A one-two twins punch

As far as twins go, Eli and Jamel Chabot naturally have a great deal in common.

The Cheney High School grads certainly seem to live for baseball, something best illustrated with them playing in nearly 70 games in the past five months.

There's academics, too, with both playing on Cheney's state Scholastic Cup champion baseball team, one with the best cumulative grade-point-average among 3A schools in Washington state.

That, coupled with their baseball skills will lead both to Valley City State University in North Dakota where they will continue pursuit of baseball at the NAIA school just west of Fargo.

Jamel is the younger of the two - by two minutes - and is easily singled out by being a bit taller and a tad bulkier. He was also quick to take command of the conversation during an interview at the Chabot home dinner table not far from Eastern Washington University's Roos Field.

Their mother, Robyn, who birthed the boys at Spokane's Deaconess Hospital on March 19, 2005, calls Jamel "the baby in the family." Their big brother is 22-year-old Julian who currently plays baseball at Division-I Wagner on Staten Island in New York.

While growing up in Cheney the past 17 years the boys dabbled in all the usual sports, like basketball, baseball and soccer.

Eli tried soccer but hated to not always be on the field. "I want to play, I don't want to be a spectator," Robyn remembered him saying.

But it was baseball that clicked, particularly because of their involvement in West Plains Little League. They were part of WPLL All-Star teams that went to the state tournament three times.

Some of those early teammates included players that followed Eli and Jamel all the way through high school ball like Tyler Ashcroft and Carson Jeffries.

Jeffries also played on this season's Spokane Cannons team that won a third consecutive league title and berth to state.

"That's been fun as a parent to watch the same kids and watch them grow," Robyn said.

They remain close on the field, too. Eli is an infielder at third base and pitches while Jamel catches.

Eli started high school ball at second base but when there was an opening at third, he moved there.

"We didn't really have a third baseman and so he (CHS coach Rob Beamer) tried me out there," Eli recalled. "I guess I did well enough to stay there."

"He's good at diving, even those foul balls, he'll dive all out for them," Robyn said.

And when Eli heads to the mound to pitch, Jamel gets to boss his older brother around. As catcher, he's the guy who calls what pitch is needed to subdue the opposing batter.

"He probably shakes me off more than everybody on our team," Jamel said, referencing the pitcher's authority to say no to any suggested pitch. The catcher is supposed to know an opposing batter's tendencies and calls for a particular pitch in a given situation.

"We didn't really have a pitching coach on either team," Jamel said of high school and Legion teams. "They mostly just rely on me calling the plays."

But Jamel's skills behind the plate are more wide-ranging said Beamer.

"He's so sound blocking balls and doing all that," Beamer explained. Thus, it came as a surprise to Beamer that Jamel went virtually unnoticed as a junior when it came to all-league voting.

"I told the kid we figure out how to get you to hit and there's no way you're not a first team player," Beamer said. "And then this year he put in the work the (batting) cages and came out and hit like 400 (percent) and became a first team for us."

Both players were recognized for their efforts with post-season awards, but on different stages.

Eli was an All-Greater Spokane League selection honorable mention as a pitcher compiling a stingy 1.38 earned-run-average and a 4-0 record for the Blackhawks. Beamer thought Eli was somewhat slighted by not earning a higher place among voters.

The two were a one-two offensive punch for the Cannons in American Legion play with Jamel leading the team in batting .526 with 51 hits in 40 games, numbers that earned him league MVP honors.

Eli was not far behind and hit .475 with 47 hits in 40 games, batting in the highly important No. 4 spot in the lineup. "We put him in the four-hole because he can handle whatever," Eli's Legion coach, Austin Sharp said.

This despite being probably the smallest player in the lineup.

"He does tons of tons of damage at the plate," Sharp said. "He's the guy who got (our only) two hits in our last game of the season against Pepsi Pak."

Practicing and perfecting their baseball trade has been fun to be a part of Sharp said. "It's kind of cool to see those two develop and now go play college baseball.

That new road for the Chabots begins August 16 when, along with Mom and grandma, Eli and Jamel will head east for a two-day 1,150 mile drive to Valley City, a community of about 6,000.

"These are my youngest and yeah, it's gonna' be hard," Robyn said of becoming an "empty nester."

Originally, this was the time when it appeared the brothers would likely go their separate ways. While Eli looked at West Coast schools and ending his run playing sports, Jamel still wanted to pursue college athletics.

After some thought - and despite saying there was no way he'd ever want to live in North Dakota - Eli changed his mind.

Not only will they be at the same school, Eli and Jamel will share a "suite" with three other students.

Both are uncertain of where they want college to take them academically.

For Eli it's "Just kind of take some classes and see where it leads." And Jamel? "I'm not really sure. I'm just trying to figure out what interests me the most and follow that path."

One thing is a bit more settled as both will have a good idea of where they stand in the school's baseball program following a stint of fall ball under a new coach.

For mom it's an interesting junction in the road.

"I's been great fun to watch them on the on the field," Robyn observed. "Yes, they grew up kind of like cats and dogs, you know, love each other and then they'd be fighting, a lot of arguments and fights; you know, siblings?"

But Robyn not only thinks of Eli and Jamel as sons, but "Great teammates," who will continue to be there like they always have been.