Baseball Game Preview: St. Mary's Ryken Knights vs. Bishop O'Connell Knights

Knights

Runs

04/02/25 vs St. John's	1
04/01/25 vs Bishop McNamara	5
03/30/25 vs Boyd County	12
03/30/25 vs McDowell	3
03/29/25 vs Worthington Kilbourne	4
+ 7 more games

St. Mary's Ryken are taking a road trip to square off against Bishop O'Connell at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. St. Mary's Ryken is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.

St. Mary's Ryken is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: St. John's, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (St. Mary's Ryken was ranked 23rd). The Knights lost 10-1 to the Cadets on Wednesday. The defeat continues a trend for the Knights in their meetings with the Cadets: they've now lost nine in a row.

St. Mary's Ryken saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was AJ Stefko, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Bishop O'Connell suffered their biggest loss since April 6, 2024 on Wednesday. They came up short against Highland, falling 14-8. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Chaz Walker was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. Truman Leckey was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Bishop O'Connell's defeat dropped their record down to 8-3. As for St. Mary's Ryken, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Mary's Ryken has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bishop O'Connell struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.