phone, set up face-to-face meetings and gave them a personal tour of the campus. And ultimately, Jenkins was as thrilled to have the Saltas as they were to have the Panthers.
“We love their level of athleticism and how hard they play the game of baseball,” said Jenkins, a New Hampshire native who’s been with the program since 2011 and was a standout pitcher for Profile High School and Franklin Pierce University. “They pretty much only have one speed: they just love to go as fast as they can. Sometimes that needs to be reigned in and specialized, but that’s what you want. Especially at this level, you want guys to have Division I tools and you just refine them a little bit and that’s what they are. They love the game. They love to win and they just want to play.”
Laconia baseball Coach Jon Myers called the Salta twins “irreplaceable” after the two hit No. 1 and No. 2 in the batting order and gave the Sachems a reliable middle infield while leading the team as captains as upperclassmen. Conversations with the likes of Myers and Cannons Coach Bryan Caruso certainly helped Jenkins get a better feel for the Saltas.
“Equally important is they want to help the team win,” Jenkins said. “Knowing all about them through coaches that we talked to and people we knew mutually, everybody had such great things to say about them. There was a lot about them to like.”
While Andrew and James were able to reach more eyes with their tape and highlights for the Cannons than for the Sachems in the small Lakes Region town, the experience in Laconia was special in its own right.
“Definitely made some really great friendships in those four years and definitely learned a lot about being on a winning team and trying to make playoff runs,” Andrew said. “James and I being kind of leaders in our junior and senior year, we learned to takeover and help our team win and try to get everyone to come together and just get everyone as a team. That’s what it is here too: Everyone is family and that’s what I really like.”
The transition to college has been a seamless one so far. Off the field, the two live together in the same dorm room and deal with the routine struggles most freshmen student-athletes face of trying to balance work, school, sports and a social life. On the field, the brothers have made the jump as well as Jenkins could’ve hoped for.
“I came from northern New Hampshire so I know the leap from New Hampshire high school baseball to college can be pretty extreme,” Jenkins said. “Can they hit 85 mph instead of 75 mph? And can they make the changes that now they’re being demanded of being made instead of just requested? That’s a big difference and these two guys buy right into that and they made that transition as well as you could ask anybody too.”
James appeared in 12 games for Plymouth (19-19) this season and finished 3-for-15 after a broken thumb kept him out of the lineup and field for a good chunk of the year. He was still able to pinch run for the Panthers, though, and scored seven runs with a pair of stolen bases. Remaining healthy all year, Andrew was able to get more involved, hitting .291 with two home runs, 12 RBI and 17 runs scored.
Both were used as utility players, filling in for starters who needed rest in both the outfield and infield, but they knew they would have to work their way up when they joined the program.
“We both had a conversation with Coach Jenkins at the beginning of the year and we know our role right off the bat,” James said. “We understand our roles right now and hopefully in the future we can find a starting spot for this team and just help our team win in any way possible.”
When they do finally solidify their starting roles, it will be together, and it will be just like they planned.
“I think I speak for both of us right now,” James said. “(Andrew) is my best friend … We weren’t like brothers that fight with each other. We just clicked. He’s my best friend, he understands me and I guess it helps that we’re identical twins.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)