The Illinois Springfield baseball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to Bolivar, Mo., for a four-game GLVC series against Southwest Baptist. The Prairie Stars and Bearcats will square off in a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday followed by a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday—an adjustment from the series originally scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

Illinois Springfield (27-12, 17-6 GLVC)
UIS has taken three out of four games in back-to-back weekends, including the recent series win over Rockhurst. The Stars opened last weekend with a 9-6 win, followed by a 5-1 win, a 12-5 loss, and a dramatic 9-6 victory on Senior Day, sealed by Noah Caceres' pinch-hit walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Ben Benoit, who pitched game two against Rockhurst, earned GLVC Pitcher of the Week honors after a complete-game win. He allowed just one run and struck out five over seven innings in the 5-1 victory.

Catcher Ivan Dahlberg had a standout weekend at the plate, collecting seven hits—including two home runs and a double. Jackson Blemler added six hits, while Ethan Bowers and Kody Morton chipped in five apiece.

Mark Kattula continues to lead UIS offensively, boasting a .386 batting average, a .435 on-base percentage, and a team-best 59 hits and 81 total bases. He's struck out just 13 times in 153 at-bats. He ranks fifth in the GLVC in total hits, eighth in the doubles category. 

UIS currently sits in second place in the GLVC standings, trailing only the Lewis Flyers (32-9, 21-3 GLVC).

Southwest Baptist (14-28, 7-17 GLVC)
The Bearcats are on a nine-game losing streak after dropping a series to No. 15 Lewis, the current GLVC leader. SBU stayed competitive in three of the four games, falling 7-6 on Thursday, 16-11 in Friday's opener, and 6-2 in the series finale on Saturday. The third game of the series was a 21-2 blowout.

Offensively, SBU is led by Dominic Tellez (.366, 52 hits), Lane Snow (.326, 47 hits), and Zeke Skinner (.313, 41 hits). Skinner also leads the team with 41 RBIs and 10 home runs.

On the mound, Roberto Garcia, Ryan McLish, and Jaden Thacker have been mainstays in the starting rotation. Garcia leads the team with 57.2 innings pitched (2-3, 6.55 ERA), while McLish holds the team's most favorable record at 4-5 (6.55 ERA). Jake Fuller (1-3) has also logged 29.1 innings over 11 appearances, including three starts.

UIS leads the all-time series 6-2, having won three of four in both prior four-game series.

Follow Along
All games will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network, and fans can follow live stats online.