GREENVILLE, S.C. - It's a wonder that Conference Carolinas doesn't offer a sport called Intercollegiate Duplicity. No, seriously. 
 
Considering how unlikely twins are to be born, one of the premier NCAA Division II athletic conferences is certainly an outlier when looking at their school's rosters.  In 2025, the league boasts no less than twelve sets of twins among their member schools.  And get this: that's not counting identical triplets on King University's men's soccer team.
 
Here's the complete rundown:

• Chowan–four sets of twins: Bailey and Lauren Weston (softball), Gracie and Rayn Ross (women's soccer), Kellani and Keilana Johnson (women's basketball), and A'Sharia and Isis Short (cheerleading).
• Ferrum–two sets of twins:  Carly and Chloe Constantino (softball), and Brett and Michael Tate-Blanks (football)
• Southern Wesleyan–two sets of twins: Britton and Briar Ellenberg (baseball), and Hannah (women's soccer) and Abbey Kovalcik (women's lacrosse).
• Erskine–two sets of twins: Julian and Elias Hachem, and Gavin and Preston Justice (all baseball).
• King–one set of triplets:  Anderson, Bay and Campbell Moore (men's soccer)
• Converse–one set of twins:  Fernando and Carlo Ruiz (men's soccer)
• North Greenville–one set of twins:  Bradley and Brooks Russ-Martin (football)

Nowhere in the conference has the twin phenomena been better showcased than Erskine College's baseball team.  If positions didn't matter, the Flying Fleet could field a complete infield featuring twins.

In 2025-26, Co-Head Coaches Jimmy Prince and Scotty Bateman welcome senior twins in relief pitchers Julien and Elias Hachem (pronounced has-HEM), and freshmen twins Gavin (pitcher) and Preston (third baseman) Justice to their team roster.  All four should figure prominently in Eckerd's baseball fortunes.

The Hachem twins are certainly hard to miss.  First, they are identical twins.  Second, they both strike Paul Bunyanesque dimensions, with Julien measuring 6-7 ½ inches and 250 pounds and Elias close behind at 6-7 and 245 pounds.


Prince, Erskine's co-head baseball coach, recalls the first time he set eyes on the behemoth pitchers.

"I had seen both of them on video online, but the first time I actually met them was at our first team meeting this fall," he said.  "I knew their height and weight, but when I saw them in person I said 'whoa', they look even bigger in person.  I loved it.  They're the kind of guys you want first to step off your bus and stand for the national anthem!"

When asked whether it was challenging not to be noticed when the towering twins are out in public or on the baseball diamond, Julien just chuckled.

"We stick out like sore thumbs," said the senior psychology major. "But I wouldn't have it any other way.  We have only one class together (geology) this semester and we always sit next to each other."

The Hachem brothers took circuitous routes to Erskine's Due West, S.C. campus this year. 

Growing up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill., both were highly regarded hurlers coming out of Mount Carmel High School.  Julien was ranked the No. 10 overall recruit and No. 2 left-handed pitcher in the state by the Perfect Game website.  He chose to join college powerhouse Oklahoma.

Julien made 10 appearances with the Sooners his freshman year, including one start, but soon realized he was not a good fit in the program.  He transferred to North Dakota State after one season, where he saw limited action the past two years.

Meanwhile, Elias was rated the 29th overall player and No. 8 right-handed pitcher by that same website at Mount Carmel and chose to attend the University of Evansville.  His tenure there was also limited, with some flashes of promise.

It marked the first time the inseparable twins had ventured alone to college and as Julien tells it, both brothers felt that something had been missing from their respective experiences.

"Growing up together, I think we just missed each other and also wondered what it would be like to play a season on the same team at the same school," Julien admitted.  "So, we were a package deal."

They both entered the transfer portal last spring and before long, the Erskine coaches noticed a Twitter (now X) post by the brothers saying they were looking for a new home.  Soon after, the Hachems committed to Erskine and made their pitching debuts during a fall scrimmage against Presbyterian College.

Both fired shutout innings in relief that day and Coach Prince was understandably impressed.

"They both had really good outings," he said.  "I can see them called on in the middle or back end of the bullpen this spring, just being asked to come in and blow it out for an inning."

And "blow it out" are the operative words.  Elias, a right-hander, has hit 94 or 95 miles-per-hour on the radar gun, while Julien, a lefty, has registered his fastball as high as 97.

While the two seniors are looking forward to their first college season together, Julien says the best part is just the brother reunion.  They live together in a four-plex apartment nearby Abbeville.

"You would think being in college would feel differently, but it's just like it was growing up as kids," said Julien.  "Just driving with him to school and seeing him at practice is really special."

Both brothers are also musically inclined, with Elias playing guitar and Julien taking piano lessons on YouTube and considering picking up his old instrument, the saxophone. 

"We play all over the house," Julien said.  "We're both musical guys.  Our father has like 5,000 vinyls which we listened to all the time.  We're really into the 70's and 80's.  I really like Van Morrison, Al Green and all the Motown stuff."

Beyond downsizing his college experience–Eckerd has an enrollment of 854, compared to 36,500 at Oklahoma and 14,000 at North Dakota State, Julien is also marveling about the warmer weather of South Carolina at his new campus.

"I'm loving it here, wearing flip flops and getting a natural tan," he smiled.  "I called a buddy (in Fargo, ND) the other day and he said they had three to four inches of snow on Halloween.  Winters there is a blizzard every day. I may be from Chicago, but you haven't seen wind like Fargo."

For Southern Wesleyan's baseball twins, the tale is quite different but equally interesting.  Unlike Erskine's Hachem brothers who are entering their final collegiate season, the Warriors' Britton and Briar Ellenberg are incoming freshmen.  And their symmetry goes well beyond their twin stature.  They are also a pitcher-and-catcher tandem.

Both brothers originally committed to Limestone College, but that Gaffney, S.C.-based school was forced to close due to financial straits which led to the Ellenberg's reopening their college recruitment.

         

"Limestone closing created a kind of chain reaction," recalled Southern Wesleyan Baseball Coach Matthew Robinson.  "Once they began to reach out to other schools, we heard from a connection we had on their travel ball team.  We did our due diligence and found that they were a good fit for us both academically and athletically."

Serious in the pursuit of their sport, the Ellenberg's transferred from West Ashley High School in their hometown of Charleston, S.C. after their sophomore years to the P27 Baseball Academy two hours away in Lexington, S.C. 
 
"We lived at home the first year and our mom drove us there every day," Britton said.  "We eventually lived in an apartment in Lexington."

Robinson, who had never previously coached a pair of twins, sees both similarities and differences in pitcher Britton and catcher Briar.

"They're very similar in the way they carry themselves," the coach shared.  "Personality wise, Britton has a little bit of fire and is a real jokester.  Briar is academically focused."

Robinson also admires their inquisitive nature.

"They both have questions and want to get better.  But they ask different questions.   What really stands out is they always want to be together.  Britton throws to Briar at every practice." 

While Briar is currently nursing a back injury, Britton made his collegiate debut during the fall schedule.

"In my first college game, I was shaking like a leaf," he admitted.  "My teammates said they could see me shaking from the dugout!  I think I gave up one or two runs that first inning but then settled down to pitch two shutout innings."

The Ellenberg's are not identical twins, but they looked alike growing up in youth baseball.  So much so, they were able to trick teammates and coaches about who was who on occasion.

"Briar's favorite color was red and mine was blue, so my mom bought us different colored baseball cleats," Britton said.  "Sometimes we would each wear a red and blue shoe so nobody could tell which of us was who."

The twins' childhood in Charleston was rather idyllic. 

"We grew up on a farm," said Britton.  "Our dad (Jack) built a baseball field at our house, with a batting cage under the tractor shed.  It was kind of our 'Field of Dreams' without the corn!"

Both boys were pitchers during their youth.

"Mom would catch us, but eventually we threw too hard and would bruise her.  That's when Briar started to be a catcher around 11 or 12 years old."

Britton noted that their mom (Dixie, a nurse) began throwing them batting practice and still throws BP to them to this day.

Like many brothers, not to mention twins, the Ellenburg's have always shared a sibling rivalry.

"I can remember when we were eight years old," Britton said.  "I was egging him on, and he punched out my tooth.  We were on our hands and knees trying to find it.  It wasn't a big deal because it was a baby tooth.  Plus, I got a silver dollar from the tooth fairy!"

While he admits their competitive tendencies, brother Briar also appreciates the special bond they have.

"Regardless of the situation or whatever happens, you know you always have your brother in your corner.  Britton is my best friend, and he always has my back."

And beyond their similar physical appearance, Briar is convinced they're also on the same mental wavelength.

"We kind of have telepathy.  It's awesome.  When I call his pitches, he already knows what I'm thinking.  It's just a different level of trust."

For King University's men's soccer team, it hit the trifecta with identical triplets, Bay, Campbell and Andersen Moore, all graduate student-athletes who will complete their MBA degrees this spring.

They have played a prominent role in the Tornado's program rebuild during the past four years, providing key talent and leadership for King Head Coach Mark Bell whose team posted the school's best record (5-8-4) in seven years this fall.



"We've been lucky to have them," said Bell recently.  "They're all incredibly intelligent and really know the game.  They're also the hardest working kids.  They've been awesome in the classroom but also brought a high-level of play on the field."

The triplets earned their bachelor's degrees in three years at King, all recording 4.0 GPAs, and will finish their MBAs in May 2026.

Bell also appreciates how the Moore's arrived on campus at an opportune moment to help change the program's culture.

"They came here when it was bad," he said.  "They probably could have gone to a more prestigious school, but their older brother (Riley) was already on the team here, so it was special to have all four together for two seasons.  They kind of were the foundation and believed in our vision.  They will always be regarded as important individuals that helped build the program."

With a bit of humor, Bell said his biggest challenge in coaching the triplets was simply telling them apart.

"They all have the same strengths," he admits. "They've all grown three inches since they've been here.  At first, I couldn't tell them apart.  It was hard.  Heck, it's still very hard.  There are subtle differences, but I get confused sometimes.  I want to treat them with respect, so I pretend sometimes."

The brothers don't seem to mind their coach's confusion or the endless stream of gawkers they encounter while in public.  They've lived it all their lives.

"We're used to people noticing us all the time," said Bay, the senior defender who started 14 of 15 matches this season.  "If I saw two more of me and put myself in their shoes, I would completely understand."

He does tell the story about a soccer referee once mixing him and Campbell during a King match, however.

"One time we were playing Converse and the ref (mistakenly) gave a red card to Campbell instead of me.  The rules said he would be suspended and miss the next game.

"So, the next game, I'm dressed in uniform and Campbell isn't.  Neither of us knew that the officials had looked at the game tape and saw they gave the red card to the wrong brother!  Just before we left the locker room, I was told I couldn't play."

Campbell spoke fondly of his childhood memories with his brothers.

"Mom would dress us in different colors, including our soccer cleats, so people could tell us apart.  And during Halloween, we had different themes.  A few times we just dressed as soccer players.  One year, I think when we were 10, we were dressed as 'Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three' (Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat)."

To a brother, the Moore triplets speak of having "built-in friends for life" and that each is there for their other siblings.

"We're very, very close," said Andersen.  "And we're always honest with each other.  We hold each other accountable and share the same standards.  And we're always pushing each other to be the best.  Every time I score a goal, it makes them happy and same with me."

Bell echoed those sentiments, suggesting he and his identical brothers are soccer's version of the Three Musketeers.

"You want to stick out as a good player," he said.  "If I mess up, it makes Anderson and Campbell look bad too.  If we all play well, we're all good.". 

For Coach Bell, who must now find replacements for three irreplaceable players, he sums up the Moore triplets' legacy quite succinctly.

"There were three of them.  What a gift!"

Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Bob works with the Conference Carolinas office to help tell the stories of the tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators in Conference Carolinas.