Changs make their mark on Roseville athletics

One would be hard-pressed to find twin brothers who had a bigger impact on an athletic program than Ashton and Austin Chang did at Roseville High School. The twins graduated May 29 and eight days later closed their athletic careers by helping the Roseville baseball team win the CIF NorCal Regional Division 3 championship with a 4-2 win over Menlo School. The NorCal championship goes along with four Sac-Joaquin Section championship teams the boys played on as well as the 19 varsity letters they've earned. As freshmen, the Chang brothers played a handful of games on the varsity water polo team, which earned them their first varsity letters. Ashton earned a second varsity letter his freshman year in wrestling. As sophomores, Ashton earned letters again in water polo and wrestling, as he would in his final two years of high school. Austin earned a varsity letter in water polo and baseball, and he would earn letters in those sports the last two years of his career. Ashton earned varsity letters in baseball his junior and senior years for a total of 10, while Austin earned letters his senior year in football and soccer for a total of nine. The brothers' first section title came last year as juniors on the baseball team, which was really the start of a remarkable year for the brothers. Austin had the game-winning two-run hit in a 6-5 win over Bradshaw Christian to win the section championship. A little more than five months later, Ashton scored six goals and Austin scored three in Roseville's 23-11 water polo win over El Camino to win the Changs their second section championship. Two weeks later, Austin kicked the winning 24-yard field goal in Roseville's 31-29 victory over East Union to win a section football championship. Finally, the boys ended their high school career with their fourth and final section championship on the baseball field, defeating Central Catholic 4-1. They followed with the NorCal title a week later. Austin, who hadn't pitched in six weeks, started on the mound and pitched 2 2/3 innings and left with a 3-2 lead. Ashton, meanwhile, hit a solo home run in his last at-bat to put Roseville in front 4-2, and in the next inning made a diving catch in left field. The twins were born July 25, 2008, Ashton 31 minutes before Austin. Following in the footsteps of older brother Aidan, 22, a 2021 Roseville graduate, the boys played sports from the get-go, starting with baseball as 6-year-olds. Growing up, the boys also played soccer, volleyball and flag football, and they wrestled, adding water polo and football (Austin) when they got to high school. Like most boys who played baseball, wiffle ball games with friends in the backyard were very competitive. "The boys were mischievous growing up and were always getting into everything," said their mom, Jenn. "There was never a dull moment with those two. "Aidan, who is five years older, started playing little league when the twins were born, so they've basically been on a baseball field since birth. They spent their childhood at ballparks and had a built-in coach and role model in their older brother. By the time they were ready to play themselves, they already knew the game and couldn't wait to get started. Wiffle ball competitions in the backyard kept them busy for years." Having an older brother to watch definitely had an impact on the Chang brothers. "Aidan had a huge impact on us when it came to sports," Austin said. "He played water polo, wrestled and played baseball in high school and we always wanted to play the sports that he played and be better than him, of course. He would also push us to be better than him, too." The boys were always competitive with and against each other from the start. "We are both very competitive and have been our whole lives," Austin said. "We got along for the most part, but when we did fight it was because one of us lost to each other in a game (most of the time wiffle ball). We always pushed each other to be better because both of us wanted to win more than the other so that's where our competitiveness came from." Added Ashton, "We are definitely really competitive with each other, just trying to edge out and be the better athlete, and it has definitely contributed to us being at the highest level in many different sports. As kids, we would always wrestle and we would go until someone got mad or hurt (usually mad). As we kept competing, it developed the effort and work ethic we put into our sports today." Mom added, "The boys never really fought. They did, however, spend plenty of time wrestling each other to prove who could pin whom. There was definitely a little trash talk mixed in over the years, but that's just part of being twins. "Growing up, Ashton was definitely the leader. Austin was a little quieter and happy to follow along. As they've gotten older, Austin has become a leader in his own right." When Austin got the game-winning hit to win the section championship last year, it was a big moment. "One of my favorite baseball memories was when Austin had the hit to win the section championship and one of the first people racing to celebrate with him was Ashton," Jenn said. "One thing I've loved this season is watching them run to each other after a win for their signature flying high five." The Changs' high school coaches had plenty to say about their abilities. Their contributions on the baseball team were enormous. "The Changs have a crazy legacy at Roseville High School," said baseball coach Eli Garcia. "Their older brother, Aidan, was a graduate from here and the twins followed in his footsteps in being a multi-sport athlete. They're both very unique and have their own personalities even though they look the exact same. It was troubling at first figuring out which twin was which, but I soon learned and was blessed to have coached them. They're ultimate competitors and Roseville legends. Having several section titles and records in their respective sports, the Changs put a mark in the Roseville High sports history books and will be talked about for a long time." Water polo coach Kevin Seals also coached both boys. Water polo was Ashton's best sport. He was team captain the last two years, the Foothill Valley League Most Valuable Player, the Sac-Joaquin Section CIF MVP, and he holds school records for most goals in a season (166) and most goals in a career (384), assists (120) and steals (180). "Ashton was a dedicated, hard-working and supportive athlete," Seals said. "As our primer hole set, Ashton looked to improve his skills by training outside of the regular season. This level of dedication is rare and speaks volumes about his work ethic. Ashton was always double-teamed with two defenders on him, but he was still able to score." Austin made great contributions to the varsity team his senior season, helping the team to a section championship with 49 goals, 38 assists and 44 steals. He was also a first-team all-Foothill Valley League and Sac-Joaquin Section player and earned Roseville's most improved player award. "Austin was a utility driver on the team and loved to shoot the ball," Seals said. "Austin had some of the craziest shots that somehow went in the cage. During the section finals, Austin had a backhand shot outside the 6 meters that changed the game for us. After that shot went in, we all knew we would win the game. "Austin improved a lot as a senior and became one of the better defensive players on the team. He was able to get up out of the water and block a lot of shots for us. Austin became a team player and helped lead us to a league championship, along with a section title." Along with water polo, Ashton wrestled, which might seem like an odd combination of sports, but he made it work. "I loved the passion and the effort of playing water polo and I loved the competitiveness and the grind of wrestling," Ashton said. "Wrestling has definitely helped me in water polo. Understanding control of one's own self, the mental toughness and the wrestling moves I even brought with me into the water to gain an advantage." Roseville wrestling coach Jay Foster said he will miss having Ashton on the team. "He's one of the most naturally gifted wrestlers I've ever coached," Foster said. "Ashton had an extremely high work ethic. He worked hard every single day and was our team captain the last two years. He was more of a quiet leader who led by example. He was our co-Most Valuable Player. "The sad part about it is Ashton told me wrestling was his least-favorite sport, but he was so good at it. He only lost 10 times his senior year and every loss was to a state qualifier from last year or a state-ranked guy this year. He finished one win away from qualifying for the state tournament. "I wished he loved wrestling a bit more and had taken it further, but he's a nationally-ranked water polo player. The kid's an athlete and competed with his heart." Ashton finished his senior season with a 45-10 record with a career record of 88-32. Austin got the big hit for the baseball team a year ago, but he also had the big kick for the football team last fall. Both are big moments to him. "Both moments gave me satisfaction," Austin said. "Getting the job done in baseball definitely gave me more confidence for the kick in football, knowing I could get the job done because I'd done it before." Roseville football coach Adam Reinking described Austin as clutch. "Austin was very clutch," Reinking said. "He had never played football before but was recruited by one of his teammates. He came out to practice every day and just worked on his craft. What makes Austin clutch is his demeanor. He's always the same. He always has a smile on his face, never seems to get fazed by anything so the game-winning kick was just a little kick in practice that he had done 1,000 times before. I'm assuming he approaches all the sports he plays the same way, which makes him cool under pressure. There's no doubt he gets into the Roseville Athletic Hall of Fame once we get that rolling." Austin's favorite sport is baseball and Ashton's is water polo, and both will continue playing those sports in college. Austin will attend Sacramento City College and Ashton will attend American River. The Chang twins have been a blessing to Roseville High athletics and to their mom. "There's something truly magical about having twins," Jenn said. "It's been fun to watch them grow into their own people. While they're so much alike in many ways, they're also very different. Even now, I still find myself in awe of them. Getting a two-for-one the day they were born was truly a blessing." There is another Chang on the way. Younger sister Addison, 11, is going into sixth grade. She plays soccer and just started flag football.