From their backyard in The Woodlands, Texas, to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Gabby Leach and Alannah Leach turned their childhood dreams into a shared reality.

Now they symbolize the latest chapter of the Leach family story at Tennessee softball, continuing the legacy that their older sisters, Kelcy Leach and Aubrey Leach, began.

The twins grew up going to all of their sisters’ games, notably travelling to watch Aubrey Leach beginning in 2016, with the Lady Vols’ run to the NCAA Regionals.

They were unaware that, nearly a decade later, they would trade their sideline cheers for the same orange and white threads.

“When you’re younger and have older siblings, you want to do what they’re doing,” Gabby Leach said. “You want to be just as good as them.”

With her playing days behind her, Kelcy Leach has a deeper appreciation for her sisters while watching them play on her former field.

“Now that I’m out of it, they’re in it and crushing it,” Kelcy Leach said. “It’s been such an honor to pay them back in that sense.”

However, their story isn’t all about family legacy — it’s about how their sisterly connections have shaped each other’s confidence, performance and identity.

Early days, lasting impact

Long before the home runs, rankings and SEC crowds, the Leach sisters’ story began in The Woodlands, Texas, where competition and connection grew side by side.

Their father, Todd Leach, fondly remembered how Gabby Leach and Alannah Leach ran around the house, sliding into pillows on the floor as if they were bases. What initially looked like play quickly evolved, with even the smallest moments becoming opportunities to compete and improve one another.

“Even at young ages, they wanted to win, no matter what they were playing,” Todd Leach said. “There was healthy competition from the earliest ages, and it continued on up through.”

The twins made their softball debut at age 4 and, by age 11, were playing travel ball at Texas Sudden Impact, further immersing them in a competitive environment that strengthened their love for the sport.

“We were blessed in the sense that we surrounded them with good quality people and teammates as they grew,” Todd Leach, who served as the coach of the Texas Sudden Impact’s 18U team, said. “They just kind of naturally evolved for the love of softball.”

During their high school careers, Gabby and Alannah Leach both earned All-District honors and found themselves ranked in the top 20 players nationally in the class of 2023, according to Extra Inning Softball.

While the accolades were exciting, college recruiting became a challenge. When the twins decided they wanted to stick together, it narrowed the list of potential collegiate programs that would value their individuality and goals alike.

“There are only so many programs out there that need two left-handed outfielders that are similar in offense, similar in defense,” Todd Leach said.

Growing up coming to watch their sisters play for the Lady Vols made the twins approach the recruiting process with a level of familiarity that made Tennessee the early frontrunner.

“Tennessee just felt like home,” Alannah Leach said. “It was so welcoming in just the support that everyone had around.”

Gabby and Alannah Leach verbally committed to the Lady Vols in October 2021, sealing their family’s kismet of all four sisters playing for the orange and white and bringing their story from the stands to the field.

Writing their chapter

When they arrived in Knoxville, Gabby and Alannah Leach immediately proved to be a significant addition to the Lady Vols’ roster.

Both made their collegiate debut in a 15-0 win over UT Arlington on Feb. 8, 2024, each recording their first collegiate hit. Both hits came in the top of the fifth inning, with Gabby Leach hitting a single to the pitcher, later scoring on Alannah Leach’s two-run double to left field.

Adjusting to the pace and expectations of SEC softball, the twins quickly found ways to contribute, relying on both their preparation and connection with each other to ease the transition to the college level.

“We continue to push each other,” Gabby Leach said. “We know that we both have each other’s back, every time we go out.”

In the Lady Vols’ 2025 run in the Women’s College World Series, Gabby and Alannah Leach played pivotal roles in their journey to the semifinals.

The two connected in Game 5 against Florida, with Gabby Leach contributing a triple to get the scoring started and Alannah Leach tacking on four RBIs, including the one that would give the Lady Vols the 11-3 run-rule victory.

Now in their junior year, the twins have rewritten history, becoming the first pair of sisters to hit back-to-back home runs in Tennessee softball history.

So far, Gabby Leach has proved to be a power hitter, with a .318 batting average, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs across her 47 games played. She had a particularly exceptional performance against LSU in early March, with three home runs in the three-game series, including a walk-off three-run blast on March 8.

Alannah Leach has produced high-octane offense of her own, with a .340 batting average and 10 home runs over 45 games played. Her solo shot on March 24 against Tennessee Tech sealed a run-rule victory. Weeks later, she delivered again, hitting two home runs against Kentucky on April 13 to help the Lady Vols clinch their first conference sweep of the season.

On March 7 at home against LSU, Alannah Leach was put in to pinch-hit in the sixth inning, and as she walked up to the plate with her twin on deck, Gabby Leach said she felt her “spidey senses” tingle.

They had called each other’s home runs before but never had the opportunity to go back-to-back, so when Gabby Leach heard the crowd in Sherri Parker Lee Stadium erupt, she had increased confidence to follow her sister — and she did.

“We both went up there not trying to do too much,” Gabby Leach said. “It just happened to work out for us, and I think that’s awesome.”

Becoming themselves, together

While developing in the same paths as their older sisters, Gabby and Alannah Leach have strived to carve out their own identities.

That effort began in their early childhood years, guided by intentional encouragement from both of their parents.

“They had big shoes to fill, and the expectation was really high,” Todd Leach said. “We kind of reinforced about being individuals, not only being younger sisters.”

While twins, Todd Leach explained that the two differ greatly in both personality and approach, with Gabby Leach often taking on a more outgoing presence and Alannah Leach carrying herself in a quieter, more reserved way.

Those differences have shaped how each of them handles pressure, prepares for games and responds to success and failure, ultimately bringing them closer together.

“They’re a little different in that respect,” Todd Leach said. “But they know they can learn from each other and help each other out.”

For Todd Leach, those differences are part of what has made watching his youngest daughters’ journey so meaningful, as the same traits that once showed up in childhood now define who they are as players.

“Sometimes it seems like it’s been a long time,” Todd Leach said. “But it feels like yesterday they were strapping those gloves on their wrists.”

Now, those same gloves have been replaced by college uniforms and packed stadiums, but the memories remain just as vivid.

“It’s been a good journey,” Todd Leach said. “Perfect.”