Jack Flagg and JP Ferraro celebrate Flaggs home run

Baseball’s Weekend Features Home-and-Home with Carthage

Titans visit Kenosha Saturday, host Firebirds Sunday

4/9/2026 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team is set for its third College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin weekend series with a pair of games against Carthage College, Saturday-Sunday, April 11-12. The Titans and Firebirds will meet Saturday in Kenosha, Wis. and wrap up the two-game set a day later in Bloomington, Ill. Both games will begin at 1 p.m. from each location.

The Green and White is riding an 8-15 record and in the midst of a hot-steak, as winners of three of its last four games with a 4-3 conference mark. Sophomore Ben Ford (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley) led the charge in yesterday's win over Elmhurst University with his third four-hit showing of the year, smashing two doubles. Ford leads IWU in batting average at .380 with eight extra base hits and 18 RBI's in the heart of the Titan order. Sophomore AJ Weller (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) is the other Titan hitting above .350, with a .370 average, and leads the team in hits with 37. Junior Jack Novak (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) has given the IWU lineup stability since being inserted against Millikin, March 28. Novak started his season hitless through six at-bats, but since then has gone 10-for-19 (.526) with two doubles, a triple, and a home run.

Entering this weekend, head coach Michael Kellar has his conference starters available on the mound. Seniors Will Davidsmeier (Virginia, Ill.-Beardstown) and Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) highlight the rotation along with sophomore Cole Benson (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest). Davidsmeier leads the trio in earned run average at 5.79. He has struck out 19 in 23.1 innings. Shamhart is second on the team in wins with two over 26.1 innings. Benson leads the team in strikeouts and innings with 22 K's in 28.2 innings.

Facing off with the Firebirds, IWU is 64-53 since 1989 scoring 618 runs over the 36 years. Last year, IWU swept Carthage in four meetings, including clinching the CCIW regular season with its win against the Firebirds, May 3. The Green and White topped CC again in the league's tournament with an 8-3 win to advance to the championship game. Carthage holds a slim 28-23 advantage in Kenosha while IWU has dominated the series at home, 51-35. Illinois Wesleyan has had Carthage's number over the last 10 matchups with a 9-1 record, as the only loss came in the conference tournament in 2024.

CC enters the tango with the Titans at 7-15 overall and 1-7 in CCIW play. The Firebirds' lone conference win came against Millikin University in an extra inning affair, but have lost series to North Park University, North Central College and the Big Blue. Most recently, Carthage fell to Marian University 10-7 Tuesday, April 7.

Saturday's first pitch will be thrown at 1 p.m. from Augie Schmidt Field with action from Horenberger Field also beginning at 1 p.m. Live stats and live streams will be available at both locations this weekend and can be found on the baseball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

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