Baseball Game Preview: Central Jaguars vs. Jay Royals

Central hasn't had much luck against Jay recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Jaguars will head out on the road to square off against the Royals at 6:30 p.m. The last three games Central has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Central played against Lighthouse Private Christian Academy on Thursday and lost via forfeit.

Jay is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Destin 16-0 on Tuesday. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by seven runs or more this season.

Brady Godwin was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, Jay got a massive performance out of Grayson Shehan, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Shehan is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Golden, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

Jay always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive matchups.

Jay's record is now 12-10. As for Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-5.

Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Jay in their previous meeting last Thursday, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Jaguars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.