SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars will head on the road this weekend to face off against GLVC opponents Southern Indiana and Bellarmine on Friday and Saturday. After winning their first two games of the conference season, the Prairie Stars have dropped six of eight but their six losses came to three of the top four teams in the conference: UMSL, Maryville, and Truman State. UIS will look to get back on the winning track as they take on Southern Indiana and Bellarmine, who currently rank fifth and seventh in the GLVC.

SETTING THE SCENE
After winning seven of their previous nine games, UIS has dropped their last four games, all in conference play. Since beginning their regular schedule of double headers, UIS is 6-6, and has yet to split a double header with a team. They have picked up sweeps against Oakland City, Quincy, and Blackburn while falling to Truman State, Maryville, and UMSL.

Southern Indiana comes into the series winning seven of their last eight games. They fell in their last game 5-4 in eight innings to William Jewell and sit in fifth place in the GLVC with a 15-7, 7-1 record. Since they began their winning streak, the Screaming Eagles have jumped on to the national scene, receiving votes in the national poll, currently ranking 32^nd in the country.

Bellarmine enters the weekend having lost four of their last six games, sitting in seventh place in the conference with a record of 14-14, 4-4. The Knights will take on McKendree on Friday before squaring off with the Prairie Stars in the final games before Easter.

LEADING OFF
The Prairie Stars hit .348 as a team leading off an inning. On top of that, as a team, UIS is batting .287 in RBI-opportunities. When Madi Torry leads off, she reaches base at a .357 clip opposed to a .327 mark when she bats second. Additionally, she has driven in four more runs in the top spot than she has in the two-hole.

CLUTCH HITTING
With runners on base, UIS is hitting .292 on the season, opposed to just .210 when the bases are empty. With a runner on third and less than two-outs, the Prairie Stars are hitting .596 on the year. When the bases are loaded, UIS is 5-for-11 on the season.

IN THE CIRCLE
Freshman, Jaycee Craver, ranks 17^th in the GLVC with a 2.97 ERA. With 11 complete games, Craver has totaled 92 inning son the season and is holding batters to a .276 batting average. Rachel Goff got her first start of the season against UMSL, and now holds a 2.49 ERA on the season in 25.1 innings.

SPEEDY STARS
The Prairie Stars lead the GLVC in stolen bases, swiping 45 bags on the season, five more than the next closest team. UIS has only been thrown out seven times, giving them an 86.5 success rate. Haley Inman leads the team with 15 steals in 17 attempts. Five players have stolen a base this season without getting caught and nine players have stolen at least one base on the season.

BY THE NUMBERS
26 --- Games in which Torry has started in centerfield this season. She is the only player who has started every game in the same position.

6 --- The number UIS has to keep the opposing team from scoring. When opponents score 6 or more runs, UIS is 0-8. When UIS holds opponents under 6, they are 10-8.

6 --- The number of errors UIS has made in their past 12 games. UIS now holds a fielding percentage of .967, fourth best in the GLVC.

14 --- Consecutive home games for UIS after their six-game road trip.

13 --- Combined number of times Ashli King and Brittany Miller have been hit by a pitch. They rank fourth and fifth in the GLVC in the category.

WHO'S ON DECK
Following their weekend series with Southern Indiana and Bellarmine, the Prairie Stars will travel to Lebanon to take on McKendree for a Tuesday doubleheader. This will complete a six-game road swing for UIS and mark the beginning of a 14-game home stand, 12 of which will be within the conference. Beginning with the McKendree games, UIS will play 14 of their remaining 22 conference games against the bottom half of the league, as the standing sit right now.