BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -  The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team closes out spring break with four games in two days at the Pioneer Classic Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20, hosted by Transylvania University at the Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown, Ky. Illinois Wesleyan will take on Hanover College and 24th-ranked Muskingum University Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. EST, respectively. The Titans will close out the weekend Sunday, March 20, with a 10 a.m. EST first pitch against Trine, before battling host Transy at 12:30 p.m. EST.

IWU, one of 12 teams participating in the weekend-long tournament, rolls into town with a 3-5 overall record. The Titans most recently swept Lake Forest College Tuesday, March 15, by scores of 9-6 and 6-2. Hanover is 5-5 on the season, while Muskingum enters the weekend 8-2 overall after sweeping Ohio Wesleyan 3-1 and 4-0 Wednesday, March 16. Since the season-opening NFCA Leadoff Classic, Trine has won four straight to boost its record to 4-7. Transy carries an 8-4 record into the weekend, most recently defeating Webster (7-3) and Covenant (9-3).

Senior Colleen Palczynski (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) leads an IWU offense that has eight players hitting .333-or-better. Palczynski is hitting a team-best .364 this season and ranks tied for second on the team with fellow senior Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) with five RBI. Earl, who is hitting .346 through eight games, leads the team with nine hits and seven runs. Freshman Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) has quickly added power to the Titan lineup, as the rookie leads the team with eight RBI and three home runs. 

In the circle, Illinois Wesleyan uses a combination of arms. Junior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) has come on strong as of late, recording the wins in both games of IWU's doubleheader sweep of Lake Forest, March 15. Mardjetko tops the Titans in innings pitched and is tied for the team lead in strikeouts. She has not allowed a run over her last 9.2 innings of work, while yielding just three hits during the span.

The tournament central page, which provides links to all games throughout the weekend, can be found by clicking here. All games will have live stats provided through W.L. Stats, with links available on the softball schedule page of IWUsports.com. Additionally, games will be streamed via HiCast Sports Network at a cost of $12.99 for a seven-day span.