McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team is set to begin a four-game road trip with a doubleheader against Elmhurst University on Saturday, April 13. The games are part of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin series and will take place at Salt Creek Park, starting at 1 p.m.

The Titans currently hold a record of 14-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play. They recently split their league opener against Millikin on April 10, winning the first game 6-0 but losing the second 8-3. Elmhurst enters the matchup with a season record of 9-12 and has yet to win in conference play this year.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan has dominated the series against Elmhurst, leading with 42 wins to Elmhurst's 12 over their past encounters. Last season saw the Titans needing crucial late-game performances to secure victories against the Bluejays, including a walk-off home run by Jen Kuhn that clinched a win in extra innings.

Key players for IWU include freshman Hailey Milgazo, who leads the team with a .486 batting average, sophomore Anna Beckman who boasts a .481 average and leads in slugging percentage at .796, as well as Kuhn and Casey Wissmiller who are top contributors in RBIs.

On the pitching side, Gianna Certa heads up IWU's rotation with an earned run average of 2.09 and has recorded 48 strikeouts. Freshman Mallory Holland and sophomore Caroline Gatchell also contribute significantly from the mound.

Fans can follow along with live streams and stats available through links on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.