“Let’s play two.”

The Kits will play their second doubleheader of the season as they take on CSL foe Glenbrook North at 10:30 a.m., and Von Steuben at 1 p.m..

“You have to take it one game at a time,” senior infielder Adam Geibel said. “We have to be ready for the mental grind throughout the entire day and be disciplined enough not to lose focus at all.”

While the players focus on being mentally prepared, coach Frank Consiglio knows that another key to a successful double header day is using his pitchers effectively.

“The big difference in a doubleheader is lining up the pitching,” Consiglio said. “Tomorrow it’s going to be a challenge because we play a conference game early so you tend to go after that game more. Then the second game is a non-conference game so you can allow players who don’t pitch as much to get out to the mound, which is good because it’s a nice opportunity for kids to step up and help the team.”

 The Kits played well in their first doubleheader of the year on April 21, beating the Niles North Vikings 12-1 in the morning and Walter Payton College Prep 13-3 in the afternoon.

Tomorrow’s second game is a make-up game for a matchup that was supposed to take place on April 3 but it was cancelled due to cold weather, a recurring theme this season. Although tomorrow’s forecast is playable, it isn’t much warmer than the original day.

“Playing in cold weather honestly sucks,” Geibel said. “You’re out there for two and a half hours and your hands get cold. It’s hard to get a grip on anything, the bat or the ball. It’s tough. But it’s tough for both teams so you can’t use it as an excuse.”

Evanston plays GBN every year, but the last time they faced Von Steuben was way back in 2015, with a 13-0 win for the Kits.

In last year’s game with the Spartans, the Kits came away with a 3-0 victory, their first win over GBN in five years. In that contest, graduated senior Chris Brown, who now plays at State Fair Community College, pitched a two hit shutout and struck out eight batters. Fletcher Brown and Jake Snider contributed RBIs for Evanston, and Geibel collected three hits, only six games after he had returned from the disabled list.

This season, the Spartans have a record of 7-3, and the Kits are 12-5-1. It will be an evenly matched game as Evanston scores 5.8 runs per game and GBN averages 6.9. GBN allows about one less run per game, 2.9 compared to the Kits’ 3.6. ETHS will try to take care of business in the early game and then let some players who don’t play as much compete in the second contest.

“Conference games definitely mean more because a good record in conference is important,” senior Fletcher Brown said. “A lot of seniors on the team have played club baseball in the off season with GBN players so we definitely get excited to play against them, we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Evanston has 4-1 record through four conference game, beating Niles North 11-1, Vernon Hills 3-2, Niles West 3-2 and Maine East 8-0. Their loss came to Glenbrook South 2-0. Glenbrook North is tied for first in the Central Suburban League with Maine South and the Kits are in second in the conference.

After the games tomorrow, the Kits will play two games against Maine South next week, away on Tuesday and at home on Thursday. Both games are set for a 4:45 first pitch.

[All stats as of April 23]