The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team was selected as the preseason favorite in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Blue Division. The Prairie Stars are looking to redeem themselves from last season's surprising early exit in a loss to Quincy University in the Midwest Regional Tournament.

"We ended the season last year kind of poorly, some tough losses," UIS sophomore right handed pitcher Chad Saner said. "I think we're ready to just get back after it. We all have a chip on our shoulders. We're hunting for a big one this year."

The Stars are relying on their seven returning starters who have experience in the postseason and in competitive games to lead the team to it's goal of competing in the World Series.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on Feb. 6, 2022. Watch the full story online.