NAPERVILLE — Overcoming a 3-11 start to the 2025 season, the North Central College baseball team is peaking at the right time as the Cardinals finished the season 12-1 to earn the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, which begins Friday against Case Western Reserve University.
North Central vs Regional Field: This will be the first matchup in program history between Case Western Reserve and North Central. The Cardinals are 0-2 against Arcadia (L, 3-1 in 2023 and L, 11-6 in 2022) and 0-2 vs Centre (L, 14-9 / L, 6-5 in 2008).
North Central in the NCAA Tournament: This is the 14th time North Central has made the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Ed Mathey ’86 has led the Cardinals to eight NCAA Tournament appearances at the helm. In their most recent tournament appearance, the Cardinals took second place in the UW-Stevens Point Regional in 2022.
About North Central: The Cardinals earned their spot in the NCAA Tournament by sweeping their way through the CCIW Tournament. On the year, the Cardinals are 26-17, winning their past six games. Since April 19, the North Central pitching staff has allowed just 2.8 runs per game. Over that same stretch, the offense is scoring nearly seven (6.7) runs per contest.
Austin Wienke leads the Cardinals with 53 hits on the year with a .306 batting average, 33 RBI, and 27 runs. Jackson Bland is hitting .322 with 26 RBI, 26 walks, and a .443 on-base percentage. John Michael Scumaci has racked up 77 total bases, starting all 43 games for North Central.
Parker Wyatt enters the NCAA Tournament with a 13-game hitting streak. He leads the team with 35 RBI in just 31 games played.
Chris Rogers leads the pitching staff with 47 strikeouts in his 12 starts. He has not allowed more than two earned runs since April 12. Brian Duvall holds a 4.75 ERA with 32 strikeouts. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since April 3.
Out of the bullpen, Payton Diaz has served as the Cardinals’ primary closer, recording eight saves, the second most in a single season in program history. He has a 2.91 ERA with 24 strikeouts in his 18 appearances. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in a game since February 22. Elijah Hammond has also made 18 appearances, tallying 42 strikeouts in his 40.1 innings of work. He has not allowed an earned run in his past five outings.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).
