The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team picked up more than just an at-large bid for its sixth NCAA Division II tournament appearance and first since 2023.
The Prairie Stars (34-18) earned the No. 2 seed and the right to host its Midwest Regional bracket beginning Thursday, May 14 at 11 a.m. against No. 7 seed Indianapolis (33-21). No. 3 Wayne State (37-14) plays No. 6 Missouri St. Louis (33-20) in the other regional contest.
The double-elimination tournament runs Thursday through Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at UIS Baseball Fields with an if-necessary game slated for Sunday at 11 a.m.
Click here to see the bracket (listed in Eastern Time).
The winner out of Springfield then vies for a trip to the NCAA finals in a best-of-three super regional series. No. 1 seed Grand Valley State (44-8) is the other Midwest Regional host.
The UIS regional is a ticketed and credentialed event. Tickets can be purchased here, while games can be streamed at NCAA.com.
This page will be updated with results.
UIS was the No. 5 seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament, where it trounced No. 8 Rockhurst 20-1 before falling to No. 4 Drury 8-5 in single elimination. UMSL won the GLVC tournament 13-8 over Missouri S&T on Saturday, May 9.
Three Stars were tabbed all-GLVC first team under coach Chris Rodriguez:
- Tommy Atkinson, the junior outfielder boasts a .385 average with a team-best 79 hits, 58 RBIs and 12 home runs.
- Corey Boyette, the senior outfielder contributes a .385 average as well with 72 hits and 15 home runs.
- Kaden Griffitts, the junior designated hitter out of nearby Williamsville carries a .376 average with 71 hits, 15 home runs and team-high 71 RBIs. Both Atkinson and Griffitts are Heartland Community College transfers.
SHG grad stars at UIS
Senior pitcher and utility player Rosie Bartletti led the UIS softball team both ways and collected all-GLVC first team honors.
The Sacred Heart-Griffin graduate finished 12-9 with a 2.07 ERA over 19 starts and 25 appearances this season. She struck out 122 and yielded 41 walks and 76 hits over 104 2/3 innings.
Bartletti additionally appeared in all 52 games offensively and posted team-bests in hits (55) and runs (51) with a .346 average. She had 13 doubles, four triples and three home runs.
She also ushered a school record for stolen bases in a season (49) and career (141). The softball team reached the GLVC tournament and finished the season 32-20.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: NCAA Division II baseball regional at UIS preview, schedule, results
