The UIS softball team has been included among the 10 programs under consideration in the first release of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings, published Wednesday on NCAA.com.

This initial release presents teams in alphabetical order, with ranked listings to follow in subsequent editions. The Prairie Stars hold a 25-16 overall record and are 25-14 in regional play.

Joining UIS on the alphabetical list of Midwest Region contenders are:

MIDWEST (Alphabetical)	Division II	Midwest Region
Drury	27-17	27-17
Ferris St.	19-13	13-12
Findlay	27-9	26-6
Hillsdale	25-14	18-9
Ill. Springfield	25-16	25-14
Lewis	31-15	28-7
McKendree	29-16	23-10
Northwood	20-14	17-11
Saginaw Valley	31-9	23-4
Tiffin	30-10	27-10

UIS will look to strengthen its postseason case as it continues regular season and conference play, starting at home this Friday against William Jewell.

UIS last advanced to the NCAA postseason in 2023. The Prairie Stars fell to Lewis in the opening round, bounced back with an elimination-game win over Hillsdale, and were ultimately knocked out by Lewis—who had claimed the GLVC Championship just a week earlier.

The NCAA Division II Softball Championship features a 64-team field. Regional play consists of 16 four-team, double-elimination tournaments. Winners advance to best-of-three Super Regionals, with those eight champions moving on to the finals in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Selections will be announced Monday, May 5 on NCAA.com, and the NCAA Championships are scheduled for May 22–28 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park.