SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) baseball team meets McKendree University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) series this weekend.
 
SETTING THE SCENE
UIS (27-4, 8-0) and McKendree (6-22, 1-6) are slated to battle on Friday in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Lebanon, IL. The two teams then clash on Saturday in a 12 p.m. doubleheader at Lebanon, IL. UIS is ranked No. 6 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II poll.
 
WHAT'S HAPPENING LATELY
The Prairie Stars swept the University of Indianapolis (17-12, 3-9) in a four-game GLVC series last weekend. UIS captured 11-5 and 9-0 victories against Indianapolis on Saturday, The Prairie Stars then recorded 6-1 and 10-5 wins on Sunday.
 
McKendree split with Oakland City University (9-22) last Saturday. The Mighty Oaks earned a 7-2 win against the Bearcats before McKendree rebounded with a 3-1 victory in Game 2.
 
The Bearcats fell to Southeast Missouri State University (15-18) in a 15-0 loss on Tuesday and Lindenwood University (17-18) handed McKendree a 14-4 loss on Wednesday.
 
STARS OF NOTE
Among NCAA Division II leaders, Nick Stokowski ranks sixth in RBIs per game (1.52), eighth in slugging percentage (.852), 14th in home runs per game and 15th in batting average (.435), leading the GLVC in each category. The senior from Monticello, IL ranks fourth in the conference in on-base percentage (.500).
 
Andrew Dean (6-0) ranks 19th in the nation in opponent batting average (.177) and 25th in the nation in WHIP (0.94). Among GLVC leaders, the junior from Alvin, TX ranks first in opponent batting average, first in WHIP, T-1 in wins and fifth in ERA (2.06).
 
Michael Rothmund ranks 23rd nationally in home runs per game. The senior from Lombard, IL ranks second in the GLVC behind Stokowski in home runs per game, slugging percentage (.739) and RBIs per game (1.26). Rothmund is also tied for third in the conference with 1.16 runs per game.
 
Cole Taylor ranks 25th in the nation with 0.45 doubles per game. The senior from Fairmount, IL ranks third in the conference, behind Stokowski and Rothmund, in RBIs per game (1.19). Among GLVC leaders, Taylor ranks third in doubles per game, fifth in slugging percentage (.683) and fifth in runs per game (1.13).
 
Amid conference leaders, Justin Revels (5-0) ranks second in opponent batting average (.187), second in WHIP (0.98), second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.07), T-3 in wins and fourth in ERA (1.93).
 
John Sechen ranks third in the conference with a .514 on-base percentage.
 
The Prairie Stars currently leads the nation in opponent batting average (.191). Among NCAA Division II leaders, UIS ranks third in ERA (2.43), fourth in slugging percentage (.547), fifth in WHIP (1.16), seventh in home runs per game (1.52), ninth in scoring (9.1) and ninth in doubles per game (2.32). The Prairie Stars lead the conference in opponent batting average, ERA, slugging percentage, WHIP, home runs per game, scoring, doubles per game, batting average (.325), strikeouts per nine innings (9.8) and on-base percentage (.423).
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Matt Klostermann leads McKendree with a .346 batting average. Levi Brening has provided a .329 batting average and team-highs of four homers, 20 RBIs, a .411 on-base percentage and a .618 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, Brening (1-1) has recorded a 1.59 ERA and a .169 opponent batting average.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Prairie Stars battle Purdue Northwest University in a 12 p.m. doubleheader next Wednesday at Hammond, IN. UIS then takes on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (3-18, 2-6) in 12 p.m. GLVC doubleheaders next Saturday and Sunday at the UIS Baseball Field.
 
HOW TO WATCH
UIS at McKendree (Live Video) (Live Stats)