Illinois Springfield baseball opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play this weekend with a four-game road series against William Jewell in Liberty, Mo. Due to schedule adjustments, the teams will play 1:00 p.m. doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday, with games scheduled for nine, seven, seven, and nine innings.

No. 25 Illinois Springfield (11-6)
UIS enters conference play after splitting a four-game series with Davenport last weekend at the UIS Baseball Field. The Prairie Stars opened the series with a 13-9 win before dropping the middle games 10-8 and 18-8 in Saturday's doubleheader. UIS responded with a 14-11 victory in Sunday's finale to close the weekend with a split against the regional opponent. Ben Benoit turned in another quality start during the series, and the Prairie Stars relied on their experienced bullpen to navigate the four-game set.

As a staff, UIS carries a 6.03 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 143.1 innings pitched this season. That mark ranks second in the GLVC behind Indianapolis, which holds a 5.80 ERA. Opponents are hitting .280 against Prairie Stars pitching.

Offensively, UIS has been among the top teams in the conference, ranking fifth in the GLVC with a .303 team batting average. The Prairie Stars have produced 179 hits, including 36 doubles, five triples, and 21 home runs while scoring 154 runs through 17 games.

Tommy Atkinson and Corey Boyette have led the UIS lineup early in the season. Atkinson is batting .443 with 31 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, and 29 RBIs, while Boyette is hitting .435 with 27 hits, six doubles, four home runs, and 20 RBIs.

UIS was selected second in the GLVC preseason poll and is currently ranked No. 25 nationally by the NCBWA.

William Jewell (4-11)
William Jewell enters the weekend with a 4-11 record and is currently on a seven-game losing streak, though the Cardinals have not been shut out in a game this season. The team averages 5.5 runs per game and ranks among the conference leaders in stolen bases, swiping 43 bags in 49 attempts.

Luke Bies has been the Cardinals' top offensive performer, batting .360 with 18 hits, three home runs, and nine RBIs while posting a .600 slugging percentage.

On the mound, Charlie Rambo leads the Cardinals with a 3.92 ERA across 20.2 innings. Ryan Hunt holds a 3.97 ERA with a 2-1 record and two saves in seven appearances, while Drew Caudle has allowed one run across two innings this season.

William Jewell was selected 12th in the GLVC preseason poll.

Follow Along
All four games in the series will feature a GLVCSN stream and live stats.