BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A home stint continues this weekend Friday-Sunday, March 27-29, as the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team hosts Calvin University, No. 19 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Wartburg College for a four-team, three-day tournament at Inspiration Field. Saturday will see IWU raise money for St. Jude's, while Sunday's game will come as part of Military Appreciation in memory of Jack Brown.

The Green and White will begin the weekend's slate with a doubleheader against Calvin Friday, March 27, with a 3 p.m. first pitch. IWU will tangle with No. 19 UWO and Wartburg in split twin bills the next two days. A full schedule for the weekend tournament can be found here.

Illinois Wesleyan sits level at 7-7 on the season ahead of the busy three-day run following a sweep of Monmouth, March 25. The Titans eked out a 2-1 win before toppling the Scots 8-1 to complete the sweep. Calvin makes the trip to Bloomington with an 11-5 standing. CU has won three in-a-row after sweeping Chicago 1-0 and 18-1, March 24. Oshkosh carries a 13-3 record and is riding a four-game win streak. UWO most recently won its final four games at the Spring Games, March 23-25, including a 10-4 triumph over No. 23 DePauw. Wartburg rounds out the field at 13-5. Winners of three straight, WC most recently swept a road doubleheader at UW-La Crosse by scores of 7-1 and 9-1, March 25.

The Green and White holds a combined record of 12-5 against this weekend's competition. IWU is 4-1 against Calvin, winning the last meeting 8-0 when the two squared off in the 2019 NCAA regional round, May 11. Illinois Wesleyan is even at 3-3 against UWO, with Oshoksh taking the last bout, 1-0, in regional action May 17, 2024. Wartburg, a steady presence in IWU's annual tournament in recent years, has dropped the last four meetings with Illinois Wesleyan. Most recently, the Green and White grabbed a 14-7 win over WC in last year's home tournament March 29, 2025.

Sophomore Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) continues to lead the IWU offense with a .364 batting average behind a team-high 16 hits. Senior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) follows with a .317 clip and also paces the team with seven runs driven in. Senior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara), sophomore Riley McDoniel (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg), and freshman Isabella Boskey (Huntley, Ill.-Huntley) have six RBIs apiece with sophomore Jillian Bollard (Roselle, Ill.-Saint Viator) just behind with five to her name. Beckman leads the team with 10 stolen bases and senior Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) tops the team with a .438 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Illinois Wesleyan has continued to get better as the season has progressed. Senior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) has thrown a team-high 33 innings over seven appearances. She leads a six-arm group with a 2.76 earned run average alongside a 2-2 record with one save. Junior Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) and senior Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) also hold sub-four ERAs. Holland's mark is at 3.10 over 20.1 innings, while the junior stands at 3-3. Gatchell has fanned a team-high 18 over 28.2 innings of work. Coming off her first career start, freshman Hannah Burns (Charlestown, Ind.-Charlestown) holds a 1.00 earned run average over seven innings.

All nine games at Inspiration Field will be streamed on the CCIW Network with live stats also available. Links can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com or by clicking here to view tournament central.