When college recruiters converged on Charlotte Catholic to scout the Rivas twins, they knew from the get go that if they had a scholarship for one, they better have one for the other. That's because when it comes to playing softball, Paige and Peyton Rivas are a package deal.  
    
It's been that way since they joined the Mara Mustangs as 8-year-olds.  Then it was on to the Charlotte Stars, Charlotte Catholic Cougars and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Now the twins are preparing for the second season with the Winthrop Eagles. 
  
"All we know is being together," Paige said. "It's like we don't know what it's like being apart. The connections that the twins have is a feeling no one else would understand unless you're an identical twin."  
  
Growing up, the twins did all the things twins are known for. They dressed alike until they got to middle school and even tried to fool a teacher by switching classes. But that lasted a half day before the trickery was discovered. Even though they had separate rooms growing up, both agreed that sharing a room would have been fine with them. That's something they've done every year in college but one.  
  
"Our freshman year we had different roommates," Peyton said, "but we shared a wall."  
  
Paige and Peyton actually attended Coach Mark Cooke's summer camp at Winthrop for several years. It was at that time Cooke told them they needed to make a major change in their game. 
  
"He said you're way too fast to be hitting from the right side," Paige recalled. "Me and Peyton were like 'Oh well.' We trusted him and switched over.  
 "At first it was awful, but it all ended up working."  
  
Paige and Peyton drew the interest of college coaches after a stellar four-year career at Charlotte Catholic. They both earned multiple first-team all-conference honors – Paige four and Peyton three -- and were key to the Cougars' back-to-back league championships.  
  
Paige had a career batting average of .491 and stole 84 bases on the way to two all-state honors. Peyton had a career batting average of .390.  
  
That brought offers from several colleges including Winthrop, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. After careful deliberation, Paige and Peyton decided Winthrop was too close to home and the winters in Boone would be too bitter. That left Coastal, which is just minutes from the beach.  
  
Their experience in Conway, SC didn't live up to expectations. COVID canceled the 2020 season after a handful of games. The following year Peyton tore her ACL 16 games into the season and Paige found herself riding the bench.  
  
"When I was recuperating the coaches were saying stuff like, since you're known for your speed you may not make a 100 percent recovery from it," Peyton said. "So, we're not promising you the playing time you had previous.'  
  
And that struck the wrong nerve.  
  
"I wanted to feel wanted" Peyton said. "Coming back from an ACL is hard enough let alone doing it for people who may not think you're capable of getting back to where you were."  
  
Then there was the question of Paige's playing time.  
  
"She didn't get as many opportunities as she should of," Peyton said. "Like maybe three at-bats in two years tops. It just didn't feel like home anymore."  
  
So, the twins began looking for alternative schools up and down the East Coast.  "We were looking for any school that would let us play together," Paige explained. "That was a priority. We were willing to go across the country if that was what it took."  
  
Well, they didn't have to go that far. Then Winthrop coach Windy Thees reached out and Paige and Peyton soon found themselves on the same field they had played on as 10-year-olds.  
  
Even though the team struggled to an 18-37 record the twins had solid years. Paige, who didn't get that many at-bats at Coastal, finished with a .329 average, while Peyton, who has had three surgeries on her knee, batted a respectable .288.  
  
Both are optimistic now that Kendall Fuller, who spent five seasons working as Cooke's assistant, returns to Rock Hill as head coach after spending three seasons at Lees McRae.  
  
"I think (the season) is going to go great," said Peyton, who added she's 100 percent healthy. "We have so many players on this team who are close and working hard. I'm excited and we're hosting (the Big South Conference tournament) this year.   
  
Paige agrees. "I'm super excited, The coaches are pushing us to be better and the culture around here is making a great turnaround." 
 
The twins will graduate this spring, Peyton with a degree in business administration and Paige with one in exercise science and athletic training. 
  
Then it's on to grad school, and if I were a betting man my money would go on them ending up at the same place.