Champaign Central and Urbana are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Maroons will welcome the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Champaign Central has four straight wins, Urbana has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Champaign Central's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Rantoul 15-0. The Maroons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by ten runs or more this season.
Haley Helm
| 04/01/25 @ Rantoul | 6 |
| 03/31/25 vs Hoopeston | 12 |
| 03/26/25 vs St. Joseph-Ogden | 13 |
| 03/24/25 @ St. Teresa | 11 |
Haley Helm was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run. She also put up a run, which was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Kaitlyn Helm and Maisie Bowers did most of the damage at the plate: Kaitlyn fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-4, while Bowers fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave Bowers a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaila Davis, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Champaign Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in six consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Tigers on Tuesday. Urbana came up short against Westville, falling 20-1.
Champaign Central's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Urbana, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Urbana's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Champaign Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .492. It's a different story for Urbana, though, as they've only averaged .115. Will they be able to contain Champaign Central's hitters?
Champaign Central took their win against Urbana in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Maroons repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
