Maggie Hull, left, and Rosie Hull have been an integral part of the Kansas University softball lineup this season. The twins have secured starting outfield spots as freshmen and are learning from each other’s experiences on the field.

There’s an advantage that Kansas University freshmen Maggie and Rosie Hull use that has made their adjustment to Big 12 softball easier than expected.

Kansas University right fielder Rosie Hull throws to the infield after catching a fly ball in this April 2 file photo at Arrocha Ballpark. At right is center fielder Maggie Hull.

“You know how you never make the same mistake twice?” Maggie asked. “Well, if Rosie makes a mistake then I know I’m not going to make that same mistake and vice versa. We’ll talk about it afterwards and say, ‘Now we know.'”

After starring for four seasons at Free State High, the Hull twins made the leap to college softball this fall without much fuss. Like most incoming freshmen, the Hulls figured they would play a little and learn a lot from the upperclassmen. A few graduations and couple of injuries later, the twins were starting in the Jayhawks’ outfield this spring, Maggie in center field and Rosie in right.

“From day one, our goal was to earn a spot,” Maggie said. “But this has been a dream come true. I would’ve never guessed we’d be starting as freshmen.”

Neither would first-year KU coach Megan Smith, an assistant from Louisiana State who replaced longtime KU coach Tracy Bunge, who recruited the Hulls. But that was before Smith arrived in Lawrence and got a chance to see the Hull twins in action.

“They were some of the first players I saw that I knew I’d be coaching,” Smith said. “And I was impressed with them then. They’re scrappy and they’re very athletic. I knew we had good athletes on our hands. I didn’t know how that would translate to the college game. You never know.”

Together, the trio of newcomers — along with a small army of other freshmen — worked out the kinks last fall and hit the field this spring with fire. Maggie made the leap a little more quickly, earning a starting nod in a week or so before her sister. Not once did Rosie whine about it.

“There’s one person who I want to succeed more than myself and that’s Maggie,” she said. “I’m just so proud of how hard she’s worked.”

Moments later, Maggie echoed nearly the same sentence and her claim was backed by the fact that her older sister — by two minutes — was off the new coach’s radar until a meeting in January.

“We all had meetings after winter break,” Rosie said. “And coach Smith told me, ‘You gotta be ready, you gotta come out and prove it.’ And it was really great that I had Maggie to push me. We worked really hard together during winter break and I just gave it all I had.”

The twins were rewarded with full-time starting spots just a few days into the season. Maggie is one of five Jayhawks to have started all 51 games this season, shifting over from center field to left field for the past month. Rosie has started 45 of the 46 games she’s played in and currently leads the team in hitting with a .362 batting average.

“They’ve done an unbelievable job of stepping up,” Smith said. “You don’t know what you’re going to get from anybody, especially the freshmen. Maggie had a rough first weekend and Rosie didn’t play the first weekend and then after that they were both in the lineup and they have just gone with it.”

That feeling is not unique to the KU head coach.

“I thought they caught on really quick,” senior pitcher Sarah Vertelka said. “I don’t really feel like we’re inexperienced. Our freshmen are doing great out there.”

Of course, it hasn’t been all roses for the Hull twins this spring, though you’d never know from watching them. Through Monday, the Jayhawks stood at 19-32 overall and 1-15 in the Big 12.

Although the conference losses have taken their toll, the Hulls realize that tough times today could turn into shining moments down the road. Their emphasis has been on individual improvement and team chemistry.

“They work extremely hard, they have great attitudes and they’re very coachable,” Smith said. “Their parents have done an unbelievable job of raising them.”

Now, they’re working on their games. Known as dynamic offensive weapons throughout their prep careers, the Hulls have been reduced to slap-hitters this season.

“In high school, we were able to just sit back and swing away,” Maggie said. “But now we just really have to focus in on putting the ball in play. If we do that now, the hitting will come as we get more comfortable.”

Other areas the Hulls have pinpointed for improvement include arm strength, approach at the plate and getting stronger. The rest of their adjustment has been mental. In high school, the season spanned 20 games and was squeezed into six or seven weeks. In college, they’ve already played a fall season and will wind up with three times as many games by spring’s end. They’re also juggling academics — both have grade-point averages above 3.7 — travel and adjusting to college life, as well.

“Because the season is so long and you’re playing so many games, you can’t get down on yourself for one game or one mistake,” Rosie said. “You just have to push through and not give up. Your team’s counting on you and your coaches are counting on you. I feel like we’ve both succeeded with that. Just to watch that progress and to have someone there who knows where I was and who’s worked just as hard with me, it’s just really cool to be able to do all of this together.”