Baseball Game Preview: Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats vs. DuQuoin Indians

The Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats will challenge the DuQuoin Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Anna-Jonesboro and Pinckneyville meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Wildcats narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Panthers 4-2.

Aaron Sheffer

Batters Struck Out

04/22/25 @ Pinckneyville	6
04/15/25 vs Frankfort	12
04/08/25 @ Benton	6
04/01/25 @ Herrin	6
03/26/25 @ Goreville	8
03/18/25 @ Carbondale	5

Aaron Sheffer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

Sheffer wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Daylon Butler, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double. Another was Noah Chotner, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.

Meanwhile, DuQuoin had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Warriors. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

DuQuoin's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-10. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Anna-Jonesboro, their win bumped their record up to 5-9.

Anna-Jonesboro came up short against DuQuoin in their previous meeting last Monday, falling 6-1. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.