BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After clinching a key series win over Augustana College, the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team is set for a midweek showdown with College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe North Central College. The Titans (15-12, 7-4 CCIW) will hit the road for a 5 p.m. matchup at Zimmerman Stadium in Naperville, Ill. on Wednesday, April 17.
IWU is coming off a high-scoring, 11-8, victory over Augustana on Sunday, April 13. Junior Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) got the start for the Green and White, striking out three over 3.1 innings. The bullpen took over from there, with juniors Luke Costello (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) and Jake Pullam (Palatine, Ill.-Palatine), along with freshman Cole Benson (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest), combining to shut the door. Benson earned the win, while Pullam collected the save.
At the plate, the Green and White racked up 13 hits and posted a team OPS of .982. Junior Jack Flagg (River Forest, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) went 2-for-4 and blasted his third home run of the season. Seniors Cade Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) and Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) also delivered big performances, both going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Wednesday's game marks the latest chapter of the season in a rivalry that dates back to 1988. IWU holds a 67-53 all-time edge over North Central (14-15, 7-4 CCIW), though the Cardinals claimed the most recent meeting with a 6-5, extra-inning win on April 8.
In that contest, Gadomski led the Illinois Wesleyan offense, going 3-for-5 with three doubles and three RBIs. Senior Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-St. Laurence) added a 2-for-5 performance and drove in a run. IWU totaled 10 hits in the game, including six doubles.
The Titans continue to pace the CCIW in batting average, hitting a conference-best .342. Carthage (.320) and Carroll (.304) round out the top three. Defensively, IWU ranks second in the league with a .965 fielding percentage, trailing only Carthage (.979).
Individually, Tomhave and Gadomski have emerged as offensive powerhouses within the CCIW. Tomhave leads the CCIW in batting average (.432) and on-base percentage (.549), while Gadomski tops the charts in slugging percentage (.698), hits (51), doubles (20), and at-bats (126). On the mound, Pullam ranks first in the conference in runs allowed (12), earned runs allowed (9), and doubles allowed (1).
Live stats and a livestream of Wednesday's game will be available on IWUsports.com under the baseball schedule.
