The following story was published by NPR Illinois on May 12, 2026.

The Illinois Springfield baseball team earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and will host one of two NCAA Division II Midwest Regional sites this week at the UIS Baseball Field.

The Prairie Stars enter the postseason with a 34-18 record and return to NCAA Regional play after missing the tournament in 2024 and 2025. UIS is making its sixth NCAA postseason appearance in program history and will host this round for the first time since 2023.

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