McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team is set to host regional play in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament from May 15-17 at Inspiration Field in Bloomington, Illinois. The Titans will face Bethany Lutheran College on Thursday, May 15, at 11 a.m., while Greenville University and Nebraska Wesleyan University will compete later that day.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the postseason with a strong 33-4 record, having secured both the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season and tournament titles. Their opponent, Bethany Lutheran, holds a 28-13 record and earned their spot through the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's automatic bid. Meanwhile, Greenville boasts a 37-4 record after winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. Nebraska Wesleyan comes in as winners of the American Rivers Conference Tournament.

The return of NCAA regional competition to Bloomington marks the first since 2019 and is IWU's seventh time hosting an NCAA Regional. The Titans have an all-time NCAA Division III Tournament record of 54-45, including five World Series appearances.

Sophomore Mallory Holland was named CCIW Pitcher of the Year, while senior Jen Kuhn received Defensive Player of the Year honors. Both were First Team All-CCIW selections alongside Ava Khoury, Anna Beckman, and Gianna Certa. The coaching staff was recognized as CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year for the third consecutive year.

Nationally recognized players include Mallory Holland as NFCA DIII Pitcher of the Week and Ava Khoury as Hitter of the Week. The Titan roster includes several local athletes from Bloomington-Normal.

Offensively, Illinois Wesleyan has been one of Division III's top teams with a .352 batting average this season. Jen Kuhn leads with a .476 average and has broken multiple records during her senior year.

Defensively, IWU holds a fielding percentage of .971 this season. They are set to face regional opponents they have limited experience against but hold a previous win over Bethany Lutheran from March 2020.

Ava Khoury recently broke IWU’s career home run record with her 34th homerun during the CCIW Championship game.

The winner from this regional will advance to face Linfield's regional winner in super regionals scheduled for May 22-23.