The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team will continue its busy week with a three-game College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin series against North Central College, beginning Saturday, April 18. The first two games are scheduled at Horenberger Field in Bloomington, with the series finale set for Sunday in Naperville.
This matchup is important as both teams seek to improve their positions in conference standings. Illinois Wesleyan currently holds a 10-17 overall record and is even at 5-5 in league play, while North Central stands at 15-13 overall and has a slight edge in the CCIW with a 7-6 mark.
The Titans have shown strong offensive performances this week, scoring a combined total of 34 runs over two games against Benedictine University and Elmhurst University. This marks their highest two-game run output since tallying 36 runs during the 2022 season against Central College (Iowa) and Anderson University. Sophomore AJ Weller leads the team with a .379 batting average and recently collected six RBIs against Benedictine. Junior Jack Novak enters the weekend on a ten-game hitting streak and leads the conference with a .520 average during league play.
On the mound, senior Cole Shamhart leads Illinois Wesleyan pitchers in innings pitched, posting five starts over eight appearances. Sophomore Brennan Tomhave tops the staff with 28 strikeouts so far this season. Freshman Brayden Elliott has emerged as an effective closer out of the bullpen, securing his first save last week without allowing any runs through seven conference at-bats.
Illinois Wesleyan and North Central have played each other frequently since 1988, meeting for their latest contests last year when North Central eliminated Illinois Wesleyan from postseason play by winning twice during the CCIW tournament. In regular season matchups last year, each team claimed one victory apiece.
Both teams will provide live stats and streaming coverage for fans on their respective schedule pages.
