Softball Tops CCIW Preseason Poll

Titans begin season at WashU, Feb. 21

2/7/2025 10:00:00 AM

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The reigning College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Champion Illinois Wesleyan University softball team was predicted to defend its title as the Titans topped the league's annual preseason coaches poll announced Friday, Feb. 7.

The Green and White scored eight of nine first-place votes to earn the top spot in the poll with 64 points. IWU edged out North Central, which ranked second with the final first-place nod and 51 points. Millikin rounded out the top-three with 50 points.

Augustana (49), Carthage (35), and North Park (26) were slotted fourth through sixth, respectively, while Carroll (22), Wheaton (18) and Elmhurst (9) rounded out the bottom three spots.

Illinois Wesleyan, which posted a 31-12 overall record a season ago, claimed the 2024 CCIW Regular Season title with a 13-3 league record and won the CCIW Tournament to earn the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. IWU returns six First Team All-CCIW honorees in seniors Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia), juniors Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia), Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara), and Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North), and sophomore Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) along with a solid core that contributed to last season's success.

The Titans, led by head coach Tiffany Prager and her three-time CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year, will begin its 2025 season with a doubleheader at Washington University in St. Louis Friday, Feb. 21. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

2025 CCIW Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Illinois Wesleyan (8 first-place votes), 64 points
2. North Central (1 first-place vote), 51 points
3. Millikin, 50 points
4. Augustana, 49 points
5. Carthage, 35 points
6. North Park, 26 points
7. Carroll, 22 points
8. Wheaton, 18 points
9. Elmhurst, 9 points

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