Matt Willey Assistant Baseball Coach | Illinois Wesleyan Titans Website
Matt Willey Assistant Baseball Coach | Illinois Wesleyan Titans Website
The Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) baseball team is set to engage in a two-game series during the midweek. The Titans will first face Blackburn College on Tuesday, April 30, at 6 p.m. at Jack Horenberger Field. Following this, they will travel to play against Elmhurst University on Wednesday, May 1, with the game commencing at 4 p.m.
The Titans currently hold a record of 22-11 as they prepare for their encounter with Blackburn College, which has an overall record of 4-31. Historically, IWU has dominated their matchups against Blackburn, leading the series 15-5-1 since 2000. In their last meeting on May 4, 2023, IWU secured an early lead and eventually won with a score of 11-4.
In contrast to Blackburn, Elmhurst University has not played any games leading up to their match with IWU. They have a record of 9-26 overall and are ranked ninth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) with a conference record of 3-13. Meanwhile, IWU holds an impressive third place in the CCIW standings with an 11-5 conference record.
The Titans and Bluejays have faced each other frequently since their first matchup in 1998. Over these encounters, IWU leads the series with a significant margin of 77-26 victories over Elmhurst. The Titans' longest winning streak against the Bluejays was from 2004 to 2010 when they achieved 21 consecutive wins.
Earlier this season on April 5, Elmhurst narrowly defeated IWU by a score of 2-1. As they prepare for another three-game series against North Park University later this week, the Titans aim to level their seasonal contest against Elmhurst.
Sophomore Cole Shamhart played a crucial role in securing IWU's position in the CCIW tournament last week by pitching six innings and striking out twelve players during a game against Carthage that ended in a decisive victory for IWU.
Freshman John Philip Ferraro has also made notable contributions by starting all three games last week with an impressive batting average of .556 and maintaining his overall average at .403—ranking him third within the conference standings.
Fans can follow both games via live stats or live stream available through IWUsports.com under their baseball schedule section.
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