The Illinois Springfield baseball team returns to the Midwest this weekend for a four-game, split-site series against Missouri-St. Louis. The Prairie Stars and Tritons will share hosting duties in a non-conference set featuring two games Friday and two more Saturday.

Friday's doubleheader will be played at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, beginning at noon. The series shifts to Springfield on Saturday for an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader to conclude the weekend. Please note there have been weather-related time and location adjustments. Fans are encouraged to confirm game details before traveling.

Illinois Springfield (5-2)
UIS opened the season with a series sweep at Savannah State before splitting four games at Florida Southern last week. Now 5-2 overall, the Prairie Stars return north for games in the St. Louis area and their home-opening doubleheader.

Junior Corey Boyette has emerged as one of the team's top hitters through the opening stretch. The outfielder is batting .391 with a 1.172 OPS, collecting nine hits, including two doubles and a home run, while drawing seven walks and reaching base at a .563 clip.

Tommy Atkinson has also been productive, hitting .280 with a team-best eight RBIs and three extra-base hits. Kody Morton and Tyler Thompson are each batting .333, providing steady production in the lineup.

UIS pitching has been solid early, posting a 4.91 team ERA that ranks among the top five in the GLVC. Ben Benoit (2-0) has been strong in two starts with a 2.31 ERA over 11.2 innings. Out of the bullpen, reigning GLVC Pitcher of the Week Isaac Graf was dominant at Florida Southern, tossing 3.1 hitless, scoreless innings across two appearances.

UMSL (3-5)
The Tritons enter the weekend at 3-5 with wins over Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist and Rogers State. Justin Terhaar leads UMSL with a .429 average and has reached base at a .500 clip through eight games. Mitch Bonczkowski has provided power in the lineup, batting .419 with three home runs and an .806 slugging percentage.

Eli Cartwright (0.93 ERA) and Will O'Gorman (1.64 ERA) have been effective in their first two starts each, combining for 23 strikeouts across 20.2 innings. UMSL has also received strong relief outings from Mitch Schleeper and Will Bellmore.

Follow Along
Friday's games at CarShield Field will feature a GLVCSN stream and live statistics. Saturday's doubleheader in Springfield will include live stats only.