The University of Illinois Springfield softball team has an important road trip this weekend as the Prairie Stars travel to William Jewell and Truman State. The Prairie Stars are currently on the wrong side of the GLVC Tournament bar, but look to make up some ground against two teams below them in the standings.
 
UIS is 22-13 overall and 6-8 in conference play. The Prairie Stars are 4-2 in their last six GLVC games, including a win over No. 5 Indianapolis in that span. On Wednesday, the Prairie Stars dropped a single game to Missouri Western by a 10-5 margin.
 
UIS currently ranks fourth in the GLVC with 5.29 runs per game. It leads the GLVC and is tenth nationally with nearly three stolen bases per game. On the mound, UIS is fifth in the conference with a 3.17 ERA.
 
The Prairie Stars lead the GLVC in two individual offensive categories. Danielle Dennis is first with 13 doubles, and Carly Chovanec is the leader with 35 stolen bases. Both of those numbers rank in the top-20 in the nation.
 
Payton Long has been the team's top pitcher, ranking seventh in the league with a 2.12 ERA.
  
UIS vs. William Jewell
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, April 9, 12:00 p.m. – Kansas City, Mo. (Urban Youth Academy)
Streaming: None
Live Stats: https://jewellcardinals.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): Series tied 11-11

William Jewell is currently 10-22 overall and 4-12 in conference action. The Cardinals have lost their last four games, with doubleheader sweeps in losses to Indianapolis and Southern Indiana.
 
The Cardinals are batting just .225 on the season, and are scoring 3.3 runs per game. On the mound, it has a 4.51 ERA. William Jewell is one of the top fielding teams in the conference, including just four assists behind the GLVC leader.
 
Abby Vandiver leads the team with a .554 slugging and .369 batting average. Allison Rawls has scored a team-high 21 times, and Hailey Wall has 17 RBI. Aliyah Santiago and Kenzie Jones have won nine of the team's 10 games. Both pitchers have ERAs in the fours.
 
UIS has won four straight against William Jewell, and eight out of the last nine. Last season, UIS won by scores of 9-8 and 9-2 in Springfield.
 
UIS vs. Truman State
Date/Time/Location: Sunday, April 10, 12:00 p.m. – Kirksville, Mo.
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/truman/
Live Stats: https://trumanbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
All-Time Series (Since 2011): Truman leads 11-6

Truman State enters the weekend with a 7-24 overall record, including a 2-14 GLVC mark. The Bulldogs went 0-4 last weekend in games with Lewis and Indianapolis.
 
The Bulldogs are a threat at the plate, averaging over four runs per game. Cameryn Patterson and Emma Walbert are both batting around .360. Patterson leads the team with 18 RBI, and Walbert is the leader with 25 runs.
 
On the mound, Truman has a 7.97 ERA. Breianna Klein has a team-high three wins in 11 appearances, and she has a 4.49 ERA.
 
UIS swept the doubleheader against Truman State last year, winning 3-2 and 9-0 in Springfield.

Up Next
UIS will return home on April 16 for a GLVC doubleheader against Maryville. That game will start a six-game homestand for the Prairie Stars, their final home games of the season.