Baseball Game Preview: Illiana Christian Vikings vs. Chesterton Trojans

The Illiana Christian Vikings will face off against the Chesterton Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are out to turn their luck around after having lost tight contests in their previous games.

Illiana Christian is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Hanover Central just ended the team's nine-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Vikings have suffered since May 3, 2024.

Ayden VanKuiken made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Chesterton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 3-1 to Crown Point, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Chesterton's defeat dropped their record down to 11-9. As for Illiana Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 14-3.

Chesterton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Illiana Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .354. It's a different story for Chesterton, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Illiana Christian's hitters?

Illiana Christian couldn't quite finish off Chesterton when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 2-0. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.