Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Illinois Springfield and Lindenwood University baseball programs were announced as the top seeds in the 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championship Tournament, released Sunday. This year’s eight-team event will take place on the campus of Lindenwood at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo., from May 13-16.
The winner will receive the league’s automatic-qualifying bid to the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional, to be held at Lindenwood beginning on May 27.
Illinois Springfield (34-5, 30-5 GLVC) earned the league’s top seed, winning the Green Division by 5.5 games. The Prairie Stars took two of three from the division’s 2-seed Quincy University (27-11, 24-10 GLVC) this past weekend, while Rockhurst University (23-17, 20-16 GLVC) and Missouri S&T (21-19, 17-15 GLVC) earned the Green’s No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively.
Host Lindenwood (29-7, 25-7 GLVC) garnered the Blue Division’s top seed, earning the No. 1 slot by six games over second-seeded University of Indianapolis (21-19, 19-13 GLVC). University of Southern Indiana (22-18, 18-14 GLVC) and Lewis University (23-16, 18-14 GLVC) round out the Blue Division as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively.
UIndy and Rockhurst open the GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 9 a.m. CT. It will mark the first time since the 2016 league tournament the Greyhounds and Hawks will battle, where UIndy earned wins on both occasions that May to claim the GLVC Championship. Reid Werner leads the Greyhounds on the bump with a 2.77 ERA in 84.1 innings, while Jack Eisenbarger has tossed 69 frames this spring to the tune of a 2.87 ERA.
Southern Indiana looks to avenge a series loss in March to Quincy on Thursday, with game time scheduled for 12:30 p.m. between the Screaming Eagles and Hawks. Quincy’s Dayson Croes has been a star at the plate this spring, recording a 1.257 OPS (on-base + slugging) with 26 extra-base hits, 48 runs scored, and 47 RBI. USI’s Kobe Stephens (.345) leads a group of four Screaming Eagles batting over .300 this season, while Manny Lopez has drilled a team-high 11 homers.
Blue Division winner Lindenwood is set to face the Green’s fourth seed Missouri S&T at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. It will be the first game between the Lions and Miners since May 1, 2018, when the teams faced each other in non-conference action. Lindenwood boasts a balanced pitching staff, with Blake Beckmann topping the team with a 3.02 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. For the Miners, Michael Ward has dominated with the stick this spring, reaching base at a .543 clip (1.364 OPS) with 12 homers.
The Green’s top team Illinois Springfield sprints into the postseason, winning eight of its past nine contests. The Prairie Stars and the Flyers are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday as the last game of the opening round. UIS earned a series win over Lewis back on March 19-21, with the Flyers snagging a game-two win on a walk-off grand slam from Michael O’Brien. Five Prairie Stars have an OPS above 1.000, including Zion Pettigrew’s 1.593 (1.049 slugging % + .544 OBP) and his 17 homers and 50 RBI. Kal Youngquist, who rode a 36-game hitting streak into late April, has tallied in a league-best 56 RBI. For Lewis, starting pitcher Jake Karaba (2.39 ERA) and Brad Littleton (3.66 ERA) have combined for 128 innings this spring, while O’Brien is hitting a team-high .341 at the plate with 23 extra-base knocks.
UIndy leads the Conference with six titles, followed by Lewis (5), Southern Indiana (4), and Quincy (4). Quincy won both the 2017 and 2018 tournaments, while now-DI Bellarmine University claimed the 2019 title.
Eighty spectators per team, per game will be admitted. Fans must be on a "will-call" list prior to arrival, which will be sent to each participating program. Spectators must exit the facility immediately following each game.
For complete coverage and tournament details, please visit championship central at
GLVCsports.com/2021baseball. All games will be streamed for free on
GLVCSN.com.