Slugging twins lead powerhouse Huntley High School baseball team

HUNTLEY, Ill. (CBS) -- The Huntley High School baseball program is a powerhouse in the northwest suburbs, winning five straight conference titles and six straight regional championships.

They're having another great season, thanks to what the players call a family atmosphere.  As Jori Parys reports, that's really true with three sets of brothers, including the Bakes twins.

The Red Raiders' talented lineup would make any opposing pitcher see double, but a pair of their batters literally do.

"Like our bench will yell, 'Oh there's two of them,'" said sophomore Ryan Dabe.

"I usually look for the guy with the shin guards on; I know that's Ryan. And Brayden, the guy in the outfield going to get a ball," said head coach Andy Jakubowski.

Ryan and Brayden Bakes share a special bond as twins.

"We do a lot of things I would say aren't normal. I mean, we kind of say the same things sometimes," Ryan said.

"We definitely have twin capabilities; like, I know what he's doing, or what he thinks," Brayden said.

But the brothers don't just mirror each other mentally. Their stats are nearly identical at the plate. Both are batting over .400, with double digit home runs and 30 or more RBI this season

"We had been hitting Ryan ahead of Brayden, and then the last week or so we flipped them a little bit. So it's like, when one does something, the other one comes back and does something. So it's pretty cool," said Jakubowski.

"I think we've had like four games where we went back-to-back home runs. So, I mean, it seems like every time I do something good, then he wants to do the same thing," Ryan said. "There was one game where he hit for the cycle right after I hit a home run."

"He probably said it. If he hits a home run, I want to hit a home run. It's a mindset that I want to be better than him every time I'm on the field, and he wants to do the same as me," said Brayden.

That competitive mindset has paid off.

Ryan is committed to catch at South Carolina in the SEC, while Brayden is headed to the Big Ten, signing to play in the outfield at Indiana.

"I think it's a credit to their work ethic. I think it's a credit to them having passion and love for the game, and their talent, and buying into a system I think has helped get them to where they are," said Jakubowski.

"It's definitely going to be weird, because I'm going to be all the way down in South Carolina," said Ryan. "Every year I've played with him, and that kind of helps me having him, knowing he's there, because he's kind of like my best friend. So it's definitely going to be different."

While Brayden and Ryan will have to use their twin telepathy from different states next year, the focus now is on ending their senior season on a high note.

"I think we have the ability to win a state championship," said Ryan. "I know we've what it takes. We have good pitching, good hitting, and the chemistry has always been there."

"This team, we bond better than any team I've played on so far. This year, it's been a lot more fun than any year," Brayden said.

Can their teammates tell twins apart?

"I can, just because I've known them for a decent amount of time," said senior Dillon Putty. "But I can definitely see a lot of new people confusing them."

"I can only tell by their noses, so that's about it," said sophomore AJ Putty.

One thing the team knows for sure is how unique their talent is.

The Red Raiders have won more than 85% of their games since the Bakes have played varsity.

The Bakes twins are two of five Huntley players headed to Division I programs next year. They host Jefferson in a regional playoff game on Wednesday.