NAPERVILLE — The final week of the 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) softball regular season continued to shape the tournament field, while Illinois Wesleyan secured the regular-season championship. Five of the six spots in the upcoming CCIW Softball Championship have been claimed, with the final berth still to be determined entering the last weekend of league play.
 
Individual performances also remained a significant part of the week across the conference. Illinois Wesleyan’s Gianna Certa recorded a five-inning no-hitter, several student-athletes remained among the national statistical leaders and multiple teams continued to adjust their postseason position.
 
A Titan Performance for the Ages
Illinois Wesleyan clinched its fourth consecutive CCIW regular-season championship outright with a sweep of Carthage last Sunday at Inspiration Field. The Titans finished the conference schedule with a 15-1 record and will host the CCIW Softball Championship next week in Bloomington.
 
Certa was central to Illinois Wesleyan’s week in the circle. The senior threw a five-inning no-hitter against Carroll last Saturday, striking out a career-high 11 batters, including the first eight hitters she faced. She followed with a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 win over Carthage in Sunday’s opener, recording 10 strikeouts.
 
Illinois Wesleyan completed the sweep of Carthage with an 8-1 victory in the second game, using a seven-run sixth inning to close the regular-season conference schedule. The Titans had a 10-game winning streak ended in a non-conference doubleheader at DePauw on Thursday, but will enter the CCIW tournament as the No. 1 seed.
 
Nationally Recognized Figures in the Field
Several CCIW student-athletes remained among the NCAA Division III statistical leaders through games played last Wednesday. Carthage outfielder Clare Rettler led the nation with 79 total hits and ranked second nationally with a .617 batting average.
 
Rettler also ranked second in Division III in stolen bases per game at 1.50. North Park catcher Katie Patton led the country with 14 runners caught stealing, while Illinois Wesleyan ranked second nationally as a team with 51 sacrifice bunts.
 
Winners in the Weekly Awards Circle
Millikin sophomore Summer Wynn and Illinois Wesleyan senior Gianna Certa were named the CCIW Softball Student-Athletes of the Week on Monday. Wynn received Hitter of the Week recognition after batting .643 with 10 runs batted in over four games against North Central and Carroll.
 
Certa was named Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week. She worked 12.0 scoreless innings and struck out 21 batters during the week. Her career record in CCIW regular-season play improved to 23-0.
 
The Vikings Sail Toward the Postseason
Augustana extended its winning streak to six games with doubleheader sweeps of Wheaton last Friday and North Park last Sunday. Against Wheaton, Lindsay LaVine scored four runs, while Alexis Duke and Lilli Burton combined for seven hits in the two games.
 
The Vikings followed with 4-2 and 7-4 wins over North Park. Aubrey Gradin hit a solo home run in the second game against the Vikings and continued to lead the CCIW with 10 home runs this season. Augustana entered the final weekend in third place in the league standings at 9-5.
 
Triple the Trouble at North Park
North Park outfielder Eden Baker added to the program record book during the week. In last Saturday’s sweep of Wheaton, Baker went 4-for-5 with five runs scored, setting a new single-game school record for runs.
 
Baker also recorded her 15th career triple in the same game, tying the North Park record. She broke the record the following day against Augustana with her 16th career triple during Senior Day. Baker leads the CCIW and ranks 24th nationally in triples, while North Park remains in contention for the final tournament spot.
 
Midweek Maneuvers and Momentum Shifts
Conference play continued during the middle of the week as teams completed portions of their remaining league schedules. North Central and Augustana split a doubleheader Wednesday in Rock Island. Augustana won the opener 3-2 behind a complete game from Mya Brown, while North Central answered with a 4-0 win in game two behind seven scoreless innings from Juliana Maude.
 
Carroll closed its regular season Thursday with a home sweep of Elmhurst, winning 8-4 and 4-3. Grace O’Connor led the Pioneers with a three-run home run and five total runs batted in over the two games.
 
Seeding the Field for Bloomington
The 2026 CCIW Softball Championship will be hosted by Illinois Wesleyan from Thursday, May 7, through Saturday, May 9. Illinois Wesleyan, Millikin, Augustana, North Central and Carthage have qualified for the six-team tournament field.
 
North Park currently holds the final qualifying position with two conference games remaining against Millikin. Elmhurst also remains eligible for the final spot and will complete its league schedule Saturday at Augustana. The final standings will determine the complete seedings for the double-elimination tournament, with the top two seeds receiving opening-day byes.
 
Current CCIW Standings
Illinois Wesleyan leads the standings at 15-1 in conference play and 25-13 overall after securing the regular-season championship. Millikin is 9-3 in the league and 23-12 overall, followed by Augustana at 9-5 and 17-16. North Central and Carthage are both 8-8 in CCIW play, with North Central at 18-16 overall and Carthage at 19-19.
 
North Park enters the final weekend at 6-8 in the CCIW and 15-23 overall. Elmhurst is 5-9 in league play and 11-27 overall, while Carroll finished its conference schedule at 5-11 and is 18-21 overall. Wheaton is 1-13 in the CCIW and 13-23 overall.
 
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday’s schedule includes Wheaton at Millikin at 1 p.m. and Elmhurst at Augustana at 1 p.m. Both matchups are conference doubleheaders.
 
Augustana will host Simpson in a non-conference doubleheader Sunday at 1 p.m. North Park will travel to Millikin for a conference doubleheader Sunday at 1 p.m. Augustana is also scheduled to visit Wartburg for a non-conference doubleheader Monday at 5 p.m.