After producing one of the best seasons in program history last year, Wilmington opened up the 2026 season with a challenging slate of games.

A walkoff loss on opening day to an up-and-coming Class 4A Homewood-Flossmoor team was followed by road losses to Seneca and Providence, two teams that made deep postseason runs a season ago.

The battle-tested Wildcats (4-3) have been on a tear since then.

Their 13-1 win over Coal City (5-3) in Monday’s Illinois Central Eight Conference game was their fourth in a row by a combined score of 62-3, sending them into the rest of conference play with plenty of momentum.

“I think we came out to play right away [today],” sophomore pitcher Taryn Gilbert said. “I think we started off with really good teams, and they just got us ready for the rest of the season. We’re starting off strong.”

Gilbert allowed just three hits and an unearned run over six innings. By the time she stepped into the circle for the first time, she already had a 3-0 cushion.

The Wildcats scored those three runs in the top of the first without a hit, loading the bases with two walks and a hit batter before Nina Egizio hit an RBI groundout that scored Keeley Walsh.

Molly Southall came home on a wild pitch, and a batter later, Taylor Stefancic scored on an error. The Wildcats took four walks in the first and 14 in the game.

In the second inning, a Walsh single and Southall walk set the table for a two-run double from Stefancic.

Coal City pitcher Masyn Kuder settled in for the third and fourth innings, working around two walks and a single to put up consecutive scoreless frames.

After the Coalers got on the board in the fifth on an RBI single from Aubrey Jensen, Wilmington got three back in the bottom of the inning on hits from Southall, Ally Allgood and Gilbert. They poured on five more in the seventh put the game away.

Leading the charge for the Wildcats was Walsh out of the leadoff spot. She is one of four straight hitters at the top of the lineup to receive an ICA All-State spot a season ago, along with Southall, Stafancic and Egizio.

Walsh was 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, a steal and four runs scored Monday and is hitting .607 through seven games this season with 12 runs and five stolen bases.

“I love being leadoff,” she said. “It’s just a place where I can set the tone for the rest of the lineup and just really get it going, get the hits going so we can rally off each other.”

After hitting .403 as a freshman, Walsh led the team with a .510 average, 52 runs and 19 steals last season.

Head coach Jack Skole said her presence at the top of the lineup, on the bases and in the field has been key to the team’s success.

“Besides just being an athletic player, she’s a very smart player,” he said. “She and [shortstop Egizio] have a great connection up the middle. I’ll take that middle infield over anyone in the state any day. She’s the kind of player you want as a coach, because she’s like a coach out there herself.”

Southall also reached base five times behind Walsh Monday, hitting an RBI single and scoring three runs. Stefancic was 2 for 3 with a three RBIs and three runs while Egizio was 1 for 5 with two RBIs and a run and Gilbert was 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

For Coal City, Khloe Picard, Rileigh Eddy and Jensen each singled, with Sydney Larson reaching on a fielder’s choice and scoring on Jensen’s hit.

The Coalers finished third in the ICE standings a season ago, behind only first-place Manteno and Wilmington, and it is a conference that figures to be very competitive once again.

Although Monday was a disappointing start to conference play for the Coalers, head coach Rodney Monbrum said the team is ready for what’s sure to be another challenging run through the ICE, which will continue against the Wildcats again on Tuesday.

“I think we can finish anywhere from the top two to the bottom two,” he said. “I think the conference is all pretty even. The score didn’t really reflect that, but when we bounce back tomorrow, I think we can beat these guys.

“...We’ll be better, but today was a poor display of Coaler softball.”