NFCA All-Region Teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team saw five student-athletes receive All-Region honors as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its awardwinners during regional competition Friday, May 17. IWU's five selections were the most of any school in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin as well as the most of any team in the region. The five selections also marked the most by IWU since 2019.

Freshman Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) garnered First Team All-Region status in the outfield, while sophomore Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) and senior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) garnered Second Team All-Region honors. Junior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and sophomore Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) were third team picks.

Milgazo, a First Team All-CCIW selection, led the team with a .460 batting average. She tallied team-highs of 64 hits and 19 stolen bases in her first year donning the Green and White. Milgazo collected 19 multi-hit efforts while playing in 41 games between the outfield and DP position. The Poway, Calif. native currently sits 18th in Division III with 64 hits, while she is 45th nationally in batting average.

The CCIW Pitcher of the Year, Certa garnered a spot on the second team. She finished the year with a 19-3 record in the circle, including a 14-game win streak from April 7 to May 17. She boasted an earned run average of 1.22 with 20 complete games over 23 appearances and eight shutouts. Certa struck out 113 over 149 innings of work, limiting opponents to a .213 batting average. A four-time CCIW Pitcher of the Week and First Team All-CCIW honoree, Certa ranks fifth in Division III in shutouts (8), 11th in complete games (20), 16th in wins (19), 23d in ERA (1.22), 47th in WHIP (0.95), and 84th in strikeouts (113). She allowed just one run in two appearances in NCAA regional play, leading to a spot on the Oshkosh regional's all-tournament team.

Turner, the CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, grabbed second team status at second base. The local product put together a career year in 2024 that saw her join Certa on the Oshkosh regional all-tournament team. Turner posted a career-best .402 batting average with 47 hits, 26 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, and four homers. She compiled a slugging percentage of .598 with an on-base clip of .463. Turner collected 16 multi-hit games and drove in multiple runs 10 times. 

Kuhn capped off the season with Third Team All-Region honors after finishing second on the team with a .434 batting average. Playing in all 43 games as IWU's starting shortstop, Kuhn collected 63 hits, a team-high 12 doubles, three triples, and six homers. She racked up a career-high 47 RBIs with a team-leading slugging percentage of .683 to go along with a team-high on-base clip of .494. Kuhn posted multiple hits 19 times, with 11 multiple RBI games. She received First Team All-CCIW status and was a CCIW Hitter of the Week pick and ranks 26th in all of Division III in hits, 35th in RBIs, and 46th in total bases.

A First Team All-CCIW selection, Wissmiller topped the team with 48 RBIs and eight home runs. She posted a .405 batting average as IWU's cleanup hitter, notching 60 hits as the everyday starter at third. Wissmiller finished with multiple hits in 19 games with multiple RBIs 11 times. A CCIW Hitter of the Week awardwinner, she ranks 28th nationally in RBIs, 40th in RBIs per game, and 48th in total bases. She also led the conference in homers and RBIs.

In all, 376 student-athletes were recognized, representing 167 Division III institutions. IWU was one of four schools with five honorees nationally, while the Titans represented five of the CCIW's seven all-region standouts.

All honorees move forward to be considered for selection for the three NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced May 29 online and on-site at the NCAA Division III Finals banquet in Marshall, Texas.

The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.