Northern High School softball sibling groups stand for a photo, including Delaney MacAulay, left, Brooke MacAulay, Melody Russell, Avery Russell, assistant coach Kassidy Cross, assistant coach Kaylee Cross, Casey Brabson, Katerina Brabson, Jade Brooks and Jada Brooks. Also on the team, not pictured, are sisters Kayla Twigg and Miranda Twigg.
Northern High School softball coach Robert Earl Radford conducts a practice last week as the Patriots prepare for their home opener against rival Huntingtown today. Northern welcomed back twin sisters Kassidy Cross and Kaylee Cross as assistant coaches and the roster also consists of five sets of siblings, including one set of twins.
Northern High School softball sibling groups stand for a photo, including Delaney MacAulay, left, Brooke MacAulay, Melody Russell, Avery Russell, assistant coach Kassidy Cross, assistant coach Kaylee Cross, Casey Brabson, Katerina Brabson, Jade Brooks and Jada Brooks. Also on the team, not pictured, are sisters Kayla Twigg and Miranda Twigg.
Staff photo by Ted Black
Northern High School softball coach Robert Earl Radford conducts a practice last week as the Patriots prepare for their home opener against rival Huntingtown today. Northern welcomed back twin sisters Kassidy Cross and Kaylee Cross as assistant coaches and the roster also consists of five sets of siblings, including one set of twins.
During his long tenure as the head softball coach at Northern High School, Robert Earl Radford has seen more than his fair share of siblings come through the program. But his current group, which hosts rival Huntingtown Friday, March 24, includes five sets of sisters, including a pair of twins who join another pair of twins who have returned as assistant coaches this spring.
Northern graduated a trio of senior stars last spring, including pitcher Marissa Powell, catcher Sydney Parlett and center fielder Sam Flowers, all of whom are enjoying solid freshman seasons at their respective colleges. This season a pair of former standouts, twins Kassidy and Kaylee Cross, have returned to coach at their high school alma mater, and they are among a bevy of siblings on the squad.
“I’m excited to have Kaylee and Kassidy back helping me out this year,” Radford said. “It’s tough to replace a coach like Devin [Karcesky] who was with me for a long time. But I am so glad that the Cross twins came here. They both had tremendous playing careers here and in college and they’re going to be a great asset to this team.”
Kassidy Cross, a standout center fielder during her playing days with the Patriots, is now the outfielders’ coach at Northern, and Kaylee, a former pitcher at Northern, has essentially been tabbed as the pitching coach. Both Cross twins are glad to be back at their alma mater where they are as quick to learn as they are to instruct.
“Coming back here really is somewhat nostalgic,” said Kassidy Cross, who spent two seasons at the University of Maryland before finishing her college playing days at Jacksonville University. “Every time I look out at the scoreboard I think of so many memories. I just wish we could have hung another state title on the board for 2016.”
“Every time I step onto this field now, I can still think of turning over my shoulder and just seeing Kassidy out there in center field,” said Kaylee Cross, who played her first two seasons at Mt. St. Mary’s University before concluding at Towson University and now works on the family farm in Brandywine. “Playing here under Robert Earl really helped prepare me for playing in college. Now we get to come back and help him coach a lot of these younger girls.”
Oddly enough, the twins are not in rarified space in the Northern dugout. Northern has five sets of siblings on the roster, including twin sisters Brooke MacAulay and Delaney MacAulay, as well as sister sets Avery Russell and Melody Russell, Casey Brabson and Katerina Brabson, Jada Brooks and Jade Brooks and Kayla Twigg and Miranda Twigg.
Katerina Brabson will assume the role of staff ace with Powell now in college.
“I’ve had as many as four sets of sisters on the team at any one time,” Radford said. “But never five. It’s a very talented group. We lost three tremendous seniors, right up the middle. All three of them were great leaders, too. I think we’re going to be very good.”
