The Papillion-LaVista South Titans will take on the Omaha Central Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Papillion-LaVista South has seven straight wins, Omaha Central has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Papillion-LaVista South is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Skutt Catholic, who was ranked third at the time (Papillion-LaVista South was ranked eighth). The Titans walked away with a 5-1 victory over the SkyHawks on Monday. That's two games straight that the Titans have won by exactly four runs.
Michael Jellen
| 04/14/25 vs Skutt Catholic | 6 |
| 04/20/24 vs Elkhorn South | 5 |
| 04/05/24 vs Grand Island | 5 |
| 03/28/24 @ Gretna East | 4 |
| 03/18/24 @ Kearney | 4 |
Danny Wallace and Michael Jellen were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Wallace pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Jellen didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. At the plate, Wallace went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two runs, while Jellen went 1-for-4 with one home run. That home run marked the first that Wallace launched this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cordell Clinkingbeard, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Omaha Central fell victim to Millard North and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Mustangs, falling 11-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Eagles have suffered since March 29th.
Papillion-LaVista South's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Omaha Central, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Papillion-LaVista South has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Omaha Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Papillion-LaVista South's way against Omaha Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as Papillion-LaVista South made off with a 15-5 win. Will the Titans repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
