The University of Illinois Springfield softball team announced its 2021 schedule this afternoon. The Prairie Stars are scheduled to play 16 non-conference games, followed by a 28-game round-robin GLVC schedule.
 
UIS will start the year on Feb. 12-14 at the Kentucky Wesleyan Blue Bridge Battle event in Owensboro, Ky. That is the first of three straight tournaments which also include the Lewis Dome Invite in Rosemont, Ill. and the Drury Invitational in Springfield, Mo.
 
UIS will have its home opener on March 9 with its final non-conference games of the year. The Prairie Stars will host Winona State at LOLJOS.
 
The conference opener will be three days later when Lindenwood comes to Springfield for a pair. UIS is home for six of its first eight games, which includes a road doubleheader at Missouri-St. Louis, and home games against McKendree and Southern Indiana.
 
The early home schedule leads to UIS having to go on the road for 12 of the next 16 games. In that stretch, UIS will travel to Indianapolis, Lewis, Maryville, Quincy, Rockhurst, and Southwest Baptist. Home games versus Truman State and William Jewell break up that stretch for one weekend.  The regular season ends on May 1-2 with home games against Drury and Missouri S&T.
 
The top eight teams in the GLVC standings at the end of the year will advance to the GLVC Postseason Tournament. That event will be held on May 6-9 in East Peoria, Ill. UIS will be looking to advance to its third straight NCAA Regional event, which begins on May 13.
 
UIS went 10-8 during its shorted 2020 season last spring. The Prairie Stars return 16 players from that team which ranked in the top-30 nationally in stolen bases and slugging percentage, and was first in the GLVC in home runs.

2021 UIS Softball Schedule