Annika Brown, Casey Wissmiller, & Kelsey Bartels talking pregame

Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative

Battle with Big Blue on Tap for Softball

First pitch set for 4 p.m. Thursday, April 16

4/15/2026 1:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a few days off from competition, the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team dips back into College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a matchup against Millikin University Thursday, April 16. The conference twin bill is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch at Inspiration Field at Carol Willis Park.

Illinois Wesleyan heads into the midweek tilts with a 17-11 standing, bolstered by a 7-1 CCIW record. IWU completed the first half of its conference schedule with a 3-1 weekend that saw the Titans split with Augustana and sweep North Park, April 10-11. Millikin is the lone unbeaten left in league play, holding a 4-0 CCIW mark alongside an 18-9 overall record. The Big Blue have won eight straight with the two most recent victories coming via run-rule at Elmhurst, April 11.

Since taking the reins as IWU's starter at second, sophomore Kelsey Bartels (Downs, Ill.-Tri-Valley) has emerged with a team-leading .385 batting average. She has tacked on 13 runs scored and eight stolen bases in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Seniors Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West), Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara), and Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) as well as sophomore Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) also hold averages above the .300 mark. Post is hitting .377 and is tied with Wissmiller for the team-high with 17 RBIs. Grace Wilkens, who is hitting .368, and Beckman at .325 lead Illinois Wesleyan's baserunning prowess. Grace Wilkens is 16-for-20 in stolen base attempts, good for the team-high, while Beckman is 14-for-17 with a team-best 15 walks.

In the circle, a trio of veterans have led the way for the Green and White. Junior Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) tops the staff with a 2.12 earned run average over 11 appearances. She is 4-4 on the season and is limiting opponents to a .250 clip. Seniors Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) and Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) follow with ERAs of 2.24 and 3.62, respectively. Certa has logged a team-high 72 innings with a 6-2 record and six complete games. She leads the team with 44 strikeouts, just one more than Gatchell.

Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin will battle beginning with a 4 p.m. pitch Thursday, April 16. Links to the live stream and live stats of the games can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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