The UIS softball team will return to the Prairie this weekend to host two GLVC opponents. The Prairie Stars will play the Maryville Saints in a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a 12 p.m. doubleheader against the Missouri S&T Miners on Sunday.
UIS (16-10)
UIS won 7-of-10 games at the Space Coast Spring Games over the past week. The Prairie Stars started by winning four straight before falling to No.19-ranked Nova Southeastern in their fifth game and bouncing back that afternoon to defeat Mercy 10-2.
UIS swept Felician on Tuesday and fell to 16-10 with two losses to West Chester on Wednesday.
The Stars are 8-6 against Midwest Region opponents upon the start of conference play.
Isabella Wilson leads the offensive effort with a .397 batting average. Seven of her 25 hits have been doubles and she has added 18 RBIs in 24 games.
Ella Brinkley is averaging .368 with 32 hits, 25 runs, and is 8-for-11 on stolen base attempts.
Malia Bender is batting .368 and ranks No. 2 in NCAA DII with six doubles. She is 6-6 on stolen base attempts and has added 20 RBIs to the team efforts so far this season.
Pitcher Alexis Carroll leads the Prairie Stars with 6 wins. She has compiled 44 strikeouts and allowed just 18 walks in 56 innings so far in her freshman year.
Rosie Bartletti is 5-2 with one loss coming against a ranked opponent. Taylor Zawacki, the most senior member of the pitching staff, has three wins in the circle and has also been a vital member of the team's offense.
Maryville (8-15)
The Maryville Saints are on a four-win streak after defeating Parkside in four meetings this past weekend. They went 2-3 the weekend prior, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan and Davenport but falling to Purdue Northwest, Missouri Western, and Washburn.
Maryville won 4-3 against UIS in the GLVC tournament last spring, but the teams split a doubleheader when they met in the regular season.
Melanie Nelson is averaging .338 at the plate and has been successful in 6-of-8 stolen base attempts. She is one of three Saints averaging above 3.00.
Chayse Ramey is the team's ace. She leads the Saints with six wins and nine complete games. She totals 75.2 innings on the season, the third-most in the GLVC.
Missouri S&T (9-15)
The Missouri S&T Miners competed at the Drury Classic last weekend, dropping games to Central Oklahoma and Minnesota Duluth on Friday before defeating Minnesota Crookston and Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
UIS leads the all-time series 21-12. The teams split the last meeting when UIS won the first game 5-4 and S&T won the second game 7-2.
Missouri S&T has a pair of pitchers with four wins apiece: Charlye Rowland and Bryn Wooldrige.
Bryn Wooldridge leads the S&T offense with 28 hits, 18 RBIs, 41 total bases, and a .389 batting average.
The Miners will meet the Quincy Hawks for two games before coming to Springfield.
How to Follow
All regular season games will be streamed without charge on the GLVC Sports Network. Live statistics will also be available.
Promotions for the weekend include Camper Reunion Day on Saturday and St. Patrick's Day on Sunday.