The top two teams in the GLVC Blue Division meet this week in Indianapolis, Ind. in a key four-game series between the University of Illinois Springfield baseball team and Indianapolis.
 
UIS enters the weekend three games ahead of Indianapolis in the conference standings. A sweep by the Prairie Stars would clinch another GLVC Division title for the team, and a handful of wins would put the team in good position the following weekend. If Indianapolis wins the series, the division race would still be up for grabs heading into the final week.
 
UIS continues to look like one of the top teams in the country, and it has now moved into the top-10 at No. 8 in the national rankings. The Prairie Stars have won 15 straight, the second-longest winning streak in program history. UIS is 33-6 overall, including a 13-3 mark in GLVC play.
 
The Prairie Stars enter the week ranked fourth in NCAA Division II with 10.3 runs per game. UIS is top-10 in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage. On the mound, the Prairie Stars have one of the top staffs in the GLVC, having a 4.70 ERA on the year which ranks second in the conference. UIS pitchers are third in NCAA Division II with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Brandon Bannon entered the top of a UIS career record list last week after becoming the school's all-time runs leader. He is chasing another career record now as he is 10 hits away from becoming UIS's all-time hits leader. Right behind him in the lineup, Zion Pettigrew is looking to add another GLVC Player of the Year award to his mantle. He currently leads the league in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs, RBI, total bases, and walks.
 
On the mound, Colton Hale leads the GLVC with seven victories. He is holding opponents to a .232 batting average this season, and he has a 4.33 ERA. Quinn Gudaitis is the conference leader with 14.50 strikeouts per nine innings, a mark which ranks fourth in NCAA Division II.
 
UIS vs. Indianapolis
Date/Time/Location: Friday, April 29, 1:00 p.m. (eastern) – Indianapolis Ind.
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, April 30, 12:00 p.m. (eastern) – Indianapolis, Ind. (Doubleheader)
Date/Time/Location: Sunday, May 1, 12:00 p.m. (eastern) – Indianapolis, Ind.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/uindy/
Live Stats: https://athletics.uindy.edu/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
All Time Series: UIS leads 15-12 (UIndy leads 5-3 in Indianapolis)
 
Indianapolis will head into the weekend on a four-game losing streak. Those losses have dropped the team's overall record to 19-22 overall. In conference play, the Greyhounds are 10-6 on the year. Indianapolis has split or won each of its first four GLVC series.
 
Indianapolis is led by its pitching staff which is top-five in the conference in hits allowed per nine innings (10.00), shutouts (2), and strikeouts per nine innings (9.2). Offensively, the Greyhounds are crossing the plate 6.6 times a game. They have a .388 on-base percentage and .417 slugging mark.
 
Xavier Rivas has been one of the pitchers in the GLVC this season. He is 12^th in NCAA Division II with a 1.85 ERA. He is also top-six in hits allowed per nine innings, and strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Brandon DeWitt leads the team with a .359 batting average, and he has scored 37 runs this season. Caleb Vaughn has team-bests with nine homers and 35 RBI, and Drew Donaldson has over 30 runs and RBI this season.
 
UIS has won the last eight meetings against Indianapolis. Last year, the two teams met just once in the GLVC Tournament, with the Prairie Stars winning the second round matchup by a 4-1 score.
 
Up Next: 
UIS ends the regular season on May 6-8 with a four-game home series against Truman State.