NAPERVILLE – For the first time since 2013, Illinois Wesleyan has been selected as the preseason College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) baseball favorite, according to a Friday morning announcement from the league office. The Titans were among four teams to receive a first-place vote from a ballot conducted by CCIW coaches late last month.
2025 CCIW Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. Illinois Wesleyan (4) |
56 |
| 2. Augustana (1) |
49 |
| T3. Millikin |
46 |
| T3. North Park (3) |
46 |
| 5. Carthage (1) |
43 |
| 6. North Central |
30 |
| 7. Carroll |
20 |
| 8. Wheaton |
13 |
| 9. Elmhurst |
12 |
The Titans notched four first-place votes for 56 points. Augustana was second in the poll with one first-place vote and 49 points. Last season’s CCIW co-champions – Millikin and North Park – tied for third place in Friday’s poll with 46 points apiece. The Vikings were voted first on three ballots and earned their highest position in a preseason CCIW poll since 2015.
The final first-place vote went to Carthage. The Firebirds were the recipient of 43 points in the poll for fifth position. North Central, which won or shared seven consecutive CCIW championships from 2015 through 2022, was slotted sixth on Friday with 30 points.
Carroll (20 points), Wheaton (13 points), and Elmhurst (12 points) owned the seventh through ninth spots, respectively.
Friday’s announcement marked the first time since 2021 at least four teams received at least one first-place vote. The 2021 poll – headlined by eventual regular-season champion North Central – saw five teams on top of at least one ballot.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Michael Kellar, IWU is in search of its first CCIW regular-season title since 2013. The Titans were third in the final CCIW standings last spring and are two seasons removed from a six-game march to the final game of the CCIW Tournament.
Augustana is scheduled to be the first CCIW team in action later this month, a Feb. 14 matchup with Webster in Memphis. Conference play is slated to begin with two games on Tuesday, March 25.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).