NAPERVILLE — The race for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) regular-season baseball title has entered its final stages as teams prepare for the final weeks of the league schedule. 
 
Millikin leads the standings entering the weekend, while North Park and Illinois Wesleyan remain in position to factor into the regular-season race. Individual performances have also continued to draw national attention, including North Central’s Parker Wyatt and Augustana’s Blake Nettleton. The CCIW Tournament is scheduled to begin May 6.
 
Millikin’s Gold Standard
Millikin enters the final stretch of the regular season in first place in the CCIW standings with a 12-5 conference record. The Big Blue maintained their position on Tuesday with a 13-3 win over North Central. Brayden Saling earned his eighth win of the season, improving to 8-0 after throwing five innings. Gavin Houchins worked three innings in relief to earn the save and struck out five batters.
 
Millikin will meet North Park this Saturday and Sunday with an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the CCIW regular-season championship by winning two of the three games in the series. A three-game sweep would give the Big Blue the title outright. 
 
Nationally, Millikin ranks second in NCAA Division III with a 2.80 team earned-run average.
 
Wyatt’s National Encore
North Central junior Parker Wyatt was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week this week as one of three selected outfielders. Wyatt earned the recognition after batting .591 with 15 RBIs, 11 runs and three home runs over a six-game stretch.
 
Wyatt currently leads the CCIW in RBIs with 54, doubles with 17 and total bases with 100. He also ranks 12th nationally in RBIs and sixth in doubles. The Shorewood, Wis. native added another run batted in on Wednesday during North Central’s 5-4 non-conference win over Concordia Chicago. Through 33 games, Wyatt is hitting .398 for the Cardinals.
 
The K-Zone King
Augustana junior Blake Nettleton continues to lead the CCIW in strikeouts with 95 this season. His total ranks second among NCAA Division III pitchers.
 
Nettleton matched his season high last Sunday with 15 strikeouts in a nine-inning outing against North Park. He did not receive a decision in the 10-inning game, but allowed three runs while keeping Augustana in position throughout the contest. It marked his fourth game this season with at least 10 strikeouts and his second 15-strikeout performance in a three-game span.
 
Augustana followed that performance with a 21-1 win over Knox on Thursday to complete a season sweep. Charlie Bergin led the Vikings’ offense with five RBIs and a grand slam.
 
Titan Turnaround
Illinois Wesleyan has won five of its last six games and moved into third place in the CCIW standings. The Titans recorded their seventh comeback win of the season on Wednesday with a 16-14 victory over Illinois College. Illinois Wesleyan trailed 8-0 early before scoring 11 runs in the sixth inning to take the lead. Senior Jack Flagg drove in four runs, while sophomore Matt Hudik added two hits and a sacrifice bunt. 
 
Earlier in the week, the Titans rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat Wheaton 9-7. Luca Morelli delivered the decisive hit in that game with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Triple-Digit Thief
North Park senior Joe Perona reached a program and conference milestone last Saturday in the Vikings’ series opener against Augustana. Perona stole his 100th career base, becoming the only player in CCIW history to reach triple digits in that category.
 
Perona ranks second in the CCIW this season with 29 stolen bases and has been caught three times. He also ranks 24th nationally in runs per game at 1.52 and 34th in total runs scored with 47. On Tuesday, Perona helped North Park to a 14-6 win over Elmhurst with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
 
Save the Best for Last
North Park closer Ethan Condit tied two program records Tuesday during the Vikings’ win over Elmhurst. Condit recorded his seventh save of the season and the 14th of his career, matching North Park’s single-season and career records. Condit’s seven saves rank seventh nationally in NCAA Division III. 
 
Carroll sophomore Tyler Fredrick also earned recognition on Monday as the CCIW Pitcher of the Week. Fredrick threw eight scoreless innings last Saturday against Elmhurst, allowing five hits and striking out two in a 6-2 win. The victory improved his season record to 4-0 and helped Carroll earn a doubleheader split.
 
Thunderous Persistence
Wheaton set a program record last Friday during a 20-7 win over Carthage. The Thunder were hit by nine pitches in the game, raising their season total to 77 and surpassing the previous school record of 74 set in 2024.
 
Wheaton leads the CCIW and ranks 26th nationally in hit by pitches. Jack Gill continues to lead the Thunder offense with a .388 batting average and 52 hits. Last Saturday, Gill had three hits and five RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader split with Carthage. Wheaton scored eight runs in the first inning of that contest on its way to an 11-5 victory.
 
Conference Outlook
The current CCIW standings are as follows: Millikin is first at 12-5, followed by North Park at 9-4, Illinois Wesleyan at 8-6, Augustana at 8-7, North Central at 8-9, Carroll and Wheaton at 7-9, Carthage at 5-10 and Elmhurst at 4-9.
 
The upcoming schedule includes Carroll hosting Wheaton Friday at 6 p.m., while North Central hosts MSOE Saturday at 11 a.m. 
 
Augustana will host Illinois Wesleyan Saturday at noon, Carthage will host Elmhurst at 1 p.m. and North Park will host Millikin at 1 p.m.