BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Riding a four-game winning streak, the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team will host Carroll University, Tuesday, April 24, for a key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Horenberger Field. With the CCIW rankings starting to take shape, IWU currently sits in a tie for fifth, while Carroll ranks second. The up-to-date league standings can be found here. Entering the midweek clash, the Titans own a record of 14-18 (6-6 CCIW), while the Pios have generated a 15-14 (7-4 CCIW) record.

Dating back to the 2017 campaign, the Titans and Pios have met on the diamond 17 times, with IWU owning the 11-6 series advantage. Illinois Wesleyan raced out the 8-0 series lead by winning eight straight from April 8, 2017-April 6, 2019. However, in the last nine encounters, CU has claimed six victories.

The Titans are coming off of a monster five-game week, which included three CCIW games. For the week, IWU welcomed a 4-1 record. The Green and White sprung for 52 runs, good for a 10.4 runs per game average. On the flip side, the Titan pitching staff only surrendered 23 runs for the week, or 4.6 runs per game. 

Illinois Wesleyan's last game was against Midwest Conference opponent, Beloit College, yesterday. In the cold and windy conditions, the Titans left Beloit with an 11-5 victory, to push the team's winning streak to four.

On the contrary, Carroll, who is set to tangle with North Central College later this afternoon, is coming off of a 18-8 setback against North Park University. Carroll surrendered 23 hits to the NPU offense in the eight-inning ballgame.

In the 12 CCW games thus far, the Titan offense ranks second (.323) in team batting average. North Central College (.347) owns the highest team batting average in the league. On the mound, IWU's hurlers have combined for a 5.08 ERA, which checks in at fourth in the CCIW. Millikin's 3.21 team ERA tops the conference, with Augustana's staff (4.22 ERA) currently in second.

For conference contests only, Illinois Wesleyan has a trio of hitters slashing at a .400 clip or better. Sophomore Tristan Figus (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove), who is coming off of a career-week at the dish, leads Illinois Wesleyan with his .485 CCIW batting average and 1.129 OPS. In the CCIW rankings, Figus sits third in batting average and fifth in on base percentage (.553).

Junior Louis Perona (Chicago, Ill.-Lane Tech) ranks second on the team with his .420 batting average and 1.082 OPS. However, Perona tops the team in at-bats (50) and hits (21). In the league rankings, the Chicago, Ill. native is tied for the fourth-most hits (21) and currently sits eighth with his .420 batting average.

Known for his timely two-out RBIs, junior Evan Hutson (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) is quietly having an eye-catching conference season. Hutson owns the third-highest CCIW batting average on the team (.405). The Normal, Ill. native has produced the most RBIs (12) on the team.

Senior Ethan Burgh (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) has manufactured the second-most RBI in the league with 17. In CCIW games, Burgh is averaging 1.41 RBI a game.

On the mound, sophomore Dalen Banks (Springfield, Ill.-Springfield) leads the staff with his 28.0 CCIW innings. Banks, who is coming off of a complete-game against Wheaton, own a 3-1 league record. Additionally, sophomore Lukas Wenz (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley), freshman Luke Costello (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South), and junior Jacob Cyrus (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) each have one CCIW win. As a staff, the Titan hurlers have logged 101.0 innings of work and have struck out 101 batters. 

Live stats and a live video will be available for the game. Live stats for the game can be found here, while the live video stream can be accessed by clicking here.