Baseball Game Preview: Oswego East Wolves vs. Joliet Central Steelmen

Oswego East has gone 9-1 against Joliet Central recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Wolves will welcome the Steelmen at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Oswego East has five straight wins, Joliet Central has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Oswego East is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Plainfield South 15-2 on Friday. The game was the first time the Wolves have beaten the Cougars on their field since April 24, 2017.

Jacsen Tucker

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/11/25 @ Plainfield South	3
04/04/25 vs Naperville North	2
03/27/25 @ Neuqua Valley	2
05/25/24 @ Downers Grove North	2
05/02/24 @ West Aurora	2

Jacsen Tucker was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mason Palermo, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Oswego East always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .619. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Saturday just wasn't the day for Joliet Central's offense. They lost 15-0 to Shepard on Saturday.

Oswego East's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-5. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Joliet Central, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Oswego East has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Joliet Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Oswego East took their victory against Joliet Central when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Steelmen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.