The Illinois Springfield baseball team has secured the No. 2 seed in the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championship Tournament and will face seventh-seeded Missouri S&T in the opening round on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. in Marion, Ill. The matchup is game three of the tournament, hosted for the third straight year at Mountain Dew Park.
A win would advance UIS to Thursday's 4:00 p.m. game, while a loss would place them in the tournament's first elimination game at 9:00 a.m. Thursday.
Illinois Springfield (33-15, 23-8 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars enter the postseason having not lost a series since mid-March. Their current run includes six consecutive series wins in GLVC play. UIS swept both Upper Iowa and Lincoln during that stretch.
Last weekend, the Prairie Stars took three of four games on the road at McKendree, opening the series with a 13-10 slugfest win, dropping game two 7-4, bouncing back with a 6-4 win in game three, and wrapping up the weekend with a dominant 13-2 run-rule victory in game four.
Earlier in the week, UIS also took on nationally ranked No. 21 Davenport in non-conference play, a game that ended 10-9 in favor of the region-leading Panthers. Ivan Dahlberg and Mark Kattula each recorded seven hits on the week, while Mack Clark and Ethan Bowers added six apiece. Dahlberg launched three home runs and drove in seven RBIs, powering an offense that closed the regular season in strong form.
Seth Masters recorded two saves at McKendree, bringing his season total to nine—second-most in a single season in program history—and 10 for his career, placing him third all-time at UIS. Winning pitchers over the weekend included Adam Lindsey, Austin Loberger, and Mark Decicco. The starting rotation features Decicco, Lindsey, Esteban Hernandez, and Ben Benoit, with Brayden Mayer also making three starts this year.
Top Pitchers
Mark Decicco: 4.02 ERA, 6-4 record, 53.2 IP, 70 strikeouts
Ben Benoit: 5.62 ERA, 3-6 record, 49.2 IP, 45 strikeouts
Esteban Hernandez: 5.72 ERA, 5-0 record, 56.1 IP, 48 strikeouts
Seth Masters: 1.69 ERA, 9 saves, 21.1 IP, .190 opponent average
Adam Lindsey: 4.54 ERA, 4-3 record, 41.2 IP, 44 strikeouts
Kannon Walker: 4.97 ERA, 6-0 record, 29.0 IP, 28 strikeouts, .261 opponent average
Offense
Mark Kattula: .402 AVG, .450 OBP, 76 hits, 18 doubles, 48 RBIs
Ivan Dahlberg: .348 AVG, .495 OBP, 14 HRs, 38 RBIs, 7-for-7 stolen bases
Ethan Bowers: .326 AVG, 59 hits, 10 HRs, 32 RBIs
Kody Morton: .368 AVG, 8 HRs, 31 RBIs
Dillon Smail: .333 AVG, .429 OBP in 22 games
The Prairie Stars await the announcement of All-GLVC honors Tuesday evening.
Missouri S&T (27-22, 17-15 GLVC)
The Miners enter the tournament with a mixed record, earning series wins over Truman State, Maryville, McKendree, and Lincoln. They split with Drury and William Jewell and dropped series to UMSL, Indianapolis, and Upper Iowa. Missouri S&T is 6–6 in its last 12 games and recently split a four-game set with non-conference foe Wisconsin-Parkside.
Missouri S&T has tested itself against some tough teams this season, compiling a 1-3 record against nationally ranked or receiving-votes opponents. The Miners lost a close game 2-1 to No. 7 Missouri Southern, fell 22-10 to No. 12 Harding, and dropped a narrow 8-7 contest to Pittsburg State, which was receiving votes at the time. Two weeks after the initial loss to Harding, S&T bounced back with a dominant 13-0 victory over the then-No. 17 ranked Bisons — one of the most impressive wins on their schedule.
Missouri S&T's offense is powered by Garret Meryer (.320, 57 hits), Will Beckham (.392, 47 hits) and Drew Baugus (.395, 45 hits). Baugus and Beckham are fifth and sixth in the conference in batting average, trailing Mark Kattula among the league's top hitters. Beckham also ranks in the GLVC's top 10 for both slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Nick Hooper has drawn 37 walks—leading the league and just ahead of Ivan Dahlberg—while Bricen Smith is seventh in the GLVC with four triples. Baugus adds speed to the mix with 30 stolen bases, which ranks fourth in the league.
On the mound, Jack Schisler (6-3) headlines the Miners' rotation with a 3.98 ERA and a .219 opponent batting average. He often trades series-opening starts with Ethan Morrow (4-3), while Dylan Bates (2-3) and Andrew Hedgecorth (5-2) round out the starters.
UIS holds a 20-16 all-time edge over Missouri S&T, including a 12-game win streak dating back to 2018.
GLVC Tournament Bracket
Seeds: 1. Lewis, 2. UIS, 3. Maryville, 4. Drury, 5. Indianapolis, 6. Quincy, 7. Missouri S&T, 8. UMSL
UIS did not face any of the three other teams on its side of the bracket (Maryville, Quincy, Missouri S&T) in the GLVC schedule but defeated Maryville twice in non-conference midweeks.
The bracket flips for games 11 and 12. If necessary, a 13th game will be played at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, with the Championship Game at 12:30 p.m. If a 14th game is needed, the title game will be played at 4:00 p.m.
How to Watch
All games will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) behind a paywall. Tickets must be purchased in advance via HomeTown Ticketing:
- Adults: $15/day
- Students (with ID) and Youth: $5/day
- Children 5 and under: Free
Live statistics will also be available throughout the tournament.