McLean County Times

Senior Ava Khoury and sophomore Mallory Holland of the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team have been recognized with NFCA Division III National Player of the Week honors. Their performances were instrumental in propelling their team into the NCAA Tournament. This achievement marks the first time since Ally Wiegand in 2020 that a Titan has received this accolade.

Khoury is the first Titan to be named national hitter of the week since at least 2017, while it is also notable as the first instance a school has swept both national honors since Belhaven on March 28, 2023.

The Titans claimed victory in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament held from May 8-10, securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team extended its winning streak to a record-breaking 22 consecutive games after defeating Augustana.

Khoury set a new program record by hitting three home runs during the tournament, surpassing Sam Berghoff's previous career record. She achieved a batting average of .625 for the week with seven RBIs and three runs scored. Khoury's performance included two home runs against Millikin on May 9 and another in the championship game.

Holland played a crucial role as pitcher, securing saves in two games before pitching a complete game on championship Saturday. Her efforts limited opponents to five hits across seven innings against Augustana, contributing to her season record of 8-1. Over 12.1 innings during the week, Holland maintained a .214 opponent batting average.

The Titans will host a regional for the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament for the first time since 2019, starting with a game against Bethany Lutheran College on May 15.