McLean County Times

For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan University's softball team has swept the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) player of the week awards. This announcement was made by the league office on Monday afternoon, April 29.

Sophomore Gianna Certa from Third Lake, Illinois, who attends Grayslake North High School, was named the CCIW Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive week. Junior Jen Kuhn from Normal, Illinois, who attended University High School, received Hitter of the Week status for the first time in her career.

Certa's recognition marks a significant achievement as she becomes the first Titan to earn this accolade three weeks in a row since Ally Wiegand in 2019. During an impressive week for IWU with a 3-1 record overall, Certa secured victories in both her starts without allowing an earned run. Her performance included tying a career-high with eight strikeouts over seven innings against Coe and following it up with a five-inning shutout against Carroll on April 27.

Kuhn played a crucial role in powering Illinois Wesleyan's offense as they achieved a 3-1 record from April 24 to April 27. She hit .600 for the week with nine hits in fifteen at-bats and contributed significantly to her team's success with three doubles and two home runs among her achievements. Notably, Kuhn did not strike out during this period and posted an exceptional slash line of .600 / 1.200 / .647 as IWU outscored opponents 30-7.

Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan is set to conclude their regular season with road doubleheaders against Wheaton College on May 3 and Augustana College on May 4.