SLIPPERY ROCK — Travis Lauster and Ryan Lauster don't look like brothers.

Travis' hair is stark black. Ryan's coif is carrot red.

“I get teased a lot,” Ryan Lauster says, smiling. “I have an aunt and uncle who have red hair. My parents have dark hair, so that's where Travis got it. So, that's how that happened.”

On the baseball field for Slippery Rock High, they almost look like twins with sweet left-handed swings, speed and defensive prowess that belies their standing as high schoolers.

Travis, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound senior center fielder, and Ryan, a 5-6, 160-pound junior shortstop, have been mainstays for the Rockets and have helped the team to a 35-15 record and one District 10 Class AAA title in the last three years.

Slippery Rock coach Nate McCollough couldn't have been happier to have the brothers as a part of his growing program.

“It's nice when you can take a program over like I did four years ago and you have a player like Travis, who I started as a freshman and he's played every game (except for injury) since,” McCollough said. “And then the next year his brother come and he plays every game since.”

The brothers are just 16 months apart.

Growing up, they said they were ultra-competitive with each other.

They still are.

“We've had the same skills and the same interests our whole life,” Ryan said. “I look up to him a lot with him being a four-year starter here at Slippery Rock. I have a lot to live up to and I'm trying to do my best.”

Both Lausters said they try to “one-up” each other, whether it is on the baseball field or the football field.

That desire to be the best drives them both on a daily basis.

“I'd like to think I influence him a lot,” Travis said. “When I see him making plays now, I get pumped.”

Both have made a lot of plays for the Rockets.

Ryan is batting .500 this season with one home run, three doubles and 11 RBI. He's also swiped eight bases.

Ryan is a career .362 hitter and has fanned only 13 times in 152 at-bats in his career.

Travis missed a chunk of this season with a back injury suffered during football season, but is hitting .375 with a home run, six RBI and six stolen bases since his return.

Travis feared his injury would linger and wipe out his senior baseball season.

“It killed me,” Travis said. “I'm glad I'm back. I'm glad it wasn't season-ending. I was worried about coming back too soon and re-injuring it and have it keep me out of the rest of the season.”

No such fate for Travis, who is the No. 3 hitter for the 10-1 Rockets.

Ryan has hit leadoff.

Neither is necessarily in their perfect spots in the order, McCollough said.

“It's interesting because I go back and forth on who to hit No. 1,” McCollough said. “Ryan is more of a two-hitter, but we bat him leadoff and Travis is more of a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he has a little more pop for a high school hitter, so you want him in the middle of the order.”

Both were feared runners on the football field the last two seasons as the Rockets compiled back-to-back 10-0 campaigns.

Travis will play both baseball and football at Westminster College next fall.

Ryan will be a key member of the Rockets' offense under new head football coach Travis Sarver in the fall.

Both are grateful for their success in both sports at the school.

“It's one of my proudest achievements to be a part of both the football and baseball teams here and changing both programs around. It's been a pleasure,” Travis said.

“It's been real nice. It's been a very good experience in my life.”

Senior Travis Lauster and junior Ryan Lauster have been the bash brothers for the Slippery Rock High baseball team. Below are their career statistics for the Rockets.R. Lauster T. LausterAvg. .362 .277HR 2 2RBI 28 23AB 152 166H 55 462B 11 103B 5 5SB 27 39BB 31 50K 13 40