McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team is set to face Monmouth College on Thursday, March 21, marking their home opener at the newly renovated Inspiration Field. The Titans aim to extend their four-game winning streak with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.

Coming off a successful doubleheader against Emory University on March 16, where they secured victories of 15-4 and 10-2, Illinois Wesleyan has improved its record to 6-4. In contrast, Monmouth College holds a record of 1-11 and is currently experiencing a seven-game losing streak.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan has dominated in previous matchups against Monmouth. Out of their 44 encounters, the Titans have won 39 times and are currently on a 19-game winning streak against the Scots. Last season, they swept Monmouth with scores of 5-1 and 4-0.

This season, the Titans boast a team batting average of .328. Freshman Hailey Milgazo from Poway leads with an impressive .516 average from the leadoff position and also tops in stolen bases with five. Junior Jen Kuhn follows closely with a .514 average. Sophomore Casey Wissmiller and junior Ava Khoury lead in RBIs with eight each, while freshman Elyssa Stenger has contributed seven RBIs.

In pitching, sophomores Gianna Certa and Caroline Gatchell have been pivotal for the team. Certa leads with a 1.45 ERA over 29 innings along with 24 strikeouts to one walk. Gatchell holds a second-best record on the team with an ERA of 2.86 and has achieved 13 strikeouts.

The game will be held at Inspiration Field which recently had turf installed earlier this academic year. Fans can access live streaming and stats through iwusports.com.