Baseball Game Preview: Downers Grove North Trojans vs. Proviso West Panthers

For the second straight game, Downers Grove North will face off against Proviso West. The Trojans will be playing at home against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Downers Grove North has 12 straight victories, Proviso West has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Downers Grove North is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Proviso West with a sharp 17-2 win on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Angelo Chiarelli looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brady Schallmoser, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Colin Doyle, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.

Downers Grove North was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.

Downers Grove North's win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Proviso West, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.

Proviso West's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Downers Grove North has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. It's a different story for Proviso West, though, as they've only averaged .358. Will they be able to contain Downers Grove North's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.