When Tom Tso moved to the United States from China with his family as a child, he fell in love with hockey, a sport that was relatively new to him. He played street hockey recreationally, but he hoped to have children who loved the sport as much as he did, enough to take it to the ice.
He received all that and more with his twin sons, High School South seniors Patrick and Brian Tso. While working towards hockey and baseball careers, the two have played on teams together from the time they were six, and they have become nearly inseparable.
That will change when they graduate in June, but for now the boys are enjoying their final baseball season with the Pirates, who are currently 8-7 and the defending Mercer County champions. During the winter, the South hockey team played to a 14-9-2 record, defeating North twice and advancing to the MCT quarterfinals.
The transition from hockey to baseball is demanding, especially due to the change in pace. Brian said while both sports require quick reactions and quick thinking, he finds those things are easier in hockey.
On the other hand, Pat is a pitcher and a goaltender, two of the most visible positions in any sport. He loves the scrutiny, though.
“It’s the adrenaline rush,” he said. “All eyes are on you. You can do big things in the net. For baseball, I think the best lesson I’ve learned is that it’s a game of failure. I’ve failed, my teammates have failed, my coaches have failed, but that’s a natural part of the game. The beauty is that you can come back the next inning or the next day and do even bigger things.”
The brothers were just glad to have someone else to share those experiences with.
“We had a lot of friends who didn’t have any siblings, but I would always ask Pat to play hockey, baseball, and basketball,” Brian said. “We both loved sports and it was great to always have him there to smile, laugh, joke around with. I’m going to miss him next year.”
Pat agreed. Brian is “an awesome kid, and an awesome athlete on the ice and on the field. It’s been a true pleasure, especially in high school. We’ve stuck with each other, we’ve succeeded and failed together,” he said.
The first time they played on separate teams was last summer, when Brian played travel hockey while Pat opted for baseball. Pat and Brian began playing baseball together when they were six and started up with hockey the following year.
“My dad always was a big hockey fan, and he kind of brought us up, teaching us the sport,” Pat said. “We took to it right away. It was the same for baseball. We played in local leagues and had a passion for both sports.”
Pat said his brother’s best athletic quality is his ability to lead by example, while Brian said Pat is a good motivator without being too harsh or too lighthearted.
What they share, though, is an extremely close relationship and a happy, positive outlook on life. “Pat always has a smile on his face,” Brian said. “He’s the funniest person I’ve ever met. He lifts me up if I’m having a bad game, and he’s the best teammate I’ve ever played with.”
The two will part ways next year when Pat heads to the College of New Jersey, while Brian will go to the University of Delaware. Both are enrolled in their schools’ business schools, and both hope to play club hockey. There is a chance they could play against each other for the first time. Brian said that his parents, Tom, who works for Mondelez International, and Eileen King, a director at Pentad, wouldn’t know who to root for.
The pair might not be quite ready to separate, but they are ready to find out what’s waiting for them after graduation.
“At the hockey banquet, all of the seniors gave speeches,” Brian said. “I started crying when I was talking about Patrick. It’s going to be tough, but it’s not the end. I know that’s cheesy, but it’s only the beginning. We’re not too far away. We’re going to stop by and say hi. We’ll see each other.”
