Feb. 16, 2012
Game Notes 
CHICAGO - The UIC softball (2-3/0-0 Horizon League) continues play at the Blue & Gold Felsburg Memorial at the FIU Softball Complex in Miami, Fla. FIU plays host to the six-team tournament that is highlighted with SEC team, South Carolina, and two Big East members, Providence and Villanova.
The team returns to the diamond after posting a 2-3 record at the Hotel Encanto Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M., where the team split decisions Friday and Saturday (Feb. 10-11). The squad defeated Santa Clara (5-1) and St. Mary's (11-1), and dropped to Indiana (6-4), UTEP (10-4) and host team, New Mexico State, 5-2.
LEAD-OFF HITS
FRESH FACES
Head coach, Michelle Venturella, welcomes a new coaching staff ... hitting coach, Sami Baugh, who served as the top assistant coach at Central Michigan for the past four years. Prior to her coaching stint, Baugh was a four-time letterwinning catcher and three-time Academic all-Big Ten selection at Iowa ... pitching coach, Eileen Canney, a two-time All-American and former Northwestern pitcher joins the Flames with a wealth of playing experience at the collegiate, national and international level. Canney served as a coach during the 2011 Under Armour All-American high school game ... volunteer assistant, Heather Han, joins the staff after playing and coaching at Eastern Michigan.
HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON PICK
A 2012 Horizon League Tournament championship gave the Flames their first NCAA berth since 2004. UIC concluded the 2011 season with the top fielding percentage in the league, .968 percent. Junior Coryn Schmit (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) tied for third place in homeruns with 10, while junior Devin Miller (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) blanked 227 batters to finish third in strikeouts.
LAST TIME OUT
The Flames began their 2012 season at the Hotel Encanto Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M., where the squad posted a 2-3 record on the weekend. UIC defeated Santa Clara, 5-1, before dropping 6-4 to Indiana on Feb. 10. The team split decisions Feb. 11 as they defeated St. Mary's, 11-1, while UTEP outlasted the Flames 10-4. On the final day, UIC played host, Nex Mexico State, and the Aggies defeated the Flames 5-2.
2011 HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS - SCHMIT & HERNANDEZ
Schmit was a postseason first-team all-Horizon League honoree as she had a league-best slugging percentage of .800, while also leading the Flames in homeruns with six. The first baseman logged 16 RBI in 20 League contests, and concluded the season with a .315 batting average. Natalie Hernandez (Glendora, Calif./Glendora) garnered 2011 postseason all-second and all-newcomer Horizon League honors after the shortstop posted a .349 batting average, while committing only four errors on the season. She added nine RBI, three homeruns and a triple during her rookie season.
FOLLOWING UIC SOFTBALL
Fans can follow UIC Flames softball on Facebook, Twitter, Cover-it-Live and Game Tracker, which can be accessed through the softball schedule page, and be sure to check back to uicflames.com for complete results and a recap of each game.
--UIC—
