Claire Post & Tiffany Prager high five to celebrate a home run

ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO

Softball Sets Sights on IC for 2026 Opener

First pitch set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18

2/17/2026 10:00:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - With warmer temperatures in the air, the 20th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University softball team eyes its season opener against Illinois College. The doubleheader, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21, will now get underway with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Inspiration Field Wednesday, Feb. 18 with temperatures expected to be in the 50s.

Tuesday's twin bill will mark the start of the season for Illinois Wesleyan, while Illinois College travels for the non-conference double feature with an 0-2 record after opening the season at No. 24 WashU, Feb. 15. The Lady Blues were bested 8-1 and 3-2 as the Bears used a two-run seventh to walk off the sweep.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the campaign off one of its better seasons in recent memory. The Titans posted a 37-9 overall record, running away with the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship with a 16-0 league ledger. IWU rolled through the CCIW Tournament for the program's 17th conference tournament title, before winning the Bloomington, Ill. regional and advancing to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Tiffany Prager will lead the Green and White in her ninth season at the helm alongside longtime assistant coaches Nikki Miller, Kimmy Hassel, and Bob Grimes. Mike Kuhn is new to Prager's staff, and will serve as a volunteer coach.

IWU returns six of its eight All-CCIW performers from 2025, including CCIW Pitcher of the Year and first team selection Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville). Seniors Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) and Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais Ill.-Bishop McNamara) are also back after reeling in spots on the All-CCIW First Team. Second teamers featured on this year's roster include seniors Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) and Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West), as well as sophomore Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy). Prager's 2026 roster consists of 18 returners and six newcomers.

In all, the Titans return 300 of 301 innings pitched from a season ago. Holland topped the team with a 1.48 earned run average over 85.1 innings of work. She posted an 8-2 record with seven saves and limited opponents to a .186 average. Certa, the 2024 CCIW Pitcher of the Year, went 19-3 in her junior season. She posted a 2.26 ERA with a team-high 78 strikeouts. Senior Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) and sophomores Ella Hermes (Peru, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) and Maddie Pool (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South) are also back after contributing in the circle in 2025.

Offensively, Pinter holds the best batting average of IWU's returners at .357. She cranked out 45 hits with seven doubles and seven homers, while driving in 32 and scoring 23 runs herself. Pinter also led the team with 21 walks. Sophomore Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett), Wissmiller, Beckman, and Post finished the 2025 campaign with batting averages north of .300. Wilkens hit .355 as an everyday starter in the outfield, while Wissmiller hit .343 as IWU's starting third baseman. Beckman topped the team with 25 stolen bases and ranked third with a dozen doubles on a .340 batting average.

Illinois Wesleyan and IC are no strangers to each other, as the two have met 26 times ahead of Tuesday's double feature. IWU has 10 of the past 11 against Illinois College, dating back to the 2017 season. The two teams split last season's twin bill in Jacksonville, Ill., March 26, 2025. IC stunned IWU, 7-0, in game one, before the Titans used a two-run double off the bat of Post to down the Lady Blues, 2-1, in the nightcap.

First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. Links to the live stream of the game as well as live stats can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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