Above and beyond

Talented English twins learned by example, long before school

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools 

One heart, two beats.

Logan English is gripping the baseball bat, his steely eyes focused on the pitcher’s slight movement. He’s wiggling his bat, keen eye on the baseball, and preparing to swing as hard as he can. Hitting a baseball is a visual art he can do in his sleep. 

‘Bang!’ — he rips a hard double down the left field line.

Morgan English is focused on her co-star, a tall actor named Levi Dobbs — the entire school is packed into Alma’s sprawling Performing Arts Center for the play ‘Radium Girls.’ 

Morgan English is living her best life.

Without missing a beat, so is twin brother Logan.

“I feel like we do think the same way about how we approach things,” Morgan explained. “(But) our focuses are very different. He (Logan) thinks more analytically, like with math and science, and mine is more on the lines of stories and theater.

“What we’re interested in is very different.”

“We’ve grown up together, our whole lives, and we’ve always done everything together, so we know how each other thinks,” Logan English. “I guess, you could say, we’ve always been hard-working. Our goals in life are different, but we know what to do to succeed.”

Morgan is drawn to her favorite actress/singer, Kristin Chenoweth, a vivacious performer with a zest for life.

Logan has always been enthralled by soft-spoken Houston Astros’ infielder Jose Altuve. 

“I’ve always liked Jose Altuve,” English said.

“I love Kristin Chenoweth, just because she is from Oklahoma, OCU (Oklahoma City University),” beams Morgan. “She’s someone I really look up to. She’s probably my favorite.”

Topping her older siblings may not be out of the question for Morgan and Logan’s younger sister, Parker.

For now, all eyes are on Morgan and Logan, nearing the end of their high school run. Two beautiful souls who long ago gained the respect of their peers.

“I didn't have Logan in class, but I definitely knew about him because other students and teachers would point him out to me walking through the halls,” Alma baseball coach and middle school math teacher Brian Fry explained. “Teachers would always tell me how great a kid he was and that his sport was baseball. They were right. Since day one, he was always respectful to everyone — coaches and teammates."

Alma theatre director Danny Hobson knew Morgan had a certain stage presence well before high school.

“Being a good actress in high school starts with a dedication to one's craft. In Morgan's case, this was her showing dedication to improving her acting, singing, and dance skills,” Hobson explained. “We refer to this type of performer as a triple threat, and Morgan proved to be a triple threat from the beginning. That's a big reason she was cast as the lead in ‘Matilda’ her freshman year. Morgan has spent countless hours improving her performance skills, which have often set her apart from her peers. That dedication to her craft has inspired those around her to improve their skills. Our troupe is at the level it is because of students like Morgan stepping up into leadership positions and raising the level of performance as close to professional as possible for high school students."

Family values

Though Logan prefers the salty taste of sunflower seeds and a hot baseball diamond, compared with Mogan’s love for theater, both agree wholeheartedly that their values were set in stone years ago by their parents, veterinarians Lena and Jerrod English. 

“Being twins, they (parents) never wanted us to be in competition with each other, which being a boy and a girl twin made it easier,” Morgan explained. “But even in theater, it’s a very competitive space. It was important to them that we both knew that we weren’t in competition with each other. That allowed us to grow up knowing we’re not here to be against each other, but to do the best you can and support those around you.”

The English twins begin and end their school days with a purpose. 

“I think, even just growing up on a farm, it instilled in us the work ethic that you need to thrive in life,” Morgan said. “I think doing chores every day, having that basis that you have to work for something that you need to earn, because we didn’t have to do that growing up. But they (parents) made sure we were always doing the right thing. We were accountable for our actions.”

Because he has a late arrival to school, Logan begins each day by bottle-feeding young calves. Morgan takes her turn in the evening.

Morgan estimates the English farm includes “about 500 cows, some chickens, little chicks, dogs, and cats.”

“My parents have always said they don’t care what we do, they just want us to give 100 percent,” Logan said. “They’re really good at helping to motivate us to do the small things right, to get everything we need to be successful.”

Not surprisingly, the English’s younger sibling, Parker, may one day outdo them both.

“Seeing me in athletics and Morgan in drama and dance, she’s actually doing all of that, and she’s learning how to play the piano,” Logan said with a smile. “She’ll be the most successful out of all of us, and that’s just from looking at Morgan and me."

“I think we’ve been good role models to her, and she’s had good parenting, too.”

The stage

Hobson said Logan had a strong stage presence back when he and Morgan attended summer theatre camps.

“He actually stopped theatre when he got to high school,” Hobson said. “I wish he had continued because he was so talented and had a great stage presence. He would have really helped to strengthen our theatre department.”

“Logan and I were both involved in the summer (acting camps), which we still do to this day, which is for intermediate, all the way to high school,” Morgan said. “Once we hit middle school, Logan and I stayed in the theatre, which was also a great way to stick together. From there, I really, really loved it, and he grew more interested in sports. Once we got to high school, we went through different facets of things.”

Logan’s bat and his arm have drawn the interest of college baseball coaches. He’s hoping to continue his game at the next level.

Morgan remains passionate about acting as well, though the college she plans to attend, Conway’s Hendrix University, doesn’t have a theatre program.

“The college I’m going to right now doesn’t have the theatre (work) I’m looking for, but I think I’m going to try and do some local things, or some things in the summer. I’m going to focus on academics, but keep acting in my life.”

“Besides being a talented performer, Morgan is also a very intelligent and creative person. I think theatre has proven to be a creative outlet for her to express herself both visually and vocally,” Hobson said. “She has a great sense of humor and can quickly grasp the type of humor that a character or scene requires. What also sets Morgan apart is how easily she can transition from a comedic role to a dramatic role. I would say that Morgan just "gets it" when it comes to knowing what is required of her character. She's able to quickly connect with a character and their situation, which is what makes her performances so believable."

“Again, however, it has taken lots of time and effort on her part to get to that level. Because of her love for theatre, she's willingly sacrificed other opportunities so that she could become the actress she is today.” 

College ball

Logan started and will end his baseball career with many of his current teammates on a 7-year-old coach-pitch team led by longtime area coach Alan Swaim. But he and teammate Easton Daily soon took their talents up a notch and played exclusively for high-end teams.

“Personally, for me, athletics has helped me become a leader,” English said. “My four years in Alma have been great, because I’ve gotten to play a lot, and in my freshman year, in different sports, too. I try to go out there and lead my team and hype my teammates up.

“Athletics has really shaped me into being a leader in school and outside of school.”

“He leads by example and works hard every day,” Fry said. “He played 19 games his freshman year and was able to gain respect from upperclassmen by the way he played and approached the game every day.”

English recently visited with Carl Albert State College coach Paul Pulley. Other schools have expressed interest, too. 

“With Logan’s athletic ability and work ethic, his ceiling just continues to rise,” Fry said. “The sky’s the limit for him; he has every tool to play at the next level, and he will be able to play for as long as he wants to commit to.”

English is currently hitting close to .300 and is one of Fry’s top conference pitchers. Relatively injury-free this season, English was forced to miss Alma’s state tournament game last season due to a late-season shoulder injury.

“It goes back to what my parents have taught us,” Logan said. “There are going to be setbacks, but you have to focus on what you can control. With injuries, I can’t control that. But I worked really hard in the weight room to get back on the field to be as healthy as I can for baseball. Morgan has been really good with drama, and she’ll get sick a couple of times throughout the year working on plays, but she always works through it.”