Nikki Miller high-fiving Titans coming off the field

ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO

Miller’s Mississippi Homecoming Continues as Softball Eyes Belhaven & Millsaps

Titans enter week at 3-5

3/16/2026 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team's spring break trip continues as the Titans trek through assistant coach Nikki Miller's home state for doubleheaders at No. 23 Belhaven University and Millsaps College Tuesday-Wednesday, March 17-18. IWU squares off against Belhaven Tuesday, March 17, with a 4 p.m. first pitch, followed by a twin bill at Millsaps Wednesday, March 18.

Illinois Wesleyan is 3-5 on the season following a split at Mississippi University for Women Sunday, March 15. After dropping game one, the Titans shutout the Owls, 4-0, to take game two.

Sophomores Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) and Riley McDoniel (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) lead the IWU offense with batting averages of .333. Wilkens has a team-high eight hits on the year, while McDoniel leads the team in doubles (3), total bases (10), and RBI (4). Senior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) has been credited with a team-leading six stolen bases, while Wilkens follows with three.

Senior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) has made three appearances in the circle, posting a 2-1 record. She has fanned 11 over 19 innings of work, both of which are team-bests, while limiting opponents to .217 hitting. Certa holds a 1.84 earned run average and has tossed two complete games, including a shutout.

Belhaven has 21 games under its belt, carrying a 15-6 record into Tuesday. The Blazers are on a nine-game win streak, most recently topping Lake Forest (11-1) and Fredonia State (13-0) as part of the Spring Games, March 14. At 13-4 on the year, Millsaps swept Lyon by scores of 7-0 and 7-2 in its last games, March 14.

Illinois Wesleyan holds a combined all-time record of 1-2 against this week's competition. The Titans will look to earn the program's first win over Belhaven, trailing in the all-time tally, 2-0. The Blazers have edged out the Green and White in a pair of NFCA Leadoff Classic meetings, most recently holding off IWU, 3-1, in the 2024 tournament. Illinois Wesleyan won the lone meeting with Millsaps, 2-1, in Claremont, Fla. during the 2019 season. Brea Walker threw five innings to earn the win, while Ally Wiegand tossed the final two for the save.

The final four games of Illinois Wesleyan's trip kickoff Tuesday, March 17, with a 4 p.m. pitch at Belhaven. Links to live stats and live streams can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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