Tiffany Prager, Kimmy Hassel, Anna Beckman, and Claire Post huddle

Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative

CCIW Play Rolls on as Softball Travels to Wheaton Friday

Games moved up one day due to weather forecast

4/2/2026 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team's eight-game roadtrip rolls on with a jaunt to Wheaton College Friday, April 3, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. one day prior to originally scheduled due to anticipated weather.

Illinois Wesleyan carries a 12-10 overall standing into the weekend, highlighted by a 2-0 CCIW mark. The Titans most recently grinded through the lightning delays for a sweep at North Central College Tuesday, March 31. IWU came back to win game one, 4-2, before breaking out for a 7-0 victory to complete the sweep. Wheaton sits at 11-7 on the year, with this weekend's contests serving as the Thunder's first dip in league play. WC looks to bounce back from a pair of losses at Aurora University Monday, March 30, that snapped an eight-game win streak.

Illinois Wesleyan controls the series with WC, 54-9, and has won 12 straight against the Thunder. The Titans swept last season's twin bill in Bloomington April 18, with six-inning wins of 18-6 and 11-3.

The Green and White offense features four hitting north of .300, with senior Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) topping the team with a .373 clip. Sophomore Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) follows with a .354 batting average, aided by a team-high 23 hits. She also tops the team with 17 runs scored and is second on the squad with 11 stolen bases. Senior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) is batting .319 with 22 hits, including four extra-base knocks. She paces the team with 14 RBIs and is tied with freshman Isabella Boskey (Huntley, Ill.-Huntley) for the team lead with two homers. Senior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara), who has a team-high 12 stolen bases, sports a .305 batting average with 18 hits and 15 runs scored. Beckman also paces the Titans with 15 walks.

In the circle, IWU has six talented hurlers with a staff led by its veterans. Junior Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) leads the team with a 2.17 earned run average over 10 appearances. She holds a 4-4 record with three complete games and a shutout to her name. Seniors Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) and Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) follow closely with ERAs of 2.64 and 3.09, respectively. Certa stands at 4-2 and leads the team with 53.0 innings of work. She and Gatchell sit tied for the team lead with 31 strikeouts, while Certa is limiting opponents to a .251 clip.

The Titans and Thunder will get underway with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Ruth Leedy Field. The games will be live streamed on the CCIW Network, with live stats also available. Links can be found on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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