Baseball Game Preview: Valmeyer Pirates vs. New Athens Yellow Jackets

The Valmeyer Pirates will head out to square off against the New Athens Yellow Jackets at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Valmeyer lost 12-3 to St. Louis HomeSchool P on Monday.

Luke Blackwell

Runs

03/26/25 vs Okawville	4
03/31/25 vs Valle Catholic	3
03/25/25 @ Cahokia	3
04/14/25 vs St. Louis HomeSchool P	2
04/08/25 @ Lebanon	2
+ 4 more games

Luke Blackwell made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Valmeyer's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-2 (and 2-6 when he doesn't).

Meanwhile, New Athens was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 11-2 to Farmington, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

New Athens now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Valmeyer, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Valmeyer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like New Athens struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Valmeyer took their victory against New Athens in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-2 score. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Yellow Jackets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.