Baseball Game Preview: Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets vs. Silliman Institute Wildcats

The Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets will challenge the Silliman Institute Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Oak Forest Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 2.7 runs per game this season, so Silliman Institute's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Oak Forest Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Columbia Academy, who was ranked 19th in their home state at the time (Oak Forest Academy was ranked sixth). The Yellowjackets skirted past the Cougars 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Yellowjackets have posted since March 19th.

Tyler Mulkey looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.

Cole Covington

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/11/25 @ Columbia Academy	3
03/18/25 @ Bowling Green	2
03/14/25 vs Hancock	2
03/12/25 vs Purvis	2
03/08/25 vs Booker T. Washington	2

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cole Covington, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Keegan Kelsey was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous four contests, Silliman Institute brought some dynamite into their most recent game. They put the hurt on Bowling Green with a sharp 10-3 victory on Monday. The win was some much needed relief for the Wildcats as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.

Oak Forest Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs over those games. As for Silliman Institute, their win bumped their record up to 6-8.

Oak Forest Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Silliman Institute in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 5-1. Do the Yellowjackets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.