Baseball Game Preview: Hampshire Whip-Purs vs. Crystal Lake Central Tigers

Hampshire and Crystal Lake Central are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Whip-Purs will host the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hampshire is coming into the match hot, having won their last seven games.

Hampshire will bounce into Wednesday's contest after beating Central, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Whip-Purs came out on top against the Rockets by a score of 6-2 on Monday.

Calen Scheider

Batters Struck Out

05/12/25 vs Central	5
05/05/25 @ Dundee-Crown	12
04/28/25 @ Huntley	5
04/22/25 vs Prairie Ridge	5
04/14/25 @ Jacobs	10
+ 4 more games

Calen Scheider made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

In other batting news, Ari Fivelson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Hampshire was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Central only posted a batting average of .208.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Crystal Lake Central's offense. They lost 8-0 to Prairie Ridge on Monday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Tigers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Hampshire's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Crystal Lake Central, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-18-1 record this season.

Hampshire might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Crystal Lake Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Whip-Purs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.