Fearsome foursome | Senior pitching duo looks to win it all before graduating

Rivalries between star players can get competitive and fierce. It can be even worse when the star players are vying for attention on the same team. But Texas A&M softball stars Megan Gibson and Amanda Scarborough do not have a rivalry relationship. The two are good friends, more like sisters than rivals.

"It isn't that stressful when we play, because I know that if I'm having a bad day, she's probably going to be on fire," Gibson said. "So I don't think there's more pressure on us. And I think that we're old enough where we can handle the pressure maturely."

The two have been together for nearly every step of their college careers. Both are seniors and have been starters since their careers began. They earned

All-Big 12 or All-American honors or mentions each year, including 2008, when they both were placed on the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year watch list. They share positions, splitting time between pitcher and first base. All of this has fueled the competition, but it has fueled the friendship more.

"It's nice because we've been playing together since our freshman year," Scarborough said. "The nerves and all the pressure were high our freshman year.

There's not as much pressure to perform because we trust in ourselves and in each other."

This is the final year that the two will be together at A&M, though, and they have unfinished business. After a disappointing finish in the College World Series a year ago, Scarborough, Gibson and the Aggies are ranked No. 2, with many of the pieces of the 2007 team still intact. Scarborough said that changes in the talent landscape have leveled the playing field, and she spoke of the College World Series in terms of "when," not "if."

"I don't think we need to make any adjustments," she said. "I think we're fine the way we are. We had to go up against the player of the year [Monica Abbott] when we played Tennessee, and that was a challenge. There's just no dominating pitcher like that this year. When we get back to the world series, it's going to be more even, and the team that is more prepared will get the win, and that will hopefully be us."

The two know they will be giving way to a young Aggie team, and they want to do as much as they can to make the transition and smooth and strong one. While the two split nearly all the innings between each other in 2007, freshman Rhiannon Kliesing will get some time in the circle. Gibson and Scarborough said they play a mentor role to Kliesing.

"[Kliesing] has a lot of learning to go through, and the good thing is she has the sources in me and Amanda," Gibson said. "We're here to help her no matter what. Yesterday we were in the bullpen and she was struggling with her curveball, and without her even asking me, I went over and showed her a little key that I've done."

"She won't have as much pressure as we did coming in," Scarborough said. "She has a whole year to grow into those shoes, and she's already really good."

When asked about what they want to be remembered for when they leave A&M, Scarborough and Gibson did not bring up trophies, awards and fanfare. They said they wanted to be helpful to their team.

"I want to leave my knowledge with a lot of my teammates," Gibson said. "Hitting or pitching, whatever it is. I want them to succeed down the road, too."

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