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April 30-May 1
Illinois Wesleyan was eliminated from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin softball tournament as they dropped a pair of games on Sat., May 1 in Rock Island. The Titans won their first game in the tournament, topping North Central, 2-1 on Fri., April 30. The Titans scored both runs in the sixth inning as Brynn Hasse tripled, Molly Coers singled and stole second and both scored when Jamie Palmer reached on an error by the Cardinals' first baseman. Kelly Murray allowed just four hits and struck out five.
On Saturday, IWU lost to Augustana, 9-3, in the first game and fell to North Central, 7-5, in game two. Murray was four-for-four and Coers, Laura Johnson and Palmer each had two hits as IWU rapped out 13 hits vs. North Central, but the Cardinals plated five runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. The Titans were limited to five hits in the Augustana loss. The Titans’ season ended with a 31-10 overall record, the fifth straight season IWU has logged 30 or more wins.
April 27
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team improved to 30-8 with a 2-0 nonconference win at Eureka on Tues., April 27. Junior righthander Ashley Patten allowed only five hits and struck out four in pitching the complete game shutout as the Titans tuned up for defending their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament title starting Friday at Augustana. Nicole Williams had two hits for IWU and Michelle Bradley had the Titans' lone run batted in. The Titans, winners of at least 30 games in five straight seasons, will meet North Central in the CCIW tournament's opening game at noon Friday.
April 26
Junior third baseman Colleen Schuster smacked a two-run home run in the second inning and senior pitcher Kelly Murray allowed just four hits as the Illinois Wesleyan softball team defeated Carthage, 2-1, on Mon. April 26, at IWU Field. The win makes IWU 19-8 overall and 11-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, good for a share of the league championship with Augustana. The Titans will open defense of their CCIW tournament crown on Friday, playing North Central in the opening round in Rock Island.
April 24
Jamie Palmer's two-run double in the fifth inning staked the Illinois Wesleyan softball team to a 4-1 decision over Carthage in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play on Sat., April 24, at IWU Field. The scheduled second game was cancelled due to rain. The Titans improved to 28-8 overall and 10-3 in the CCIW. Kelly Murray scattered five hits and struck out three in getting her 13th win of the year. Murray and Palmer also had two hits each. Natalie Hackett had a run batted in with her second inning single.
April 21
Illinois Wesleyan senior Kelly Murray’s solo home run in the top of the ninth helped the Illinois Wesleyan softball team defeat Millikin, 1-0, to earn a twin bill split Wed. April 21, at IWU Field. The Big Blue won the opener, 2-1, with the help of an unearned run. In game one, Murray struck out six and walked three while allowing eight hits for the Titans, who are 27-8 overall and 9-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Katie Frawley was the winning hurler in game two, scattering five hits and fanning six. Her first 5 2/3 innings were perfect. Murray's game-winning homer was her second round-tripper of the season.
April 20
For the third time this season, Illinois Wesleyan junior centerfielder Brynn Hasse has been named "Batter of the Week" for softball in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. In eight games, Hasse batted .633 with 19 hits in 30 at-bats while scoring 12 runs. She had three hit games against North Central, Hope and Wisconsin-Whitewater and was five-for-five with three runs scored, a double and a triple in an 11-4 win over Maryville. Augustana’s Alissa Shaner and Elmhurst’s Katie Gervase shared the "Pitcher of the Week" honor.
April 18
Brynn Hasse went 5-for-5 in the Illinois Wesleyan 11-4 softball win over Maryville on Sun., April 18, in the IWU Tournament. Hasse also had two of the Titans’ 13 hits in a 9-0 win over Fontbonne earlier in the day as IWU went 3-1 in the weekend tournament. In the opener, Molly Coers, Jamie Palmer, Lisa Krapf and Natalie Hackett also had a pair of hits to support winning pitcher Katie Frawley (4-0). In the nightcap, Palmer had six runs batted in, Michelle Bradley had two hits and Hackett hit a home run as Ashley Patten (7-2) and Lauren Hyland did the pitching as IWU improved its overall record to 26-7.
April 17
Washington U., winners of 30 of 31 games this spring, scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to down the Illinois Wesleyan softball team, 3-2, at the IWU Tournament on Sat., April 17. Colleen Schuster and Lisa Krapf each had two of the Titansí seven hits and Schuster knocked home both of IWUís runs in the second inning. Senior pitcher Kelly Murray (12-3) took the loss as the Titans dropped to 24-7.
April 16
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team scored five runs in the first two innings and went on to an 8-3 win over Hope in the first game of the IWU Tournament on Fri., April 16. The Titans' 1-2 hitters of Brynn Hasse and Molly Coers went a combined 6-for-10 and scored four runs while No. 3 hitter Jamie Palmer drove in three runs with a pair of doubles as IWU finished with 13 hits. IWU improved to 24-6 and winning pitcher Katie Frawley is 3-0 after scattering six hits in six innings in just her second start. Frawley and rightfielder Natalie Hackett each had two hits.
April 14
Illinois Wesleyan and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater split a nonconference doubleheader on Wed., April 14, at IWU Field. The Titans took game one, 3-2, and allowed four seventh-inning runs to lost the nightcap, 7-5. IWU jumped ahead with two first inning runs in game one. Jamie Palmer had two hits and Katie Frawley pitched a complete game five hitter. In game two, Brynn Hasse had three hits and Palmer and Natalie Hackett each had two but four Titan errors in the top of the seventh let the Warhawks take the lead and get the win. IWU is 23-6 overall.
April 13
The Illinois Wesleyan's softball team split a doubleheader at North Central on Tues., April 13, winning the first game 13-3 and losing the second game, 5-2. The Titans are now 22-5 overall and 8-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. Natalie Hackett smacked a three-run home run in the opener as Molly Coers had four hits and Brynn Hasse had three. Kelly Murray picked up the pitching victory, allowing six hits, improving to 12-2. IWU managed only five hits in the nightcap with Hasse collecting two of those.
April 10
Illinois Wesleyan's softball team swept a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader from North Park, winning by scores of 6-1 and 13-1 on Sat., April 10 at IWU field. The Titans had nine hits in game one and 17 in the nightcap as they improved to 21-4 overall and 7-1 in the league. Brynn Hasse had three hits and scored twice in the opener as Kelly Murray (11-2) and Lauren Hyland combined on a six-hitter. Murray pitched six innings and struck out five. Molly Coers and Natalie Hackett each had three hits in game two, while Jamie Palmer, Colleen Schuster and Lisa Krapf added two hits apiece. Katie Frawley (1-0) picked up her first collegiate win with three innings of scoreless relief.
April 9
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team rallied twice and eventually earned a 6-5, eight-inning win at Elmhurst and a sweep of its doubleheader Fri., April 9. The Titans won the opener, 2-0, on a four-hit shutout by Kelly Murray. Molly Coers and Lisa Krapf each had a pair of hits. In the second game, IWU tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run sixth inning then scored three runs in the eighth after falling behind, 5-3, in the top of the inning. Katie Frawley had a two-run homer, Brynn Hasse doubled and singled with two RBI and Jamie Palmer had three hits for the Titans, who improved to 19-4 overall and 5-1 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Starter Ashley Patten was the winning hurler in game two.
April 7
Illinois Wesleyan senior Kelly Murray, the school's all-time leader in pitching victories, tossed a three-hitter and the Titans' offense produced 11 hits as the Titans beat Augustana, 4-0, Wed. (April 7) in the first game of a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin softball doubleheader in Rock Island. The Vikings took advantage of four Titan errors to win the second game, 7-1. Murray, who is now 9-2, struck out four and walked one as a pitcher and had two hits as a batter. Brynn Hasse, Katie Frawley and Molly Coers each had two hits for the Titans, who improved to 17-4 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW.
April 6
Senior rightander Kelly Murray broke the school record with her 48th career victory on Tues., April 6, as Illinois Wesleyan downed Monmouth, 2-1, in eight innings in the first game of a doubleheader at IWU Field. The Titans (16-3) also won game two, 3-0, behind the four-hit pitching of Ashley Patten. Murray (8-2) allowed four hits and struck out five as she moved past A.J. Reeley on the Titans' career wins list. The Titans trailed 1-0 in the seventh before Katie Frawley's two-out hit drove in the tying run. IWU won it when Brynn Hasse stole home. Following an intentional walk, Hasse sped home as the catcher walked toward the pitching circle with the ball. Nicole Reed, Molly Coers, Michelle Bradley and Colleen Schuster all had two hits in the second game as Patten improved to 5-0.
April 4
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team split a nonconference doubleheader with the U. of Chicago on Sun., April 4, at IWU Stadium, losing the opener, 1-0, before taking game two, 3-1. The Titans are 14-3 overall and 2-0 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. Chicago's Hannah Roberts limited the Titans to singles by Brynn Hasse and Natalie Hackett in the first game as she struck out four in the shutout. In game two, Colleen Schuster and Jamie Palmer had runs batted in and Nicole Williams had two hits to support solid pitching performances by Alesia Perry and Ashley Patten, who combined on scattering nine hits.
April 3
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team improved to 13-2 overall as it swept a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader at Wheaton on Sat., April 3. The Titans took the first game, 10-2, and took advantage of six Thunder errors to win the second game, 11-1. Colleen Schuster, Molly Coers and Lisa Krapf all had two hits to support Kelly Murray's seven-hitter in game one. Krapf had two hits and three RBI in game two as Ashley Patten scattered six hits and fanned four.
March 31
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team, which finished third in the national Division III tourney last year, has won 11 of its first 13 games this spring after a pair of nonconference wins at Knox College in Galesburg on Wed., March 31. In the opener, Kelly Murray pitched a one-hitter as the Titans won, 5-0, and Alesia Perry allowed just five hits in an 8-2 win in the nightcap. Nicole Williams had five hits in the doubleheader and stole two bases, while Brynn Hasse had three hits and stole three bases. Lisa Krapf had three hits and scored three runs and Murray belted a solo home run in game two.
March 30
For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan junior centerfielder Brynn Hasse has been selected “Batter of the Week” for softball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. In three games last week (all victories), the junior from Chillicothe, Ill., raised her average to .586 from .476 by going seven-for-eight. She had two hits each against Benedictine and Fontbonne and had three hits in a second game against Benedictine. She scored four runs with two doubles and two runs batted in for the Titans (9-2). Hasse was a first team All-American in 2003 as she led Division III in hits with 77.
March 28
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team scored all of its runs on wild pitches en route to a 4-3 win over Fontbonne on Sun., March 28 at the Washington U. Tournament. Offensively, Brynn Hasse had two doubles for the 9-2 Titans and Kat Mason had a single and a double. Winning pitcher Ashley Patten allowed five hits in the game, which was shortened to six innings because of rain. In the last inning, with runners at first and second and two outs, Fontbonne got a hit over rightfielder Natalie Hackett's head, scoring one. But Hackett’s relay throw to second baseman Molly Coers to catcher Mason cut down the second run.
March 25
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team improved to 8-2 as it swept a doubleheader at Benedictine on Thurs., March 25, winning by scores of 10-2 and 6-0. In the first game, Michelle Bradley went four-for-four with two doubles and drove in six runs. Kelly Murray (5-1) was the winning pitcher as Brynn Hasse had two hits and an RBI for the Titans. In the nightcap, Ashley Patten pitched a one-hitter and struck out three as Hasse went three-for-three and drove in a run. Lisa Krapf had two RBI and Molly Coers had two hits.
March 23
Illinois Wesleyan's Kelly Murray has been named "Pitcher of the Week" for softball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The senior righthander from Bloomington, Ill. (Central Catholic HS) tossed a one-hitter and had two hits to lead the Titans to a 2-0 win at No. 3-nationally ranked Emory in Atlanta, Ga., on March 16. Illinois Wesleyan, No. 5-nationally ranked, is 6-2 and Murray is 4-1 with a 1.37 earned run average and has 44 career wins, just three short of the record held by A.J. Reeley, who was 47-12 from 2000-03.
March 16
Kelly Murray threw a one-hitter and had two hits to lead the No. 5-nationally ranked Illinois Wesleyan softball team to a 2-0 win over No. 3 Emory in game one of a doubleheader in Atlanta, Ga., on Tues., March 16. Emory won the nightcap, 3-1, as the Titans (6-2) left 13 runners on base. Katie Frawley had two hits and drove in a run behind Murray, who struck out three. In game two, IWU's lone run came in the sixth on a Natalie Hackett run batted in. Alesia Perry took the loss, allowing eight hits and one earned run while striking out two.
March 16
Illinois Wesleyan junior Brynn Hasse has been selected “Player of the Week” for softball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. In six games Hasse (who led Division III in hits last season) batted .588 with 10 hits, five runs scored, a double, a triple, a .632 on-base percentage and a .765 slugging percentage. As a team, the Titans were 5-1 and finished third in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Lead-Off Classic in LaGrange, Ga., March 12-14.
March 14
Kelly Murray The Illinois Wesleyan softball team finished third in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic in LaGrange, Ga., on March 14. IWU (5-1) lost to East Texas Baptist University, 9-1, before downing Alma, 5-4, on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly by Kat Mason. Kelly Murray took the pitching loss, allowing only four earned runs while striking out eight. Brynn Hasse had four hits in the doubleheader and Natalie Hackett had two hits vs. Alma. Murray cracked a bases-loaded double vs. Alma. Ashley Patten allowed one earned run in seven innings and Alesia Perry got the win with a perfect inning of relief.
March 13
Kelly Murray picked up the pitching victory in both games and Michelle Bradley had four hits, including a home run, as Illinois Wesleyan's softball team defeated Bethany, 8-0, and LaVerne, 2-1, Saturday in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic. Murray (3-0) pitched the first three innings of the five-inning win over Bethany, allowing no hits and striking out two. Alesia Perry pitched the final two innings, giving up two hits. IWU scored three runs in the first inning before Bradley broke the game open with a three-run homer in the third. She was 2 for 2, while Brynn Hasse had three of the Titans' 14 hits. Murray went the distance against LaVerne (15-6), allowing eight hits and striking out eight. LaVerne's run was unearned. Bradley and Katie Frawley had two hits each for the Titans (4-0). Frawley and Lisa Krapf drove in a run apiece. Murray pitched around five IWU errors.
March 12
The Illinois Wesleyan softball team opened the season with a pair of wins, beating Coe and Ithaca in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic Fri., March 12 in LaGrange, Ga. The Titans (2-0) downed Coe, 3-1, then survived a late rally to hold off Ithaca 4-3. Against Coe, Colleen Schuster had two RBI and Brynn Hasse was 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Kelly Murray picked up the win, allowing four hits. Against Ithaca, Ashley Patten got the win, giving up two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Murray came on in the seventh for the save. Hasse scored a run and drove in a run and Lisa Krapf had two RBIs for IWU.
