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Softball Set for Four-Game Weekend

Senior day scheduled for Saturday

4/17/2025 10:21:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team will play host to Wheaton College and Elmhurst University this weekend, Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Inspiration Field. The Titans will welcome Wheaton to town for a 1 p.m. first pitch Friday, April 18. The Green and White's doubleheader with the Thunder will serve as the team's Mental Health Awareness games. IWU will then battle Elmhurst Saturday, April 19, for Senior Day. First pitch between the Titans and Bluejays is slated for 1 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan carries a 19-7 record into the weekend, highlighted by a 4-0 start to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. The Green and White most recently gutted out a pair of one-run games at Millikin, April 15. The Thunder travel to Bloomington with a 12-16 standing and sit at 2-6 in league games. Wheaton most recently swept Eureka, April 16, by scores of 10-9 and 15-1. EU, which will play Augustana a day prior to traveling down to take on the Titans, holds a 6-19-1 record ahead of the weekend. The Bluejays split a twin bill at Rockford, April 16.

Seniors Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) top the Titan offense. Kuhn is hitting a team-high .467 with 42 hits and 32 RBIs. Khoury, who holds a .346 average, has driven in 23. Juniors Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) and Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) as well as freshmen Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) and Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) also boast batting averages above .300. Post is the team-leader with four homers, while her, Wissmiller, and Pinter each have 15 RBIs under their belt. Pinter has drawn a team-high 12 walks.

The Green and White's pitching staff has continued to lean on its depth as three pitchers have logged 30+ innings and six have made appearances. Junior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) has chewed up a team-high 67.2 innings in the circle, striking out a team-best 43. Certa has compiled a 9-2 record with four saves. Freshman Maddie Pool (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South) is second on the team with 39 Ks and has limited opponents to a staff-best .182 batting average. Sophomore Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) owns a 1.65 earned run average over 34.0 innings of work. Pool is 5-2 on the season, while Holland's record checks in at 3-1.

Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a combined 96-21 record against Wheaton and Elmhurst all-time. IWU controls the series with WC, 52-9, and has won 10 straight against the Thunder. Similarly, the Titans are 44-12 against the Bluejays since the series began in 1997. Since Elmhurst swept a doubleheader back in 2021, IWU has grabbed six straight wins against EU.

Friday's doubleheader will begin with a 1 p.m. first pitch and serve as the program's annual Mental Health Awareness games. Saturday, which is also set for a 1 p.m. first pitch, will see IWU honor seniors Kennday Estes, Ava Khoury, and Jen Kuhn prior to game action. Links to live stats and the live streams of each of the four games can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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