Certa Claims CCIW Pitcher of the Week

First weekly award of her career

3/11/2024 3:00:00 PM

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University softball sophomore Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) picked up College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Pitcher of the Week honors Monday, March 11, after her performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic earlier this month. Certa is the first Titan to receive a weekly CCIW award this season, while she is the first IWU pitcher to do so since Natalie Grubczak garnered the distinction April 24, 2023.

Certa was phenomenal at the invite-only tournament that featured a field of some of the best teams in all of Division III, ultimately coming away with all-tournament honors. The Third Lake, Ill. native went 2-1 in the circle, while compiling a 0.64 earned run average over 22 innings of work. Certa struckout 20 and issued just one walk over her three starts, all of which were complete games. Overall, opponents hit just .192 against her with only one extra base hit.

Certa began the tournament with eight innings against 12th-ranked Belhaven, Feb. 29. She took a shutout into extra innings and fanned a career-high eight in IWU's extra-inning setback. She came back to throw two complete games against Chapman, March 2, and Wartburg, March 3. Against Chapman, Certa allowed five hits over seven innings and struck out seven. She closed out the weekend with a complete game one-hitter against Wartburg in which she notched five Ks.

Through the first month of the season, Certa ranks second in the CCIW in ERA, third in opponents batting average, and fourth in strikeouts.

Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Emory University Saturday, March 16. First pitch of the twin bill is set for 12 p.m. ET.

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