April 17, 2012

CHICAGO - The UIC softball team (18-22/5-6 Horizon) returns to Flames Field after three road-game series to play host to Northern Illinois at 5:00 p.m. (CT) in Chicago, Ill.

LEAD-OFF HITS

SCOUTING THE FLAMES

UIC holds an 18-22 record … junior Kara Komp has a .413 batting average with 63 at-bats, and has stolen five bases on five attempts, along with five RBI … sophomore Jacki Fletcher is batting a .370 (119 at-bats), including 44 hits, six doubles, two homeruns and 20 RBI … junior Coryn Schmit and sophomore Jenna Marsalli own six homeruns a piece … Schmit leads the team in RBI with 29 … Ashley Hewett and Devin Miller have shared time in the circle for UIC … Hewett, 7-10 with a 3.29 ERA has 85 strikeouts in 106.1 innings of play … Miller, 10-12 with a 4.20 ERA has blanked 125 batters in 146.2 innings of work.

UIC IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE

The Flames are 5-6 in the Horizon League through two conference series … UIC won the Cleveland State series, 2-1 … the Vikings claimed the first game 3-1, before UIC picked up the final two games, 8-1 and 6-5 … the Bulldogs won the series with UIC, 2-1 … UIC dropped the first two games, 4-3 and 9-0, in that order, before winning the final game 8-4 … UIC then traveled to the north side of Chicago to face Loyola, where the Flames went 1-2 in the series … Loyola won 1-0, then the Flames defeated the Ramblers, 6-3, before the north siders picked up the final game 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth inning … the Flames split with Detroit, losing the first game 7-6 and picking up the second contest, 10-2 … the final game of the series was canceled due to weather.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

Northern Illinois carries a 18-23 record … Stephanie Tofft leads the Huskies with a .397 batting average with 136 at-bats, she has 54 hits, including seven doubles, two triples and four homeruns … Nicole Gremillion trails closely behind with a .396 average, and leads the team in stolen bases with 11 … the team uses two primary pitchers, Megan Dortch, 11-11 with a 2.98 ERA and Jessica Sturm, 7-9 with a 3.99 ERA … Dortch has blanked 154 in her 124.1 innings.

SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHERN ILLINOIS

UIC leads the all-time series with the Huskies, 25-21 … the team most recently met on April 13, 2011, when the Flames shutout Northern Illinois, 7-0 … in that contest, Courtney Heeley hit two homeruns to mark the fourth time during the 2011 season a Flame hit two homers in one game.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

During UIC's second game against Detroit on April 14, the team collected 20 hits, the most in a single game this season … the Flames scored 10 runs and compiled a .284 average to post a 10-2 win.

LAST TIME OUT

Senior Melinda Macias had five hits in five at-bats in the second contest against Detroit April 14 as UIC downed the Titans, 10-2 at Buysse Ballpark in Detroit, Mich. The Titans outlasted the Flames 7-6 in the first game of the twinbill with a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning.

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. Schmit tied for third place in homeruns with 10, while Miller blanked 227 batters to finish third in strikeouts.

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. Hernandez 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.

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