The twin brothers and Varsity Baseball players James and Brandon Morio announced their commitment to play college baseball at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas prior to the spring semester. They will play Division Three baseball in the Fall of 2023 and, at the same time, pursue a Pre-Medical degree.  

The recruitment process for both brothers took place over the course of three years, with the both of them receiving offers to play baseball from competitive Division I, II and III colleges both in and out of state. Trinity University, a private school with an acceptance rate of 34%, was one of James and Brandon’s top college choices.

“I was ecstatic [when I found out I was recruited by Trinity University] because only 7% of baseball players eventually make it to college at the next level,” James said. “I feel very fortunate to be able to have this opportunity and I can’t wait for the future.” 

The twin brothers began receiving offers to play college baseball during their sophomore year of high school, allowing them to have enough time to explore several options before committing to a university.

“Normally, people get offers sophomore or junior year because that’s the prime time for recruitment,” Brandon said. “Right now, it’s really crazy because some people are getting recruited freshman year and eighth grade as well. I’d say being recruited sophomore year is very early, so I was very thankful and blessed to have been recruited at that age.”

Both brothers are left-handed pitchers, but Brandon is also an outfielder. James believes that being a left-handed pitcher positively impacted his recruitment process. 

“Fortunately, I was born left-handed and being left-handed in a right-handed sport can be very beneficial, especially in baseball,” James said. “Most batters are used to seeing the baseball come from the right-handed side and a left-handed pitcher is the easiest position to play in college, so I’m very lucky to have that.” 

Brandon and James were interested in attending Trinity University since the beginning of their high school baseball career. However, until recently, the university had not made a verbal recruitment offer to either one of them. Soon enough, the brothers found out why. 

“Trinity knew about me and James, but they thought that we were too good and they didn’t think that we’d go there,” Brandon said. “We contacted them for a campus tour and they were surprised we even wanted to go. So we visited them, we liked it a lot and we committed.” 

Aside from Trinity University, the twins received recruitment offers from other colleges as well. James was offered a place to play at Rice, Wichita State, St. Edwards, and University of Texas at San Antonio. Meanwhile, Brandon received offers from Hendricks, University of Dallas, Northwestern State and Lipscomb University. However, what made Trinity University stand out for the both of them was its baseball team’s success. 

“Some of the other colleges that wanted to recruit me haven’t had a strong baseball program in recent years,” James said. “Four years prior, Trinity actually won the Division III Baseball World Series and they’ve been having a winning record ever since. I also looked into the school because they had such a good Pre-Med program, so it checked off all the boxes.”

Another reason why they chose Trinity University was because they both wanted to attend the same college. In fact, for James, it was a dealbreaker to not attend the same university as Brandon. 

“I’ve played with my brother since I was three years old and we’re very close,” James said. “Part of the decision process was that I really wanted to go to college with him, but some of the schools were recruiting me and not him. Luckily, Trinity liked Brandon as well and they recruited the both of us.” 

For Brandon, the school’s student body and culture was also an integral part in his decision to attend Trinity University. 

“Other than baseball, I’m really glad I’m going to Trinity because it’s very high in academics and the people there are really nice,” Brandon said. “There’s also a lot of diversity because lots of the kids are international and from out of state. It’s also very close to home, only an hour and 30 minutes away.”  

Although Brandon and James intend to pursue a career in the medical field, if given the chance, the both of them would be willing to play baseball professionally. James is hopeful about the possibility of this occurring. 

“I do think that by the end of my four years at Trinity, I will have the opportunity to go [play baseball professionally],” James said. “Because being drafted is such a rarity, even in the lower rounds, I’m just gonna take it because it’s a once in a lifetime experience.”  

Although he would consider playing baseball professionally, Brandon is still unsure of what his future will look like. Nevertheless, he is thankful for his recruitment to Trinity University and looks forward to the future. 

“When I was little, I wanted to make it to the major leagues, but now I’ve had a little bit of a reality check and realized that some people are a lot better than me,” Brandon said. “I’ll say that if I get drafted in the low rounds, I might consider getting drafted and go play in the major. If not, then I’ll just continue going into the Pre-Med route. My dream now is to play in college and my dream has now come true.”