The Oneida Indians are taking a road trip to square off against the Jellico Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Oneida has three straight victories, Jellico has nine straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Tuesday, Oneida got the win against Austin-East by a conclusive 17-1. With that win, the Indians brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Elijah Strunk made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. What's more, he gave up only two walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
Eli Rector
| 03/25/25 @ Austin-East | 2 |
| 03/24/25 vs Austin-East | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Wartburg Central | 2 |
| 03/04/25 @ Cumberland Gap | 2 |
| 03/20/25 @ Wartburg Central | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
In other batting news, Oneida let Eli Rector and Maddox Hutcherson run wild. Rector scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Hutcherson scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Rector is becoming a predictor of Oneida's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-6 when he doesn't). Aiden Frazier was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Oneida always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .590. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Austin-East only posted an OBP of .389.
Meanwhile, Jellico came up short against McCreary Central on Thursday, falling 18-2.
Jellico saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Wyatt Baird, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Jellico's defeat dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Oneida, their record is now 5-6.
Oneida took their victory against Jellico in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 18-0. Will Oneida repeat their success, or does Jellico has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
