NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) baseball regular-season race moved into its final weekend with Millikin securing the regular-season championship and the right to host the 2026 CCIW Championship in Decatur. Several teams remain in contention for the remaining tournament positions, with conference play scheduled to conclude this weekend.
 
Big Blue, Outright Gold
Millikin secured the 2026 CCIW regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for next week’s conference tournament after completing its league schedule with a 15-5 record. The Big Blue, ranked No. 25 in the ABCA Coaches Poll, will host the CCIW Tournament beginning next Wednesday.
 
Millikin clinched the outright title last Sunday with a 15-3 win over North Park in seven innings. Ty Cribbett went 5-for-5 with a triple, four runs scored and four RBIs, while Carder Reich added four hits and six RBIs. Freshman Brayden Saling earned the win with a complete-game effort and improved to 9-0 on the season.
 
The Big Blue added a 1-0 non-conference win at Rose-Hulman on Wednesday. Sam Bushur drove in the only run of the game in the fourth inning, and Gavin Houchins recorded his ninth save.
 
Titans Lock Down Postseason Berth
Illinois Wesleyan secured a spot in the CCIW Tournament on Wednesday with a 4-3 road win over Wheaton. Brennan Tomhave worked 7.1 innings, struck out six and induced three double plays to earn his fourth win of the season.
 
The Titans scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning. Gage Wolfe drove in two runs with a single, while Jack Novak and John Philip Ferraro also added RBIs. Brayden Elliott recorded the final out in the ninth inning for his sixth save.
 
Illinois Wesleyan also split a doubleheader with Augustana last Saturday. In the Titans’ 9-4 win, AJ Weller went 5-for-6 with two RBIs, and Novak added four hits. Illinois Wesleyan enters the final weekend tied for second place in the conference standings at 10-7.
 
The Frenzy for the Field
Millikin, North Park and Illinois Wesleyan have qualified for the CCIW Tournament. Four teams remain in contention for the final three spots in the six-team field.
 
Augustana is fourth in the standings at 9-8 and will close the regular season against Carroll and Carthage. North Central is 8-9 and will play its final series against Elmhurst, with a sweep guaranteeing a tournament berth. Wheaton has completed its conference schedule at 9-11 and will need help from other results. Carthage is 8-10 and remains in contention after winning four consecutive conference games.
 
Laurels for the League's Best
The CCIW announced its weekly baseball honors last Monday. Illinois Wesleyan’s AJ Weller was named Hitter of the Week, while North Central’s Payton Diaz was selected as Pitcher of the Week.
 
Weller hit .588 over four games, going 10-for-17 with three doubles, one triple and one home run. He also posted a 1.143 slugging percentage and recorded the first five-hit game of his career.
 
Diaz earned his second Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after throwing 6.2 scoreless innings against MSOE. He allowed five hits, did not issue a walk, struck out six and retired 12 consecutive batters during the outing.
 
Thunder and Pioneers Exchange Blows
Wheaton and Carroll played a three-game series that affected the tournament race. Carroll won the opener last Friday, 9-2, behind home runs from Brody Ferko, Evan Becker and Joey Appino.
 
Wheaton responded by sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader in Waukesha, winning both games by 9-5 scores. Mason Diel hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of the second game to complete the comeback.
 
Charlie Scofield finished the series with five hits and five RBIs for Wheaton, while Jack Gill had four extra-base hits. Wheaton remains mathematically alive for a tournament spot, while Carroll is 7-12 in league play.
 
Firebirds Find Their Flame
Carthage moved back into tournament contention with a three-game sweep of Elmhurst. The Firebirds used two strong pitching performances last Saturday before completing the series with an extra-inning win on Sunday.
 
Brendan Roberts threw a nine-inning complete game and struck out nine in a 6-1 win. Wyatt Modory followed with 12 strikeouts over eight shutout innings in a 2-0 victory.
 
Carthage completed the sweep with a 6-5 win in 12 innings last Sunday. Santino Pignotti-Wojtak threw 3.1 hitless innings in relief to earn the win, and Zander Tubbs delivered the decisive hit in the 12th inning.
 
The Century Club and Statistical Peaks
Augustana’s Blake Nettleton became the first CCIW pitcher this season to reach 100 strikeouts. He leads the conference with 102 strikeouts in 72.1 innings.
 
Carthage’s Michael Ossenfort leads the league with 10 home runs and a 1.315 OPS. North Park’s Taylor Joseph owns the top batting average at .427, while North Central’s Parker Wyatt leads the conference with 55 RBIs. Carroll’s Joey Appino has a league-high 38 stolen bases.
 
Millikin’s Gavin Houchins leads the CCIW with a 1.52 ERA. The Big Blue also lead the conference as a team with a 2.78 ERA.
 
The Road to Decatur: Upcoming Schedule
The final weekend of the regular season will determine the remaining CCIW Tournament seeds. Millikin leads the standings at 15-5 and has clinched the regular-season title, while North Park and Illinois Wesleyan have also secured tournament berths with matching 10-7 conference records. Augustana enters the weekend at 9-8, followed by North Central at 8-9, Wheaton at 9-11, Carthage at 8-10, Carroll at 7-12 and Elmhurst at 4-13.
 
Friday’s schedule includes North Central at Elmhurst at 3 p.m., Illinois Wesleyan at North Park at 4 p.m., Augustana at Carroll at 6 p.m. and Chicago at Wheaton at 6 p.m. 
 
The regular season will continue Saturday with Millikin facing Crown in Marshalltown, Iowa, at 1 p.m., Augustana visiting Carthage at 1 p.m., North Park traveling to Illinois Wesleyan for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Elmhurst visiting North Central for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and Chicago playing a doubleheader at Wheaton at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.