UIS baseball opens play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday morning, facing No. 8 seed Rockhurst at 9:00 a.m. at Mountain Dew Park. in Marion, Ill.

The Prairie Stars (33-17, 21-11 GLVC) enter as the No. 5 seed under a new tournament format. The top four seeds receive first-round byes, while seeds 5-8 meet in single-elimination games to open the event. 

With a win, UIS would advance to face No. 4 seed Drury at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of that matchup moves into Thursday's game against No. 3 seed Missouri S&T, while teams falling into the elimination bracket will need multiple wins to remain in contention. 

UIS picked up recent series wins over Maryville and McKendree. The Prairie Stars have relied on a balanced approach, combining steady starting pitching with timely offense.

The pitching staff ranks second in the GLVC in team ERA and has allowed a conference-low 295 runs this season. Starters Ben Benoit and Mark DeCicco lead the rotation in innings, while Graham Kasey and Zane Danielson have provided additional depth. The bullpen has also been active, including two solid outings from Jaden Mathon over the weekend.

Offensively, UIS features production throughout the lineup. Corey Boyette (.383), Tommy Atkinson (.372), and Kaden Griffitts (.372) each enter the tournament hitting above .370, while multiple players have reached double-digit home runs.

Illinois Springfield was ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA Division II Midwest Regional rankings, trailing Grand Valley State, Wayne State (Mich.), and Missouri S&T.

UIS did not meet Rockhurst (30-18, 18-14 GLVC) during the regular season. The Hawks bring one of the conference's top offenses, hitting .329 as a team with a league-leading 21 triples. Colton Wernhoff leads the lineup with a .420 batting average, while Dakota Hanna has driven in 69 runs.

The teams enter Wednesday with an even 19-19 record in the all-time series, though this will mark their first postseason meeting.

Single-day tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students with ID and youth in grades 6-12, while children five and under are admitted free. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, and gates open one hour prior to the first game. The tournament will be streamed on GLVCSN.