NAPERVILLE — The mid-March portion of the schedule continued to provide an early look at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) softball picture, as programs spent the past week competing at neutral sites and on spring-break trips in Florida, Mississippi and Kentucky. 
 
While conference play has not yet begun, recent results included a number of strong offensive showings, a win over a nationally-ranked opponent and several individual performances that have begun to shape the statistical picture across the league.
 
Firebirds Rising: Carthage Topples a Giant in Clermont
Carthage turned in one of the conference’s most notable results of the week during the final portion of its Florida trip, defeating No. 11 Moravian 9-3 last Friday in Clermont. Anais Fernandez went the distance in the circle, allowing six hits while striking out five over 7.0 innings. The Firebirds also received steady production at the plate, including a 6-for-8 day with five RBI from Olivia Hristov across Friday’s two contests. Gwen Hendrick added a 4-for-6 performance with two RBI and three stolen bases during the split.
 
The Firebirds opened that stretch with wins over Alfred, 11-3, and Hiram, 4-1, last Thursday, March 12, before closing the trip with the Moravian victory and a 7-6 loss to Westminster.
 
Vikings’ Voyage: North Park Sets the Scoreboard Aflame
North Park posted one of the conference’s highest-scoring days of the season last Thursday, March 12, recording a 20-8 win over Utica before following with an 11-3 victory over Hood. In the win over Utica, the Vikings collected 20 hits and produced the highest single-game run total by a CCIW team this season.
 
Kayla Lorenz has been among the conference’s top offensive performers through the opening weeks, leading the CCIW with four triples and carrying a .846 slugging percentage. Katie Patton has also supplied consistent production, batting .444 while posting a 1.000 fielding percentage. As a team, North Park currently ranks among the conference leaders with eight triples.
 
K-Counter: The High-Stakes Race for the Rubber
Several CCIW pitchers continued to post strong early-season totals, including Carroll’s Makayla Wall and North Central’s Juliana Maude. Wall leads the conference with 52 strikeouts, while Maude sits close behind with 51. Maude also leads the league with 18 strikeouts looking. Wall has contributed in a variety of roles for the Pioneers, entering the week with four wins and two saves.
 
North Central has also relied on Sam Schilf for significant innings, as Schilf leads CCIW pitchers with 51.1 innings pitched. Carroll’s staff has combined for 91 strikeouts as a team, and Makayla Grantz added to that effort with a relief win over Ohio Wesleyan last Saturday.
 
Catch Her If You Can: Speedsters Set the Pace
Activity on the bases has also been a consistent theme in the early part of the season, led by Carthage’s Clare Rettler and Illinois Wesleyan’s Anna Beckman. Rettler leads the conference with 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts, while Beckman ranks second in the league with 10 steals and has also contributed two triples for the Titans.
 
Carthage enters the next stretch of play with a conference-best 40 stolen bases, while Illinois Wesleyan has totaled 23.
 
Pioneer Grit and Titan Turnarounds
Carroll continued a busy stretch of games with an 18-12 win over Beloit and a 3-2 victory against Albertus Magnus last Thursday, March 12. The Pioneers later split a pair of games last Saturday, defeating Ohio Wesleyan 7-5 before falling to Bowdoin 7-1. Jennavieve Andler and Grace O’Connor have been central contributors for Carroll and have combined for 24 RBI this season.
 
Illinois Wesleyan also produced a notable result last week during its trip to Mississippi. After dropping the opener of a doubleheader against No. 20 Belhaven last Tuesday, the Titans responded with a 5-4 win in the second game. Mallory Holland earned the win in relief, while Anna Beckman finished 3-for-3 with three RBI. Illinois Wesleyan has also been one of the conference’s cleanest defensive teams to date, leading the CCIW with a .977 fielding percentage and seven double plays.
 
Weathering the Storm: Thunder and Big Blue Find Regional Rhythm
Wheaton and Millikin each found positive results during the past week. Wheaton concluded its Florida trip last Thursday, March 12 with a split, defeating Fitchburg State 5-4 before falling to Lakeland 19-2. Dillon Watson earned the win against Fitchburg State, while Livi Figueroa provided a key extra-base hit with a two-RBI triple.
 
Millikin completed a 4-0 weekend in Kentucky last weekend, recording wins over Transylvania, 5-3, Franklin, 4-0, MSOE, 8-1, and Anderson, 2-1. Alyssa Dralle earned all four wins in the circle during that stretch. She has logged 45.1 innings this season and has posted a 3.40 ERA.
 
The Late Arrivals: Augustana’s Opening Act
Augustana became one of the final conference teams to open its season, making its debut on Thursday with a doubleheader split with Buena Vista. The Vikings collected 14 hits and finished with a .389 team batting average. Emma Evans went 3-for-4 in the opener, while Alaina Diaz finished 1-for-1.
 
Elmhurst remains early in its schedule as well and enters the next portion of play with a 1-3 overall record. The Bluejays have shown solid defensive numbers in limited action, posting a .957 fielding percentage with five errors through four games.
 
On the Horizon: Standings and the On Deck Circle
Carroll currently leads the conference in overall wins at 11-8, followed by North Park at 7-5 and Millikin at 7-4. Carthage sits at 6-6, Illinois Wesleyan is 5-6 and North Central is 6-8 entering the next week of action.
 
The upcoming schedule includes several regional matchups as teams continue to close out non-conference play. Wheaton is scheduled to travel to Eureka on Friday for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.

On Saturday, Carthage hosts Lake Forest at 1 p.m., while Wheaton is set to face Blackburn in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. North Park is also scheduled to face Maranatha Baptist next Monday at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., while Carroll is slated to visit Beloit next Saturday, March 28, beginning at noon.