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    The final conference series against Illinois Central College took place on April 30th and May 1st. Closing the chapter on the 2026 season was a high-scoring endeavor from both the Hawks and the Cougars.

    Game one gave a strong performance at the plate as the offense collected 18 runs on 18 hits, but the standout was first baseman Jake Troyner. The sophomore transfer was the difference, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs. TJ Jakubowski added four hits to the total with three runs and two RBIs.
    Trevor Rehnstrom threw the majority of game one with 6.1 innings pitched, five earned runs allowed, and striking out seven through 30 batters. Tyler Ledvina, Tyler Dowling, and Ryan Anderson pitched in to complete the nine-inning game. The staff gave up 15 runs on 16 hits with four walks and nine strikeouts to complete the win over Illinois Central.

    The Hawks walked away with an 18 -15 win over the Cougars, taking game one of the series.

    Game two was another bat-heavy performance, getting on the board early and staying consistent throughout the seven innings. The Hawks scored in the first when Anderson hit a hard ground ball and reached on an error, providing Chase Peterson with the opportunity to cross the plate. The second run came shortly after when Jakubowski singled to right field. Having three hits with a walk in four at-bats was the bottom of the lineup, Cole Yates. Another pair collected three hits: the left fielder, Dom Kooistra, and the third baseman, Jakubowski.
    Dylan Nagle and Kasey Griffin helped secure the win on the mound through the 35 batters they faced collectively. Nagle started things off and stayed on the bump for five innings. The sophomore gave up eight runs on eight hits, walking five and striking out six. Griffin was the closer and kept things light, facing eight batters in two innings. The freshman right-hander only allowed one earned run with two hits, striking out three batters. With the defense and offense working, the Hawks won game two 16-10 and were prepared to maintain the momentum going into day two of the series.

    Returning home for the final game of the regular season were the Hawks, and another strong offensive performance. After having two home runs in the series already, Troyner decided he wasn't finished. Providing the offense with their first runs, the first baseman had a three-run home run to right field to put the Hawks ahead early. The rest of the offense finished with 16 hits and 14 runs to secure the win over the Cougars. Gimbel threw six innings with four earned runs on eight hits. The sophomore lefty ended with four walks and nine strikeouts on the day.

    Game two was a different pace as the runs were quiet from the start. It wasn't until a sac fly from Troyner that put things in motion when Jakubowski tagged up to score in the bottom of the second. After falling to ICC 1-8 in the top of the fifth, the Hawks answered back with another homerun from Kooistra to score three. Parpet decided to join the fun with a solo shot to close the gap in the 6th. To tie the game up at 8, Anderson led the seventh inning off with a homerun to left and later increased the lead by two with another left field homer in the eighth.
    Ryan Anderson started the game, throwing through four innings. He ended his outing with three runs allowed, walking one and striking out four. Devin Tupper ended the day and the series, only allowing one run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts to close out the evening. The Hawks came out on top to sweep the series with a 14-8 win against the Cougars.

    The Hawks finished the regular season in style with 64 hits and 62 runs to complete the conference series. The Heartland baseball team takes the week to recoup and prepare for the Region 24 tournament.