The UIS softball team will continue Great Lakes Valley Conference action this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders. The Prairie Stars will travel to St. Louis to take on Missouri-St. Louis on Friday afternoon before heading to Jefferson City, Mo., on Sunday for a pair of games against Lincoln.
Illinois Springfield (19-12, 7-5 GLVC)
UIS is coming off a pair of conference splits last weekend against Missouri S&T and Drury. The Prairie Stars dropped the opener to Missouri S&T 5-1 after a four-run surge in the fourth inning. UIS responded with a 7-4 win in game two, scoring four runs in the second inning and adding three more in the third.
Against Drury, UIS pulled off a 6-5 victory in the opener after scoring three runs in the first inning and holding Drury to one run through four innings. Addyson McClure earned the win, improving to 5-2 on the season. The final game of the weekend was an 11-4 loss, with Drury breaking the game open with an eight-run fifth inning.
UIS currently sits fourth in the GLVC standings, tied at 7-5 with Lewis and McKendree, while Drury leads the league.
Senior third baseman Ella Brinkley was named to the watchlist for the 2025 NFCA Player of the Year on Thursday. Brinkley leads the team with a .429 batting average, 33 hits, and a GLVC-best .766 slugging percentage. Rosie Bartletti (.344) and Taylor Zawacki (.329) follow in batting average. The duo has also been dominant in the circle, with Bartletti tallying a team-high 107 strikeouts across 85 innings, while Zawacki has added 50 strikeouts over 48 innings.
Missouri-St. Louis (11-14, 4-6 GLVC)
UMSL is 3-3 in its last six games, most recently falling in a non-conference doubleheader at Central Missouri by scores of 7-0 and 8-6 on Tuesday. The Tritons picked up their only GLVC doubleheader sweep of the season against Missouri S&T.
Courtney Settles leads UMSL at the plate with a .431 batting average, 25 hits, and seven doubles. Gwyn Miller, hitting .333, has been the team's top power hitter with eight doubles, three triples, and two home runs.
Ashley Borowitz leads the Tritons' pitching staff with a 6-5 record, 70 strikeouts, and a 3.41 ERA across 80 innings. Ashley Ware (3-6), Lexi Sherrick (2-2), and Sasha Buckberger (0-1) round out the rotation.
UMSL leads the all-time series 20-16, but UIS has claimed three of the last four matchups.
Lincoln (10-18, 1-9 GLVC)
GLVC newcomer Lincoln is off to a 1-9 start in conference play, with its lone league win coming against UMSL two weeks ago. The Blue Tigers were swept last weekend by No. 22 McKendree and Maryville.
Abbi Condrad leads Lincoln with a .357 batting average, 30 hits, and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts. Ann-Marie Simpson is batting .265 and has stolen 10 of 12 bases, while Mackenzie Graham is hitting .289 with seven doubles.
Mallorey Rogers (3-6, 3.45 ERA) and Abby Pulliam (4-8, 41 strikeouts in 56.1 innings) lead the Lincoln pitching staff, while Jaedin Blankenship (2-3) has contributed 35 innings and 14 strikeouts.
Lincoln will face Indianapolis on Saturday before taking on UIS. The Prairie Stars hold a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, with this being the first meeting as conference opponents.
Follow Along
All conference games during the regular season will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network. Host schools will also provide live statistics on their websites.