The Illinois Springfield softball team is back in the postseason and will open the 2025 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, taking on No. 4 McKendree in the first round on Wednesday.

The game, originally scheduled for noon, is now set to begin at 12:30 p.m. due to forecasted weather conditions that prompted adjustments to Wednesday's schedule at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill.

UIS returns to the tournament after missing out in 2024. The Prairie Stars are 29-18 overall and went 17-11 in GLVC play this spring. They appeared in the initial ranked release of NCAA Division II Midwest Regional rankings before falling out of the first numerically ranked edition.

Illinois Springfield (29-18, 17-11 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars went 2-2 in their final weekend of the regular season. They swept Upper Iowa 6-1 and 7-4 on Saturday behind wins in the circle from Rosie Bartletti and Addyson McClure, with Ella Brinkley going 2-for-3 in each game. On Sunday, UIS dropped a 4-3 extra-inning battle to league-leading Lewis, then fell 5-0 in game two despite both teams tallying five hits.

Brinkley, who raised her batting average to .429, leads UIS with 54 hits and 24 RBIs. She's part of a strong lineup that includes Taylor Zawacki (.351), Bartletti (.326), and three additional hitters batting over .300. Zawacki's 13 doubles and Isabella Wilson's 10 provide added offensive power.

In the circle, Bartletti has been one of the league's top arms all season, posting an 18-8 record with a 2.22 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 157.1 innings. She was named the final GLVC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 20 in 17.2 innings over the weekend. McClure (3.07 ERA, 6-3) and Zawacki (3.99 ERA, 3-6) have also played key roles.

McKendree (32-19, 18-10 GLVC)
The Bearcats, seeded fourth, swept Upper Iowa and split with Quincy during their final weekend to push past the 30-win mark. McKendree also boasts a pair of two-way players in Sami Huck (.366 average, 2.23 ERA) and Ellie Vetter (.267 average, 3.10 ERA), while Lauren Harris leads the offense with a .437 average and 73 hits.

When the teams met three weeks ago in Springfield, game one was a pitcher's duel with Bartletti taking down Huck in a 3-0 UIS win. McKendree took the second game 8-4 after a late scoring surge, despite Bartletti also starting that contest against Vetter.

UIS leads the all-time series 13-11, with the teams splitting their last three meetings. This will be the first time the Prairie Stars and Bearcats face off in postseason play.

Follow Along
All GLVC Tournament games will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) behind a paywall. Tickets must be purchased online through HomeTown Ticketing. Admission is $15 daily for adults, $5 for students with ID and youth, and free for children 5 and under. Live statistics will be available online.