The Illinois Springfield softball team will look to extend its perfect 9-0 home record this weekend. The Prairie Stars will host Missouri S&T on Saturday and Drury on Sunday, with both doubleheaders starting at noon. UIS is on a strong streak, winning seven of its last eight games.
Illinois Springfield (17-10, 5-3 GLVC)
In their most recent home appearance, the Prairie Stars defeated Parkside 6-0 and 6-5 in a midweek non-conference doubleheader.
Over the weekend, UIS split a pair of games with Southwest Baptist before sweeping Rockhurst on Sunday. Rosie Bartletti was the winning pitcher in two of those games, improving to 9-4 after pitching 13.2 innings on the weekend. Taylor Zawacki also recorded a win in the circle, throwing a complete-game shutout against Rockhurst.
Offensively, Ella Brinkley leads the team with a .429 batting average, recording 33 hits in 24 starts while striking out just three times this season. She leads the GLVC in slugging percentage (.787), followed closely by Addyson McClure (.783). Bartletti is batting .329 with 27 hits, 23 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases on 21 attempts, ranking second in the GLVC in total stolen bases behind an athlete from Drury.
Recent milestones include 200 career strikeouts for Bartletti and 300 for Zawacki. Brinkley has also set program records in both career hits and runs scored this season. Another milestone is approaching, as Head Coach Shannon Guthrie is just five wins away from her 300th career victory, currently holding 295 wins after Sunday's sweep of Rockhurst.
Missouri S&T (5-20, 2-4 GLVC)
The Miners split with Maryville last weekend, falling 7-4 before securing a 10-1 run-rule victory, but then dropped two games to UMSL, 9-4 and 7-3.
In the circle, Julia Kanoy is the pitcher to watch. The left-hander has struck out 19 batters in her last 12.1 innings and holds a 4.57 ERA. Mia Miller, who is 2-9 in 11 starts, holds a 4.47 ERA and has thrown two complete games.
At the plate, Sydney Anderson leads the team with a .289 batting average and 23 hits, while Trista Grobe follows closely at .288, also with 23 hits. The duo is tied for third in the GLVC with five home runs each.
The Miners are scheduled for a doubleheader at No. 22 McKendree on Friday before traveling to UIS. The Prairie Stars lead the all-time series against Missouri S&T 22-11.
Drury (11-13, 5-2 GLVC)
Drury will first travel to Indianapolis for a GLVC matchup with UIndy before heading to Springfield to face UIS on Sunday. The Panthers recently split with No. 20 McKendree, winning 3-2 in eight innings and losing 11-2 in five innings. They also secured a series win over Maryville, winning 7-1 and 17-9. Outside of conference play, Drury swept No. 25 Pittsburg State, winning 5-4 in extras, then 9-1 in six innings.
AJ Agers improved to 3-2 with two recent wins in the circle, holding a 2.55 ERA with 15 strikeouts this season. Jordyn Foley leads the pitching staff in innings pitched (47.1), striking out 19 with two wins in eight starts. Kaley Adzick has the most wins at 4-1 but carries a 6.19 ERA.
Offensively, Sophia Luetticke is hitting .390 with 32 hits, 24 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases on 23 attempts. Avery Budde follows with a .329 average, tallying 23 hits, including eight doubles.
UIS trails 14-19 in the all-time series with Drury.
Follow Along
All games will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network, with live statistics available online. Links can be found under the softball schedule at uisprairiestars.com.