NAPERVILLE — Illinois Wesleyan was picked to win the 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) softball championship in the league’s preseason poll of head coaches released Friday afternoon.
 
2026 CCIW Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Points
1. Illinois Wesleyan (7)	63
2. Augustana (2)	58
3. Carthage	46
4. Millikin	44
5. North Central	39
T6. Carroll	22
T6. Wheaton	22
8. North Park	19
9. Elmhurst	11

The Titans collected seven first-place votes and 63 points after finishing 16-0 in CCIW play in 2025. Augustana was second with two first-place votes and 58 points. Carthage (46) and Millikin rounded out the top four.
 
Illinois Wesleyan enters the 2026 season after going 35-9 overall and advancing to the Super Regional round a year ago. The Titans are also ranked 20th in the NFCA/GoRout Division III Top-25 Preseason Poll.
 
IWU head coach Tiffany Prager said the preseason projection is not a guarantee.
 
"It's a nice honor," Prager said of the poll results. "But we know that we have to earn it ... obviously every day right now, we're just working to get better and we know that our conference is super competitive and we're going to get everyone's best game and so ultimately at the end of the day, we have to earn that".
 
Prager added: "Continuing to get better every single day and find joy in the game is a really important piece for us".
 
Senior pitcher Caroline Gatchell echoed that approach.
 
"It's always nice to see that and ... it's a really great honor, but we know that we're in a really really competitive conference," Gatchell remarked. "We really have to put in the work every single game and just push through one pitch at a time in order to get where we want to be".
 
"We're grateful to be in the position that we're in," she said. "A lot of that comes with let's have fun with the game. Let's be here, be with our teammates, be where your feet are and just move through from there".
 
Looking ahead, Prager said the league is positioned for postseason success. "I do believe that we will get multiple teams into the NCAA tournament," she stated. "I think our conference is really challenging, really competitive.”
 
Illinois Wesleyan opens its 2026 season on Saturday, Feb. 21 against Illinois College in Bloomington. Conference play begins Wednesday, April 1 when the Titans visit North Central.