Baseball Game Preview: Normal University Pioneers vs. Lincoln Railsplitters

The Normal University Pioneers will head out to challenge the Lincoln Railsplitters at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The last three games Normal University has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

While Normal University's victory against Jacksonville wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Pioneers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over the Crimsons on Tuesday. The Pioneers haven't had any issues with the Crimsons recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lincoln). They came out on top against Lanphier on Tuesday by a score of 15-0 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The high-scoring effort was just what the Railsplitters needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.

Normal University pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Lincoln, their record is now 6-11.

Normal University took their win against Lincoln in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.