NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) baseball season continued with a full slate of non-conference contests last week. 
 
Carroll and Millikin posted the conference’s top early overall records, as the Pioneers carried a five-game winning streak and the Big Blue earned six total victories. CCIW teams competed at neutral sites in Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee to manage early-season weather, producing a range of high-scoring games and pitching performances. 
 
With the calendar officially turning to March, teams will continue non-conference play ahead of the start of conference competition.
 
Early Stakes and Neutral Grounds
The previous week included multiple multi-game sets and doubleheaders across the region. Last Saturday, Carroll swept a doubleheader against Eureka, 3-0 and 14-7, to move to 4-1 on the season. Brody Ferko drove in five runs in the second game and hit a two-run home run … North Central opened its season last Friday with a 13-9 win over Ripon, finishing with 19 hits. Yuhki Yamada went 4-for-5 with four runs and four RBIs. 
 
In Louisville last Friday, Carthage opened with a 6-5 win over Spalding, highlighted by Michael Ossenfort’s three-run home run in the first inning … North Park earned a 7-6 walk-off win against Hardin-Simmons last Friday, with John Greenwood contributing two hits and two runs scored. 
 
Millikin split a doubleheader against Aurora last Friday, winning 5-1 before falling 4-3. Carder Reich drove in four runs in the opener, and Ty Cribbett added a single and an RBI … In Moline, Augustana split a Friday doubleheader against Luther, falling 19-8 before earning an 11-4 win in game two as AJ Macak hit a two-run home run … Elmhurst dropped an 8-3 decision to Beloit last Saturday, though Timothy O’Connell recorded three hits.
 
Diamond Standards
Several CCIW student-athletes produced notable lines during the opening week of competition. North Central sophomore Payton Diaz was named CCIW Hitter of the Week following his Saturday performance against Franklin, finishing 4-for-4 with two runs, three RBIs, two home runs, and a double … Carroll senior Erik Jaschinski earned CCIW Pitcher of the Week after his Saturday start against Eureka, throwing 6.0 hitless innings with zero runs allowed, four strikeouts and three walks. 
 
Wheaton’s Jack Gill went 3-for-5 with four runs, four RBIs, a home run, and a double in a Saturday game against Brevard … North Central’s Yuhki Yamada posted a 4-for-5 line with four runs, four RBIs, a home run and a triple in Friday’s season opener against Ripon … Millikin’s Sam Bushur was solid Saturday against Illinois College, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.
 
Conference Leaders and National Exposure
Early statistical leaders include several recent award recipients. North Central’s Payton Diaz owns a .571 batting average and a 1.571 slugging percentage … Carroll’s Erik Jaschinski holds a 0.00 ERA following his six-inning hitless debut. 
 
In the 2026 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll released Tuesday, two CCIW programs appeared in the “others receiving votes” category, with Millikin receiving 11 votes and North Central receiving three votes.
 
Early Separation in the Standings
Through Tuesday, Carroll leads the overall standings at 5-1 (.833) and extended its winning streak to five games with a Tuesday win over Lakeland … Millikin is second at 6-3 (.667), followed by Augustana at 4-3 (.571). 
 
North Central and Elmhurst are both at .500 with records of 1-1 and 2-2, respectively. Carthage is 1-2 (.333), North Park is 2-5 (.286), Illinois Wesleyan is 1-5 (.167), and Wheaton is 1-6 (.143) … Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton enter the upcoming schedule seeking to end five-game losing streaks.
 
March Slate Takes Center Stage
Upcoming games will continue to test teams against regional and nationally recognized opponents. Carroll travels to Franklin, Ind., for a Friday doubleheader against Franklin, which recently defeated North Central, 12-6 … North Park will play No. 15 Wisconsin-La Crosse on Friday at Arsenal BG Ballpark as the Vikings look to end a three-game losing streak … Millikin hosts the Jimmy John’s Invite beginning Saturday and will face Lawrence. 
 
North Central begins a three-game series at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday … Carthage opens play at the Tucson Invitational on Saturday against Bethany Lutheran.

Statistical Tidbits
North Park senior center fielder Joe Perona added five stolen bases during the previous week’s road trip and is nearing the program’s all-time stolen base record … Carthage head coach John Lequia earned his first career win last Friday with a 6-5 victory over Spalding … Wheaton freshman Austin Eilmes recorded his first collegiate strikeout last Saturday.