Newton County High School softball coach Justin Chaney, left, and East Central Community College softball coach Kristin Chaney’s careers both found each other coaching in their hometown, just a few minutes apart.

DECATUR — Only six years separate Newton County High School softball coach Justin Chaney from his younger sister, Kristin Chaney.

And just two miles separate the elder Chaney from where his sister coaches softball: East Central Community College.

Both are Decatur natives, and both graduated from Newton County High School. While their careers took different paths — Justin Chaney comes from a baseball background, while Kristin Chaney played softball at ECCC and Southern Mississippi — both ended up back in their hometown, leading their teams to strive for excellence.

At Newton County for more than a decade, Justin Chaney has amassed eight slow-pitch and six fast-pitch championships to his name. Kristin Chaney is only in her fourth season as head coach at ECCC, but last year’s Lady Warriors made it all the way to the NJCAA Division II Softball National Championship game before falling to Kankakee Community College. They appear poised to make another run this spring.

“I think it’s in my blood,” Kristin Chaney said of coaching. “My dad is a coach, Justin is a coach and my other brother, Josh, was a coach for a little while. I never wanted to leave the game, and this was the best way to stay in the game.”

Justin Chaney’s interest in coaching stemmed from keeping stats for the football team in the late ‘90s before joining Newton County legend Mac Fanning as the fast-pitch coach. When Fanning stepped down at Newton County, Justin Chaney took his place in the fall of 2004, and he’s been leading the Lady Cougars ever since.

“I credit my mom and dad,” Justin Chaney said of he and his sister’s success. “When we were 3 or 4, every summer we would go to two or three major ballparks and watch big-league games. We’d get there two hours before the game, so we understood the whole process of getting ready for the game.”

The two’s shared experiences as young siblings often revolved around sports. Both recalled playing in the backyard as children, “from daylight to dark,” as Justin Chaney put it. And the two boys showed no mercy to the only girl, Justin Chaney admitted.

“Between my sister, brother and me, we didn’t know what these iPhones were,” Justin Chaney said. “(The backyard was) where we learned to play the game. Josh and me, we were rough on Kristin — I’m not going to lie. We kid about it, but we know that’s the reason she was so successful, because we were tough.

“We would have some fights. The thing is, all three of us were competitive; we wanted to win. I joke all the time, I would cut my sister’s own throat to win, and she’d do the same thing.”

While she may have been bitter at the time, Kristin Chaney said she now looks back on those times in the backyard with fondness.

“We were in the yard constantly,” she said. “There were many fights, much blood, yelling and screaming, but it was fun. If I could go back and have the same childhood I had growing up, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

There was a brief period during high school where Kristin Chaney was actually coached by her older brother while he was an assistant under Fanning. It was during Kristin Chaney’s upperclassman years, and the sibling rivalry was apparent with that just like it was in the backyard.

“It was really tense,” Kristin Chaney recalled. “He still lived at home at the time, and me and him did not get along. I thought I knew more than him, and he would tell me to do something, and there were times where I would just shake him off or do something different. There was a lot of head bumping, but ultimately, I knew he had my best interest in mind.”

Said Justin Chaney, “For me, it was special. She hated it at the time. You’re a senior and you have your big brother telling you what to do, but even then I didn’t tell her to do much. She knew the game, so it was easy. I could remember there would be some knockdown, drag-outs about some things. It was unique because of the time we spent in the backyard. It’s kind of like it just flowed to those ball games.”

In fact, Kristin Chaney’s knowledge of the game is a big reason for her success, from what her older brother has observed. He said he tries to soak in as much as possible from watching her coach.

“I had a baseball background, whereas she was able to go through and play college ball and understand a lot of different things,” Justin Chaney said. “I always go to the outfield (for ECCC games) and watch and learn. One thing I know she’s really good at is, she can teach hitting. She’s really good at that. I think as a coach if you’re not always learning, you’re falling behind.”

Likewise, Kristin Chaney said she’s picked up a few things from observing her older brother, namely his tireless effort every day he works.

“His work ethic is what sticks out the most,” Kristin Chaney said. “Even now, I’ll call him sometimes and ask where he is, and he’ll say he’s up at the field. His work ethic is something people know know a lot about, but no one will outwork him.”

Justin Chaney also complimented the hours his sister puts into make ECCC a standout team.

“She works at it,” Justin Chaney said. “We’re a family that’s driven with sports, and she knows the long hours that go with it. I think that’s what a lot of people behind the scenes don’t see, all the long rides recruiting. She knows the game, and I think she can relate to kids and young athletes and get the best out of them.

“When you watch (ECCC) play, they play hard. That’s how she played; she knew one speed: wide open.”

Though only separated by a four-minute drive, Justin and Kristin Chaney both said they don’t get to talk as often as people think due to their busy schedules, but one thing is certain: They’re always pulling for each other. Following Newton County capturing the MHSAA Class 4A state championship last spring, Justin Chaney immediately drove over to Clinton, where the NJCAA Division II Softball National Championship was being hosted, to cheer on the Lady Warriors.

“As a big brother, I was so happy for her,” he said. “Then, when they lost, I hurt like she did. On the bus rides home, I’m keeping up with them on GameChanger. I hurt for her when she loses.”

Said Kristin Chaney, “I think that speaks volumes. I get chills thinking about it. He called me throughout the whole tournament and supported me the whole time.”

While both have what Kristin Chaney called “aggressive” coaching styles, she said there are differences to their approaches to coaching.

“I don’t think it’s a bad or good thing (to be different),” Kristin Chaney said. “I will tell you when it comes to outworking, I will say he pours his heart and soul into it. I think I have an edge on the Xs and os part, but his work ethic — I’ll be honest, it’s hard to beat.”

The elder Chaney agreed with that assessment.

“I know her knowledge of the game is probably more than mine,” Justin Chaney said. “Being with a softball background, I think she’s probably more technically sound in everything — I agree with that. Me and her have never sat down and talked about that, but I’ve told people she’s probably more technically sound, and I probably put in more of the hours and the grinder parts.”

Justin and Kristin Chaney’s parents are Ricky and Brenda Chaney.