McLean County Times

A six-game homestand will conclude on Wednesday, April 23, as the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team faces North Central College in a league doubleheader. The match between the two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at Inspiration Field.

The Titans currently hold a record of 23-7 overall and are undefeated at 8-0 in CCIW play. They recently swept league doubleheaders against Millikin, Wheaton, and Elmhurst from April 15-19. North Central College holds a 15-15 record and seeks to improve its 4-6 mark in CCIW. After losing four consecutive games, the team will host Carroll on April 22 before traveling to Bloomington.

Illinois Wesleyan's offense has been strong, with six players achieving batting averages over .300. Senior Jen Kuhn from Normal leads with a .476 batting average and also tops the team with 50 hits, 39 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .733, and an on-base percentage of .487. Junior Claire Post, also from Normal, leads with six home runs and shares third in the RBIs category with 21, accompanied by a .382 average. Senior Ava Khoury from Columbia holds 30 RBIs and a .370 batting average, with a team-high 13 doubles. Freshmen Grace Wilkens and Bella Pinter, along with junior Anna Beckman, complete the top six performers with batting averages of .358, .345, and .330 respectively. Beckman also leads the team by scoring 28 runs and 13 stolen bases.

In pitching, junior Gianna Certa from Third Lake and sophomore Mallory Holland from Shelbyville have been standout performers. Certa boasts an 11-2 record with a 2.02 ERA over 79.2 innings, leading the team with 55 strikeouts and three saves. Holland, the reigning CCIW Pitcher of the Week, holds a 1.74 ERA, allowing a .164 batting average to opponents over 44.1 innings with a 4-1 record.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan and North Central have faced off 77 times since 1997, with IWU leading 44-33. The teams have split their last four meetings, including a doubleheader on April 19, 2024, splitting games with scores of 2-0 and 0-4 respectively.

The upcoming games will be held as IWU's Athlete Ally Pride games. Fans can access live streams and stats on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.