The Illinois Springfield softball team will be at home this weekend, hosting the Rockhurst Hawks on Saturday and the Southwest Baptist Bearcats on Sunday. Both matchups are noon doubleheaders at the UIS Softball Field.

Illinois Springfield (19-7, 3-1 GLVC)
UIS is coming off a strong week of GLVC play. The Prairie Stars split a doubleheader with Truman State on Friday, falling 3-2 in the opener before dominating 9-1 in the second game. Saturday, UIS swept Quincy in a doubleheader 6-2 and 10-3, showing resilience and consistency both at the plate and in the circle.

Pitching has been a cornerstone of UIS' success. Rosie Bartletti boasts a 1.09 ERA with six wins, while Calista Stahlhut has thrown 72.1 innings with a 1.74 ERA and 69 strikeouts. These two are among the conference's top three pitchers. Offensively, Emme Steward is leading the team with a .406 batting average, while Bailey Masching had a standout opening weekend of GLVC play with seven hits, including four doubles, and 10 RBIs.

Rockhurst (13-10, 1-3 GLVC)
Rockhurst comes into the series with a team that can hit and run. They have the third-best batting average in the conference at .323 and trail only UIS in stolen bases with 63. McKenna Lester is batting .449, while Taylor Sedam (.429) and Emily Berry (.403) provide consistent extra-base power. Their pitching staff is led by Avery Huffman, with a 2.75 ERA, and Madeline McCall, who has been reliable as well.

UIS has dominated the series historically, leading Rockhurst 23-10 all-time, including winning four of the last six meetings.

Southwest Baptist (12-14, 2-2 GLVC)
Southwest Baptist had a mixed opening weekend. They split a doubleheader with Missouri-St. Louis, winning the first game 6-4 before dropping the second 12-4. The Bearcats then fell 10-4 in the first game against Lincoln before bouncing back to win 7-3 in the second. Their top hitters include Keeley Elsea, batting .474, and Jacie Frencken, batting .404. The Bearcats rank third in the GLVC in stolen bases with 41.

UIS holds a dominant all-time record against Southwest Baptist, leading 18-1, including 9-1 since SBU joined the GLVC in 2020-21.

Follow Along
All four games this weekend will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network, with live stats available throughout each contest.