The Niles West boys varsity baseball team has been preparing to take on one of their conference rivals, Evanston, and tonight is their time. The Wolves are currently 5-1 in conference and are looking to take home a win against Evanston, who are 5-3 in conference.

The baseball team has had an outstanding season, and they plan to continue on with their winning record. The Wolves are currently in second place in conference, and are looking to take first place and the CSL conference champions title.

Varsity baseball member and junior Phillip Abonce is excited to take on Evanston and is hoping to come out of the game with a win.

“We’re excited going into this one,” he said. “We know Evanston has a good program and that it’s going to be a good game. We’ve been working hard at practice so we can stay sharp in the games. We’ve been practicing using a lot of situation type drills to prepare us for anything.”

Freshman Jack Lochner is looking forward to the game and the possibility of taking home the CSL title during his first year on varsity.

“Against every team you have to have the same approach to win. Evanston is usually a pretty good team,” Lochner said. “But nothing changes because of that. We have our best pitcher on the mound and we have to have good approaches at the plate. I personally prepare for every game the same way: listen to music and only concentrate on what I can do. If I do what I can control to the best of my ability then I’ll be happy with the outcome.”

Varsity baseball coach Mitchell Stern is confident in the team’s ability to both win this Thursday, as well as to take home the CSL title.

“Evanston is always a tough opponent. They are well-coached and always have excellent pitching. We are sticking to our normal routine of practice this week and are excited for the challenge to play them,” Stern said.

Make sure to come out and support the boys baseball team at Evanston on Thursday, May 4 at 4:45 p.m. for one of their last games of the season.