The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team will begin postseason play as the host of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament from May 7 to May 9 at Inspiration Field, according to a May 6 announcement. The tournament starts with an elimination game at noon on Thursday, with the winner set to face Illinois Wesleyan in a contest scheduled for 4 p.m.
This event is significant as it determines which team will secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. Illinois Wesleyan enters as the top seed after achieving a 25-13 overall record and going 15-1 in conference play during the regular season. Other teams competing include Millikin, Augustana, North Central, Carthage, and North Park.
The Titans led in postseason honors announced by the conference. Seven players earned All-CCIW status. Senior Gianna Certa was named CCIW Pitcher of the Year for a second time. She was joined on the First Team by seniors Casey Wissmiller and Claire Post, along with sophomore Jillian Bollard. Sophomores Grace Wilkens and Kelsey Bartels and senior Anna Beckman received Second Team recognition.
Bartels leads her team with a .393 batting average among five Titans hitting above .300 this season. Wissmiller has recorded a team-high 44 hits and driven in 34 runs while Beckman leads in stolen bases with 21. On pitching staff performance, Certa holds a team-best earned run average of 1.77 over nearly one hundred innings pitched this year.
Illinois Wesleyan has made twenty-eight appearances in the CCIW Tournament since its first entry in 1987, compiling seventy wins against thirty-one losses and winning seventeen championships including last season’s title win.
Fans can purchase tickets online or at Inspiration Field for each day of competition; adults are $10 while students and seniors pay $5 per day, according to the official website. The program competes at NCAA Division III level as part of intercollegiate athletics within Bloomington, Illinois.
