The Northside Mustangs will head out to face off against the DePaul College Prep Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Northside made easy work of Chicago Academy and carried off a 17-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won seven in a row.
Elliot Weihing was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Jesse Nick
| 04/04/25 vs Disney II | 4 |
| 04/23/25 vs Chicago Academy | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Mather | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Payton College Prep | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Farragut | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jesse Nick, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Northside is 5-1 when Nick posts two or more runs, but 4-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Zack Hotz, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Northside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .647. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chicago Academy only posted an OBP of .294.
Meanwhile, DePaul College Prep had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Wolverines an 11-0 shutout.
Owen Rog tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched.
At the plate, DePaul College Prep let Beni Espinosa and Vance Kurokawa run wild. Espinosa went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs, while Kurokawa went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs. Another player making a difference was Quinn Roberts, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
DePaul College Prep pushed their record up to 17-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Northside, their record now sits at 9-7.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northside hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. However, it's not like DePaul College Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northside suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to DePaul College Prep in their previous meeting back in March of 2019. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
