BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team will return to Orlanda, Fla. to participate in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, March 12-19. The Green and White will battle six different teams, for a combined seven games during the weeklong business trip. IWU will take on Lancaster Bible College, Central College, Anderson University, Ripon College, Simpson College, and SUNY Canton.
The date/time/opponent/field schedule can be found in the following table below:
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| Date |
Time |
Opponent |
Field |
| Sat., March 12Â |
5:15 PM ET |
Lancaster Bible |
NERP* #3 |
| Sun., March 13Â |
2:00 PM ET |
Central |
Lake Myrtle #5 |
| Tues., March 15Â |
10:00 AM ET |
Anderson |
NERP* #4 |
| Thur., March 17 |
1:15 PM ET |
Ripon |
NERP* #1 |
| Fri., March 18Â |
9:45 AM ET & 12:00 PM ET |
Simpson |
Laky Myrtle #4 |
| Sat., March 19Â |
9:30 AM ET |
SUNY Canton |
Lake Myrtle #2 |
*= Northeast Regional Park
In the opening game in the Sunshine State, Illinois Wesleyan will take on Lancaster Bible, Saturday, March 12 at 5:15 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Northeast Regional Park, Field 3 in Davenport, Fl. This matchup will mark the first time that these two programs will meet on the diamond.
Next up, IWU will battle with Central, Sunday, March 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET. This contest will be played at Lake Myrtle Park, Field 5 in Auburndale, Fl. Once again, this meeting will be the first between the two.
Coming off of the off day, IWU will take to the field against Anderson for a 10:00 a.m. ET, Tuesday, March 15. First pitch at Northeast Regional Park, Field 4 in Davenport, Fl. This meeting will mark only the second meeting between these two schools. Illinois Wesleyan came out on top, 4-2, in the previous encounter that took place over 20 years ago, May 15, 2001.Â
The Titans will be back in action Thursday, March 17 with a date against Ripon. This game will be played at Northeast Regional Park, Field 1 with a first pitch scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET. IWU holds the upper-hand in the short all-time series by coming out victorious in two of the three matchups. The teams last met May 20, 2011 in Bloomington, Ill. with Illinois Wesleyan defeating Ripon 7-1.Â
In the teams only doubleheader of the trip, IWU will tangle with Simpon in a twin bill. Both games will be played at Lake Myrtle Park, Field 4 with start times of 9:45 a.m ET and 12:00 p.m. ET. Simpson is the only team that the Green and White will face in Florida that they do not have a winning record against. Coming into the doubleheader, Simpson has won six-of-the-11 encounters. The last meeting against SC took place March 26, 2005 in Bloomington, Ill.
The Titans will wrap-up play in the RussMatt Invitational against SUNY Canton, Saturday, March 19 at Lake Myrtle Park, Field 2 in Auburndale, FL. First pitch is slated for 9:30 a.m. ET. This will mark the first time that these teams will meet.Â
The Green and White last played a three-game series against WashU March 5-6. The Titans took the series, winning two of three games, including a come-from-behind win in the rubber match, 6-5.Â
Senior Jared Mutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) has led the offensive charge in the first seven games of the season. Mutter notched a season-high five hits in the teams last game against WashU, including one two-bagger. The Frankfort, Ill. native leads the team with his eight RBIs.
Senior Cole Greer (Springfield, Ill.-Pleasant Plains) is also enjoying a scorching start to the season as he has notched 11 hits, two doubles, three walks, and two runs scored. Greer assembled a career-tying four hit performance against WashU, March 6.
On the bump, senior Jacob Duffy (Pontiac, Ill.-Pontiac) has tossed nine innings, surrendering seven hits and five runs, while accumulating eight strikeouts.Â
Live stats will be available for all seven games. Click here to access live stats.Â
Be sure to check out the baseball team's instagram account (iwu_baseball) as post's will be made throughout the trip.
