The University of Illinois Springfield softball team is one of the hottest teams in the GLVC at the moment. The Prairie Stars will take an eight-game GLVC winning streak into this week's contests against Southwest Baptist and Rockhurst. UIS hosts Southwest Baptist on Saturday afternoon, followed by Sunday's Senior Day contest against Rockhurst.
 
UIS started this homestand last weekend with a doubleheader sweep over Maryville. The Prairie Stars won the opener by an 8-4 score, and took game two by a 5-0 margin. UIS swept the GLVC weekly awards with that performance, with Jillian Mathis being named the conference's Player of the Week, and Reagan Miles earning Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
The Prairie Stars are now 28-13 on the season and 12-8 in conference play. UIS is currently sixth in the conference standings, just one game behind Missouri-St. Louis in the loss column. UIS is three games ahead of three teams that are fighting for the seventh and eighth spots in the conference tournament.
 
The weekend will be the final home games for four players who are in their last season at UIS. Courtney Blackwell, Carly Chovanec, Grace Harris, and Payton Long will be honored after Sunday's doubleheader.
 
Blackwell is in her first season at UIS. She has appeared on the mound in 11 games, and is 2-3 with one save. She has victories this season over Slippery Rock and Ohio Dominican, and got the final three outs for a save against conference rival Quincy.
 
Chovanec currently leads the GLVC in runs per game and stolen bases. She is second nationally with 44 stolen bases, three behind the school record, and is 27^th with 1.13 runs per game. In three seasons at UIS, she is batting .362 and has 101 hits, 79 runs, 35 RBI, and 60 stolen bases.
 
Harris is in her fourth season at UIS and has started over 100 games behind the plate for the Prairie Stars. She is top-five in UIS history in putouts and runner caught stealing. Along with her stellar defense behind the plate, she has 41 hits, 25 runs, and 27 RBI.
 
Long is one of the top pitchers in UIS history. She has a career-best 12 victories this year, and a 2.09 ERA. For her career, she is 26-14 with a 3.13 ERA. She has struck out 267 batters in 284 innings, and batters are hitting just .251 off of her.
  
UIS vs. Rockhurst
Date/Time/Location: Friday, April 22, 12:00 p.m. – Chatham, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/uis/
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): UIS leads 18-7

Rockhurst is one of the three teams right behind the Prairie Stars in the conference standings. The Hawks enter play this week with a 17-21 overall record and a 9-11 conference mark. They have been off since April 12 when they swept a non-conference doubleheader at Emporia State.
 
Rockhurst has a powerful offense, leading the GLVC in home runs, rankings third in slugging percentage, and fifth in doubles. The Hawks are scoring over five runs a game. On the mound, the Hawks have a 4.36 ERA, and opponents are batting .285 off of their pitchers.
 
The Hawks are led by a trio of hitters in Calli Wibbenmeyer, Emily Clark, and Maya Gallagher. Combined, they have 75 runs, 28 home runs, and 98 RBI. The top pitcher is Anna Newcomer who has a 4.00 ERA and six wins. She has 114 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings, and opponents are batting .262 off of her.
 
Rockhurst swept a doubleheader against UIS in 2021. The final scores in Kansas City, Mo. were 10-2 and 2-1.
 
UIS vs. Southwest Baptist
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, April 23, 12:00 p.m. – Chatham, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/uis/
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): UIS leads 11-0

Southwest Baptist is currently 7-31 on the season, and 1-19 in GLVC play. Last weekend, the Bearcats picked up their first GLVC win of the year over Maryville, and also had a pair of one-run setbacks against William Jewell.
 
The Bearcats are batting .231 on the season, and is averaging 2.7 runs per game. On the mound, Southwest Baptist has a 5.04 ERA, and it has struck out 174 batters in 230 1/3 innings.
 
One of the top hitting threats is Margo Frossard, who is batting over .300 and has team-highs with 13 runs and 16 RBI. The top pitcher is Reilly Rupert who has four wins and a 4.57 ERA.
 
Last season, UIS swept the regular season doubleheader against Southwest Baptist by scores of 1-0 and 8-3.

Up Next
UIS concludes its regular season on the road next weekend with doubleheaders at Missouri S&T and Drury.