BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball dips back into College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Thursday, April 27, against North Central College at Inspiration Field. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan heads into a busy six-game, four-day stretch on the heels of a split at UW-Whitewater, April 23. After falling in game one, 4-0, the Titans came back to earn a split with a 7-0 victory. The Green and White is 18-11 overall and holds an 8-0 record in league games. Meanwhile, NCC is 8-19 on the year, 4-10 in the CCIW, and will close out its league slate with Thursday's twin bill. The Cardinals have a busier week with three straight days of doubleheaders beginning Tuesday, April 25, at Benedictine. The three-day, six-game road stint will see North Central wrap up regular season play at IWU Thursday.

The Titans and Cardinals have a lengthy history, having met 73 times since 1997. IWU holds a 42-31 lead in the all-time series and has won five of the past six bouts. Most recently, the Green and White edged the Cardinals, 3-2, in the CCIW Tournament Championship, May 8, 2022. Illinois Wesleyan is in search of its first win over North Central in Bloomington since the 2019 campaign. 

Since conference play began, IWU has seen its offense erupt. The Titans lead the league with a .348 team batting average as seven players rank inside the CCIW's top-30 individually. Junior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) is fourth across the conference with a .480 batting average. Sophomore Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) is eighth with a .429 clip,  with freshman Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) is 13th at .385. Sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) is tied for 18th with a .367 average. Senior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood) is 20th, while junior Priscilla Peek (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) is tied for 24th and freshman Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) ranks tied for 27th.

Five Titans are in the conference's top-10 in homers, with Khoury third with three in league play. Peek, Wissmiller, and Post are tied for fourth with two apiece. Wissmiller is tied for third in RBI with 12, while Khoury adds 10.

In the circle, Illinois Wesleyan has also seemingly found its stride. Behind the leadership of seniors Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) and Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park), the Titans top the CCIW rankings with a 2.00 earned run average. IWU is second in the league in opponent batting average at .221. Individually, Grubczak is second as she is limiting opponents to a .193 average. 

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Inspiration Field. Links to live stats and live streams for each game can be found on the softball schedule page at iwusports.com.