LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The stakes couldn't be higher in the final Great Lakes Valley Conference series of the season for the Bellarmine University baseball team.

The Knights (26-19, 17-13 GLVC) will be looking to keep their season alive when they host 12th-ranked Illinois Springfield (33-11-1, 21-9), winner of 13 straight games, in a three-game series unfolding Sunday and Monday at Knights Field. First pitch both days is slated for noon (ET), with the doubleheader occurring Sunday. The series was originally slated for Friday-Saturday but has been rescheduled due to an ominous weather forecast.

Bellarmine is attempting to secure a berth in the eight-team GLVC Tournament. The Knights are currently in a three-way tie for seventh in the standings with Indianapolis and Lewis. That trio is one game back of Southern Indiana and Drury, who are both 18-12 and tied for fifth in the league.

While Illinois Springfield has already clinched a GLVC Tournament bid, the Prairie Stars will certainly have a lot on the line as well when they meet Bellarmine. UIS is in contention for a GLVC regular-season championship. The Prairie Stars and Quincy are only one game back of league leader Maryville (22-8).

The series will pit the GLVC's top two offenses against each other. Bellarmine and Illinois Springfield — or vice versa — comprise the top two in the league in batting average, runs scored, hits, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs, doubles and total bases. Behind eight home runs over the doubleheader day in last weekend's series against Missouri S&T, the Knights have regained the GLVC lead in round-trippers with 61, three more than UIndy.

Overall, the wild card this season for Bellarmine has been its pitching. However, that hasn't been the case lately. Over the last 10 games, the Knights' staff has been sturdy — and at times dominant — while allowing more than five runs on just one occasion.

Bellarmine captured two of three against Missouri S&T, which is fourth in the league standings, as senior left-hander Eddie Mathis tied the program record for career pitching wins (25) after earning the victory in the opener. Senior left-hander Alex Phillips tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in the series finale, and his fine start along with sensational and surprising long relief by senior right-hander Zac Wiley — the All-Region outfielder who had pitched just once in the last two years — pushed the Knights to win in 12 innings.

From an ERA perspective, Bellarmine has closed the season against opponents that represent the GLVC's three stingiest pitching staffs. The Knights will attempt to put a dent in Illinois Springfield, the leader at 3.67, after battling Quincy (4.27) and Missouri S&T (4.08). In addition to ERA, the Prairie Stars' staff tops the GLVC in opposing batting average (.225) and strikeouts (438), the latter by a wide margin over next best Quincy (368).

Illinois Springfield's 13-game winning streak includes three-game sweeps of Indianapolis, the most recent victim, and then Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Indiana and McKendree. Chris Monroe (.399 batting average, seven homers, 16 doubles, 52 RBIs), Brandon Bannon (.393, 35 RBIs) and John Sechen (.362, eight homers, 40 RBIs) have helped lead the imposing offense.

For Bellarmine, sophomore left fielder Matt Higgins is the frontrunner to capture the GLVC batting title with a .424 average. He's also the league leader in hits with 73. Wiley tops the GLVC in home runs (13), RBIs (59) and total bases (126). Junior catcher Chris Gambert, on the strength of 12 homers and 13 doubles, is the chart topper in slugging percentage (.755).

Bellarmine will honor its seniors on Sunday. In addition to Mathis, Phillips and Wiley, the large group includes Matt Cassady, Derek Burns, Tyler Neeley, Jacob Pendred, Ethan Cleary, Kyle Beach, Trevor Lines and Willie Poe.

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