BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team is set for another exciting week of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action. The Titans will host the Pioneers of Carroll University at Jack Horenberger Field Tuesday, April 1 at 6 p.m., followed by a road matchup against Millikin University on Wednesday, April 2, with a 6 p.m. start at the Workman Family Baseball Field.
The Titans (7-10, 0-2 CCIW) are coming off a tough series against CCIW foe North Park University, where they fell 0-2. Senior Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-St. Laurence) delivered a remarkable performance in the second game, launching three home runs—tying the all-time record for most home runs in a single game at Illinois Wesleyan. The last player to accomplish the feat was Garrett Shea in 2019.
Illinois Wesleyan enters the matchup with Carroll (11-8, 2-1 CCIW) after a rescheduled game that was initially slated for Sunday, March 30, but was postponed due to weather. The Titans have dominated the all-time series against the Pioneers, holding a 16-6 edge and winning the last five meetings. Last season, IWU swept Carroll, including a thrilling 7-6 victory in the series finale. In that game, then-junior William Duff (Western Springs, Ill.-St. Ignatius) delivered a game-winning hit in the bottom of the tenth inning, scoring the winning run with two outs and runners on second and third.
The Green and White will also face Millikin (10-10, 0-2 CCIW) on Wednesday, a team they have met 121 times dating back to 1988. IWU holds an 80-41 all-time record against the Big Blue, although Millikin has claimed victories in eight of the last ten matchups. In their most recent meeting, then-junior Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) was the lone Titan to score, following a huge hit from then-freshman John Philip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest).
As a team, Illinois Wesleyan remains strong offensively, leading the conference in batting average at .323, with North Central (.308) and Carthage (.307) trailing behind. The Titans rank third in pitching with a 5.76 ERA, while Carthage leads the league at 5.36. IWU also ranks second in fielding percentage at .965, just behind Carthage's .976.
Individually, senior Cade Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) continues to impress, sitting atop the CCIW batting leaderboard with a .472 average and leading the conference in on-base percentages at .603. Tomhave also ranks in the top ten in eight different statistical categories. Close behind him is Gadomski, who ranks in the top ten in six categories.
On the mound, junior Jake Pullam (Palatine, Ill.-Palatine) has been dominant, leading the conference in ERA (2.70), runs allowed (8), earned runs allowed (6), and doubles allowed (1). Pullam also ranks in the top ten in the conference in ten different pitching categories.
For live stats and streaming links for both games, visit the Illinois Wesleyan baseball schedule page at iwusports.com
