For sophomore softball player Andrea Colosimo, family dinners are comparable to the Civil War. Well, minus the whole war thing.

Instead, it’s more like a battle between siblings, and it’s solely based on bragging rights. Colosimo takes charge for the North as a Huskie, while her sister Kaitlin fights for the South as an All-American pitcher for the SIU-Edwardsville squad.

Despite nights of fun trash-talking, Kaitlin and Andrea’s teams won’t actually meet on the diamond before Kaitlin graduates in the spring. But, if they did, Andrea said she would definitely come out on top against her sister.

“Pitching-wise, I could give her a run for her money,” Andrea said, though it’s only her first year pitching since high school. “But hitting, that’s me for sure. I mean, she’s a pretty good pitcher, but give me some time. She’s broken a few records at her school, and I’ve kind of been joking with her, ‘You better watch out, I’ll set some records too.'”

Andrea and Kaitlin have the typical sister/athlete rivalry, teasing each other about strikeouts and home runs, while maintaining a best friend relationship. The two even joke about which one of their teams gets more attention from their parents.

“Our parents are actually really good at splitting the time between us,” Andrea said. “But sometimes we’ll be like ‘Uh-oh, mom and dad were at my game, not yours.'”

Despite the fun rivalry they have, Andrea said she goes to her sister for advice about anything, whether it’s on or off the field. And the advice seeking has only intensified after Andrea was given the chance to follow her sister’s footsteps out to the mound.

“When it came down to it in the fall, we needed another pitcher, and we knew she could do it,” said NIU softball coach Lindsay Chouinard. “I asked her and she stepped right up. That’s the kind of kid she is; she’s a hard worker, and she’s a grinder.”

The sophomore spent most of her first year in the Huskie uniform playing in the outfield and now faces the transition from fielder back to pitcher. The Orland Park native, however, said the transition has been pretty smooth due to the tips she’s gotten from her sister.

“We’re very close, especially since we’ve both started college softball,” Andrea said. “We share the same experiences, and she’s able to give me tips and stuff. She’s always told me ‘Keep your head up and keep working on it. If they get hits off you, just practice on what you did wrong. Just work on it and come out better the next time.'”

Andrea will use the advice she received from Kaitlin when the Huskies head to Chicago to take UIC in a doubleheader today at 4 p.m.

The Huskies enter the Windy City match-up after a home sweep of Bowling Green where Andrea drove in four runs on three hits to add to her team-leading RBI total which stands at 17.