The Illinois Springfield softball program has officially announced its 2026 spring schedule, featuring early-season games in Springfield at Scheels Sports Park and a full slate of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play at the UIS Softball Complex.

"The 2026 schedule looks different than many of our previous schedules, primarily due to having the ability to utilize the new Scheels Dome here in Springfield," said 12th-year head coach Shannon Guthrie. "The new addition has allowed us to host 10 games in February, and this is huge for our program. We also head to Branson and Chattanooga for the first time since I have been here. These trips will help us face many strong opponents as we strive to compete for a postseason bid."

UIS opens the season on the road at Roosevelt before returning home later in the spring to face the Lakers at Scheels Sports Park. The Prairie Stars then travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for Union's Chattanooga Invitational, where they will meet Union, Palm Beach Atlantic, Cedarville and Shorter.

Two home tournament weekends in Springfield's new turfed Springfield Clinic Dome at Scheels Sports Park highlight the early portion of the UIS schedule and mark a significant shift for the program. The Prairie Stars will open dome play with the UIS Springfield Clinic Classic, hosting Lake Erie in a doubleheader on Feb. 12 followed by a doubleheader against Thomas More on Feb. 13. UIS will then remain inside the dome the following weekend, Feb. 19-20, for a second home tournament featuring Davenport and Ohio Dominican.

The Prairie Stars will also compete at the Grand Slam Classic in Branson, Mo., where they are set to face Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney. UIS concludes non-conference play with a road doubleheader at Ohio Dominican on March 10.

"We are excited to see many good in-region matchups," Guthrie said. "With the addition of nine new players to our roster, we want them to experience as much tough competition as we can to prepare for our competitive GLVC schedule. Our goal is to be ready to compete on January 30th and continue to grow stronger each game. We have a fun, talented team and we want this spring season to go long into a May postseason run. This schedule will give us a chance to contend, and it will be up to us to take advantage of the opportunity."

GLVC play begins March 13 with a road doubleheader at Quincy before UIS opens its home conference schedule March 15 against Truman State. The Prairie Stars will host Rockhurst, Southwest Baptist, Lincoln, Missouri-St. Louis, Lewis and Upper Iowa at the UIS Softball Complex, while also traveling to Drury, Missouri S&T, William Jewell, Maryville, McKendree and Indianapolis during conference action.

UIS is coming off a 2025 season that included a run to the GLVC Tournament championship game and will look to continue its momentum in 2026 with the goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023.

UIS streams all home games on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) and provides live statistics for fans to follow online. Fans can also sign up for softball-specific email updates and follow UIS softball on social media for schedule updates, promotions and team news.

Full 2026 UIS Softball Schedule