But while their pitching styles differ as much as their personalities, they have, in the nine months since they met, bonded off the field.
They are roommates and rivals, confidants and co-conspirators; friends for life who share giggles, exclamatory fist bumps and respect with equal frequency.
They also share a redemptive back story and a reliance on faith that has helped strengthen their connection.
"There was a little learning curve to get used to his sarcasm and his witty way," Gorgen said of Etheridge, who typically follows him in Coach Dave Serrano's starting rotation and is scheduled to start UCI's second game Monday against an opponent to be determined. "But once we got a chance to sit down and talk about our life stories, I guess things clicked."
THE COMEBACK KIDS
Gorgen's initial challenge was created at birth, as he and twin brother Matt were two months premature.
"I spent the first 18 months of my life in the hospital," said Gorgen, whose complications included a bout with pneumonia and a 35% hearing loss that requires him to use small hearing aids in both ears.
"I was a miracle baby," he said. "The doctors told my parents I would never walk, talk, play sports or do anything. I was supposed to be in a wheelchair, drooling on myself. It's just a real miracle that God gave me the opportunity to come through that; to be where I am today, which is competing at the highest level in athletics."
Etheridge, on the other hand, was nearly derailed by his own bad decisions. In his early teens, he was struggling in school. He began skipping classes and smoking marijuana, associating with kids who were experimenting with harder drugs.
