Baseball Game Preview: Wetumka Chieftains vs. Varnum Whippets

The Wetumka Chieftains will face off against the Varnum Whippets at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.

Wetumka barely beat Indianola the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Chieftains were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Warriors on Thursday. The matchup marked the Chieftains' most dominant victory of the season so far.

Chaydan Flanagan and Cason Crump did most of the damage at the plate: Flanagan scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Crump scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Flanagan a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Phillip Ross, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.

Wetumka always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .652. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Varnum waltzed into their game on Thursday with nine straight wins... but they left with ten. They blew past the Tigers 16-3. Considering the Whippets have won 11 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Varnum's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Wetumka, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-9 record this season.

Wetumka might still be hurting after the 14-0 defeat they got from Varnum in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Chieftains avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.