The University of Illinois Springfield softball team ends its regular season this week with three GLVC doubleheaders. The Prairie Stars have a makeup battle at Maryville on Tuesday, followed by home games over the weekend against Drury and Missouri S&T.
 
The Prairie Stars split four games last weekend. UIS dropped a pair of contests on the road at Rockhurst, but bounced back with two wins at Southwest Baptist.
 
With those results, UIS moved to 15-23 on the season, including a 10-12 record in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars enter the week in 10^th place in the GLVC, but just one game out of a conference tournament spot.
 
UIS has gotten back into the conference tournament picture with its pitching, which has allowed four or fewer runs in eight of the last 10 games. Offensively, the team will be happy to return home this weekend where it has won six straight games, and has averaged 8.0 runs a game in that span.
 
The Prairie Stars will be celebrating three players on Senior Day this weekend. Calla Wickenhauser and Natalie Cokel have been members of the program since 2018. Wickenhauser is one of the top hitters in program history, entering this week with 153 hits, 95 runs, 104 RBI, and 19 home runs in 161 games. Cokel is among all-time UIS leaders with a .423 on-base percentage, and has 68 runs and 35 stolen bases in 135 games.
 
Addison Bryant transferred to UIS in 2019 as a two-way player. On the mound, she has won 10 games and saved five other contests. She has over 100 strikeouts in her career. At the plate, she has 26 hits, 23 runs, and 10 RBI.
 
Each individual GLVC school will determine their own attendance policy for softball. Please check the policies of the home teams if interested in attending a contest. (Maryville | UIS)
 
UIS vs. Maryville
Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, April 27, 12:00 p.m. – St. Louis, Mo.
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/maryville
Live Stats: https://maryvillesaints.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): Maryville 12-11 (Series tied 5-5 in St. Louis, Mo.)

Maryville enters play this week in fourth place in the GLVC. The Saints are 16-11 overall and 14-8 in conference play. Maryville split two doubleheaders last weekend against McKendree and Southern Indiana.
 
Maryville has one of the top pitching staffs in the GLVC. It ranks second with a 1.79 ERA, and third with a .221 opponent batting average. Offensively, the team has a .339 on-base percentage, and is scoring 4.5 runs a game.
 
Pitcher Alyssa Callans leads the GLVC with a 0.75 ERA on the year. She has struck out 138 batters in 111 1/3 innings. Offensively, Taylor Shingler leads the GLVC with a .438 batting average and .512 on-base percentage.
 
In 2019, UIS won all three contests it played against Maryville, with a two-game sweep in Springfield, Ill., and a 4-1 victory in the GLVC Tournament.
 
UIS vs. Drury
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, April 30, 12:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/UIS
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): UIS leads 13-10 (UIS leads 7-5 in Springfield, Ill.)

Drury has already clinched a spot in the GLVC Tournament as it is second in the league entering the weekend. The Panthers are 23-12 overall and 17-7 in GLVC play. Drury has split five straight doubleheaders, winning the second game in all five dates.
 
Drury is another team in the top-five in the league in pitching. It has a 2.52 ERA with a balanced staff that has four players with a 3.08 or better ERA. Offensively, the Panthers are second in the GLVC with a .383 on-base percentage, and they are scoring 5.4 runs a game.
 
Karsyn Smith leads the pitching staff with eight wins on the year to go along with a 1.51 ERA. Offensively, Lauren Beier has a .374 batting average, seven homers, and 35 RBI.
 
In 2019, Drury won two of three games against UIS. The Prairie Stars split with Drury in the regular season, and they fell to the Panthers in the GLVC Tournament.
 
UIS vs. Missouri S&T
Date/Time/Location: Sunday, May 1, 12:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/UIS
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): UIS leads 18-7 (UIS leads 8-2 in Springfield, Ill.)

Missouri S&T enters its final week of the season with a 7-31 overall record, and a 4-20 GLVC mark. The Miners are in 14^th-place in the conference standing.
 
The Miners currently have a .258 batting average at the plate, and they are averaging 3.1 runs a game. On the other side, Missouri S&T has a 7.63 ERA, and teams have a .352 batting average against it.
 
Maddy Passolano is the top offensive threat. She has a .345 batting average with 23 runs and 11 RBI. Bryn Wooldridge has won four games on the mound, and she has a team-best 5.84 ERA.
 
In 2019, UIS and Missouri S&T split a doubleheader in Springfield, Ill. The Prairie Stars won game one by a 7-3 margin, but lost the nightcap by an 8-3 score.
 
Up Next
The top eight teams in the final GLVC standings will advance to the conference tournament on May 6-9 in East Peoria, Ill.