This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The gaps in their front teeth and other facial features, as anyone would notice, are identical.
Their personalities, as only a mother could analyze them, are distinct.
The impact that Dalton and Dallas Carroll have made during their University of Utah baseball careers is easily quantifiable. In their last season together, the twins have helped the Utes more than double the program's previous high of Pac-12 victories as anchors of the league's leading team, going into the final two weekends of the schedule.
This is how the brothers from Taylorsville pictured their college experience turning out, even if little evidence supported such belief until now. "We always had high hopes," said Dallas Carroll, a third baseman. "It's finally good to see the results, rather than just the hopes."
Dalton Carroll, a starting pitcher, said, "You always want to go to a school that may not have been the best and build it up. Being a local guy, that's something that we take pride in."
Succeeding together makes it even more fun for the Carrolls, who turned 22 on Wednesday. They wear neighboring jersey numbers (Nos. 23 and 24) and have shared a house with three teammates during their four years of attending Utah.
Maybe it spoils the story to reveal that the twins, scientifically, are fraternal. People even have suggested that their mother have them retested, believing they must be identical. In any case, they're as bonded as any brothers could be, although they seem to like having teammates distinguish between them. Some have observed, "You guys are becoming more and more different."
So what's the distinction? Interviewed separately, Dalton said, "I would say I'm more outgoing."
Dallas: "I'm more outgoing, I guess."
Then again, these things evolve. "Over the years, their personalities have flip-flopped," said their mother, Pam Dalton. "Just when I think I've figured it out."
The way the economics majors tend to save or spend is a clear difference. Their mother's caricatured forecast of the twins' future includes Dallas living in a cabin without indoor plumbing and Dalton pouring money into an expensive home and needing a loan from his brother.
Dallas would deliver; that's certain. The twins — who also looked up to their brother Steve, who's four years older — have been highly supportive of one another. It probably helped that they were equally talented players, growing up in Taylorsville's baseball community.
Edo Rottini, who died in 2013 after coaching youth teams for 50 years, became a big influence with his backyard practice facility. Rottini once joked that the boys' mother, who primarily raised them, should let them move in with him, because "they're here all the time, anyway."
The Carrolls became stars for Taylorsville High, pitching and playing shortstop (Dallas) or the outfield (Dalton) for a team that reached the Class 5A championship game in 2012, losing to American Fork. The brothers chose to focus on baseball when they started high school, giving up football. Their grandfather, Lyle Peterson, had played football for Utah in the 1950s and was disappointed with that decision, figuring football was the best avenue to college scholarships.
Peterson died in 2008, before his prediction was disproved. The brothers signed with Utah and launched careers that have become highly rewarding for them and the program. "They're outstanding people, in everything they do. Both of them have done job an unbelievable job for us," said Ute coach Bill Kinneberg. "We expected that out of them, but now that it's happened, it's sure nice."
Dallas might be the Pac-12's best third baseman, helping the Utes post a 15-9 league record. He's batting .344 in conference games (.319 overall) as a junior in eligibility, having missed the 2014 season with a broken collarbone after a collision with a runner at third base in the opening game. He's likely to be drafted by a major league team in June, and Dalton, a senior, also may get a professional opportunity after being a four-year starting pitcher for the Utes. Dalton is 5-6 with a 4.86 ERA this season, including two conference victories.
Unless they somehow end up on the same minor-league team, though, the twins soon will be separated in baseball for the first time in their lives. As Dallas Carroll said, "It's definitely going to be different."
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Stretch run
Leading the Pac-12 with a 15-9 record, the Utes open a three-game series Saturday at California. Washington hosts Stanford this weekend, then comes to Smith's Ballpark next week to conclude the regular season (the Pac-12 does not stage a conference tournament). Third-place Arizona wraps up the Pac-12 schedule this weekend at Oregon.
Pac-12 standings
Team Conf. Overall
1. Utah 15-9 21-25
2. Washington 14-10 29-18
3. Arizona 15-12 32-18
4. Arizona St. 13-11 31-17
5. Oregon 12-12 26-22
6. USC 12-12 24-25
7. Oregon St. 11-13 30-18
8. California 11-13 29-18
9. Stanford 11-13 26-21
10. UCLA 11-12 24-26
11. Washington St. 10-17 17-30
Ute brothers
Two of Utah's regular lineups include a set of brothers. Jayson Rose and Dalton Carroll are starting pitchers; Josh Rose plays right field and Dallas Carroll plays third base.