Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois Wesleyan University is set to host the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Softball Championship for the second year in a row. The tournament will begin on Thursday at Inspiration Field in Bloomington, Illinois.

Entry fees for each day are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors aged 65 and older, as well as children six years old and above. Children under five and CCIW students with valid IDs can attend for free.

The top six teams from the regular season standings have qualified. Seeds three through six will compete in single-elimination quarterfinal games on Thursday at noon and 2 p.m. Winners will advance to double-elimination play starting when #1 seed Illinois Wesleyan plays at 4 p.m., followed by #2 Augustana at 6 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan achieved a perfect 16-0 record in league play, marking the first undefeated CCIW regular-season record since 2009. "The Titans’ home facility – Inspiration Field – will also be the site of the NCAA World Series," scheduled to start on May 29. Last year, IWU claimed its tenth CCIW tournament title since 2010 after going unbeaten over three days.

Augustana holds the second seed with a spring record of 12-4 against league opponents. They reached last year's penultimate game but aim to return to the final, which they last did in 2015 at Illinois Wesleyan.

Carthage, seeded fourth, faces off against #5 North Central in Thursday's opening game at noon. Carthage won both games during their April doubleheader against North Central and has triumphed in three consecutive meetings; however, they have split their last ten encounters since April 2022.

In another match-up on Thursday, #3 Millikin takes on #6 Wheaton. The Big Blue boast an eight-game winning streak over Wheaton dating back to April 2022. Millikin seeks its third consecutive appearance in the CCIW Championship final and fifth since 2017. Wheaton returns to postseason play for the first time since 2021.