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2025 CCIW Baseball Regular Season Champions
2
Carthage College CARTHAGE 28-11, 14-5 CCIW
5
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 25-13, 15-4 CCIW
Carthage College CARTHAGE
28-11, 14-5 CCIW
2
Final
5
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
25-13, 15-4 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Carthage College CARTHAGE 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 3 3
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 5 12 3

W: Costello, Luke (3-1) L: Jake Pappagallo (3-2)

4
Carthage College CARTHAGE 28-12, 14-6 CCIW
6
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 26-13, 16-4 CCIW
Carthage College CARTHAGE
28-12, 14-6 CCIW
4
Final
6
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
26-13, 16-4 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Carthage College CARTHAGE 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 4 10 0
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 X 6 9 2

W: Schwab, Luke (3-1) L: Jake Pappagallo (3-3) S: Hartman, Brady (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Claims CCIW Regular Season Championship

First title for the Titans since 2013

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team clinched its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship since 2013 Saturday, May 3, sweeping Carthage College to win the title outright. IWU took both games in the doubleheader, winning 5-2 and 6-4, to earn hosting rights for next week's CCIW Tournament. With the victories, IWU climbs to 26-13 and 16-4 in conference, while CC falls to 28-12 and 14-6. 

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 5, Carthage 2
The Titans wasted no time putting runs on the board, striking early in both the first and second inning. Freshman Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.–Lincoln-Way East) reached first on an error by the Firebirds' first baseman and quickly advanced to second on a single by senior Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.–Schaumburg). Senior Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.–St. Laurence) followed with a line drive to center, bringing Hudik home and giving the Green and White a 1–0 lead.

Illinois Wesleyan continued the momentum in the bottom of the second. Senior Tristan Figus (Arlington Heights, Ill.–Buffalo Grove) led off with a single, followed by a base hit to right from junior Gage Wolfe (Bloomington, Ill.–Bloomington), pushing Figus to second. Senior Tyler Woltman (Wheaton, Ill.–Wheaton North) then delivered a soft shot to center, allowing Figus to score and extending the Titans' lead to 2-0.

The defense came up big in the top of the third with a quick 1-2-3 inning, keeping Carthage off the scoreboard heading into the fourth. A groundout to senior Cade Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) at first set up a double play, as he fired to senior Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) at second, who then sent it back to first, with junior Will Davidsmeier (Virginia, Ill.-Beardstown) covering the bag for the putout, ending the inning.

Carthage scored one in the top of the fifth to bring the score to 2-1 in favor of the home team. The Firebirds tied it up in the top of the seventh, evening the game at two runs apiece.

Heading into the bottom of the eighth, the game remained tied until Figus broke the deadlock with a towering shot over the left-field fence. The home run brought home Gurgone and sophomore John Philip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.–Oak Park River Forest) for a decisive three-run four-bagger to push the Green and White ahead, 5-2. Illinois Wesleyan would close the Firebirds out in the ninth to take the game, and secure hosting rights to the tournament.

Illinois Wesleyan outhit Carthage, 12-3, in the win. Eight different Titans notched hits, with Figus putting together a stellar 3-for-4 showing that included a homer, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Woltman and Wolfe each went 2-for-4 in the contest. 

Davidsmeier led the pitching efforts with a seven-inning quality outing. Starting the game for IWU, he struckout five and surrendered just one earned run. Junior Luke Costello (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) earned the win ultimately, throwing the final two innings. Costello moved to 3-1 on the year with the victory.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 6, Carthage 4 

Junior Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) started on the mound for the Titans and went 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts, including three in the third inning, and allowed three earned runs before being relieved by junior Jack Flagg (River Forest, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest).  Entering in the seventh inning, senior Luke Schwab (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) earned the win behind 1.1 innings of work where he scattered two hits with no runs allowed during IWU's comeback. Senior Brady Hartman (Milan, Ill.-Serrard) notched the save, his second of the season, as he closed the Firebirds out in the ninth.

Sophomores Jack Novak (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) and Luca Morelli (Lincolnshire, Ill.–Adlai E. Stevenson) both went 2-for-3, each adding a run and an RBI for a solid performance. 

The top of the fourth saw the Firebirds on the board first, hitting a home run to go up 1-0. Carthage added two more in the top of the fifth via a two-run homer, going ahead 3-0. 

IWU cut the deficit to two with freshman Ben Ford (Naperville, Ill.-Waubsonsie Valley) walking to get on base. After stealing second, Novak singled straight through the left side to give Ford enough time to run home to cut the deficit to 3-1.

CC tacked on another run in the top of the seventh, extending its lead, but IWU answered in the bottom half of the inning with a rally. With Novak and Morelli in scoring position, senior Casey Swanson (Minooka, Ill.–Minooka) came through with a clutch line drive down the right field line, driving in both runners to tie the game at 4-4. IWU then took its first lead of the game, 5-4, when J. Gurgone brought home his brother, freshman Michael Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.–Lincoln-Way East).

One more run came in for the Titans in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of a Morelli single, which scored freshman Derek Ittner (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park), giving the Green and White an insurance run to make it 6-4 heading into the final inning. The Firebirds could not muster up anything in the ninth, as Hartman induced back-to-back ground balls to him on the mound, and the final to J. Gurgone at third, who's throw secured the sweep for the home team.

Illinois Wesleyan will play host to the six-team CCIW Tournament this coming week, May 7-10. As the No. 1 seed, the Titans will kickoff tournament action Thursday, May 8, following a first day bye. IWU will play the lowest remaining seed in the first game of the day on a jam-packed Thursday.
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