Millikin holds the top spot in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) baseball standings as teams approach the final weeks of the regular season, according to an April 24 update from the conference. North Park and Illinois Wesleyan are also positioned to contend for the title, with several individual players drawing national attention. The CCIW Tournament is scheduled to begin May 6.
The race for first place has intensified, with Millikin entering this weekend’s series against North Park leading the league at a 12-5 conference record. The Big Blue recently secured a 13-3 win over North Central, aided by Brayden Saling’s eighth victory of the year and Gavin Houchins’ relief performance. Millikin can clinch at least a share of the regular-season championship by winning two out of three games against North Park; a sweep would secure them the outright title.
Nationally, Millikin ranks second in NCAA Division III with a team earned-run average (ERA) of 2.80. Meanwhile, standout performances across other teams continue to shape headlines: Parker Wyatt from North Central was named to D3baseball.com’s Team of the Week after hitting .591 over six games and leading several offensive categories in both conference and national rankings.
Augustana’s Blake Nettleton leads all CCIW pitchers with 95 strikeouts this season—second most nationally—and recently matched his season high with 15 strikeouts in a single game. Illinois Wesleyan has climbed into third place following five wins in its last six outings, including comeback victories powered by key contributions from Jack Flagg and Luca Morelli.
Other notable achievements include North Park senior Joe Perona reaching his program’s first-ever triple-digit career stolen base milestone and Ethan Condit tying school records for saves both in a single season and overall career totals. Wheaton set its own program record for hit-by-pitches during a recent game against Carthage while maintaining strong offensive production led by Jack Gill.
The current standings have Millikin ahead at 12-5, followed by North Park (9-4), Illinois Wesleyan (8-6), Augustana (8-7), North Central (8-9), Carroll and Wheaton (both at 7-9), Carthage (5-10), and Elmhurst (4-9). Key matchups are scheduled throughout this weekend as teams vie for postseason positioning.
