Figueroas are double trouble freshman combo

Danny and Paco Figueroa have been playing baseball together since little league and they are not about to stop now.
The pair of twins, identical in appearance as well as their play on the field, are two of the newest additions to the defending National Champion Hurricane baseball team.
“Our mom put us together from the beginning and that’s how it has always been,” Paco said.
The 5-10, 165-pound freshmen brothers attended Gulliver Prep School in Miami and grew up following the Hurricane baseball team. The fact that both boys are now attending UM is no accident.
“We always knew that wherever we went, we would go together,” Paco said. “Some schools would call up asking for just Danny and others for me, but right from the start UM called us up saying they wanted to take us both.”
UM is not the first team to make an offer to both brothers. The Atlanta Braves drafted Paco in the 42nd round followed by his brother Danny in the 48th round.
“This is a dream for me,” Danny said. “With us playing close to home it makes it easy for our parents to come see the games, which is nice for us.”
The brothers noted that being identical twins is great but it’s not always easy.
“Everybody always asked me, ‘What is it like to be a twin?’ and I always ask them in return what is it like to just be yourself,” Danny said. “There is a huge competition factor in everything we do.”
Said Paco: “One time we even came home from school with our high school report cards in which we had taken all the same classes and got the exact same grades in every course.”
With high school in the past, the twins will now begin another chapter of their lives together in Coral Gables.
“My first impressions of the school are great,” Paco said. “It is great to be able to play for a guy like Coach Morris, and the teammates are great as well.”
Danny echoed that sentiment.
“Coach (Jim) Morris is a great guy. He really knows the game of baseball and it is great to learn from him. The teammates are great because a lot of us are young and we are all going through these adjustments together.”
As for Morris, he has his own expectations of the twins this season.
“Like everybody else on the team, I want these guys to contribute in the best way they can and in any way they can to help the team,” Morris said. “I still can’t tell them apart. Half the time I think they are messing with me.”
In addition to great athletic ability, the twins bring a lot of character to the team.
“I am pumped for Friday night,” said Paco, referring to the team’s season opener against the Tennessee Volunteers. “This is what I have been waiting for. Saturday night was great at the Alumni Game because it was the first time we have played in front of a lot of people.”
Although it appears that Paco, who plays second base, will be playing behind starter Joey Hooft, Danny will most likely start in center field, a job left vacant by graduating senior and College World Series MVP, Charlton Jimerson.