Baseball Game Preview: Roxana Shells vs. Nashville Hornets

Roxana is 0-3 against Nashville since April of 2023 but things could change on Monday. The Shells will face off against the Hornets at 4:30 p.m. Roxana's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Nashville's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

While Roxana's win against Marquette Catholic wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Shells narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Explorers 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Shells have posted against the Explorers since May 13, 2016.

Landon Sitze

Batters Struck Out

04/30/25 @ Marquette Catholic	5
04/22/25 vs Breese Central	1
04/17/25 @ Springfield	2
04/15/25 vs Columbia	2
04/10/25 @ East Alton-Wood River	5

Landon Sitze looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had over his last five games.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Max Autery, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits he has posted over his last ten matches.

Meanwhile, Nashville was able to grind out a solid victory over Carterville on Friday, taking the game 5-1.

Nashville pushed their record up to 20-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for Roxana, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-6-1 record this season.

Roxana suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Nashville when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Shells avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.