Illinois Wesleyan softball ranks No. 8 in preseason poll

Posted on January 30, 2015

(Logo courtesy IWUsports.com)

By WJBC Staff

NAPERVILLE – The Illinois Wesleyan softball team has been ranked in a tie for No. 8 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Preseason Poll, released this week.

The Titans, who are the defending College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin regular season and tournament champion, tied for eighth in the preseason poll with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Ahead of IWU in the poll are Tufts at No. 1, followed by Salisbury, East Texas Baptist, Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Christopher Newport with Trine and Texas-Tyler tied for No. 6.

Illinois Wesleyan finished with a 41-7 overall record and went 12-2 in the league, taking their 12th regular season conference title and eighth CCIW tournament title. IWU advanced to the 2014 Super Regional in the first year of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship's new format. As a team the Titans set school records for doubles (84), home runs (37), wins (41), pitcher strikeouts (387) and had a school-record 21-game winning streak. It was IWU's third straight NCAA Division III appearance and the school's 13th overall.

Two other CCIW schools are among the top 25 in the national preseason poll as North Central (33-19, 9-5 CCIW) placed No. 19 and Augustana (35-13, 10-4 CCIW) is No. 20. North Central made their second-straight trip to the CCIW Tournament and their fourth NCAA postseason appearance in the last five years in 2014. Like Illinois Wesleyan, North Central also advanced to the 2014 Super Regional last season. Augustana set a school record for victories and finishing second in the CCIW last season.  The Vikings earned an NCAA postseason berth in 2014 and fell one win short of a regional title. It was their third NCAA appearance in the last five years.

 

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