2015 UIC Softball Schedule
2015 UIC Softball Schedule

CHICAGO - UIC head softball coach Michelle Venturella announced the release of the Flames' 2015 schedule on Tuesday. The 46-game schedule will feature opponents from 16 different conferences in addition to six teams who competed in the 2014 NCAA Regionals.

"We are very excited about the strength of this year's preseason schedule," Venturella said. "We are once again co-hosting the Total Control Sports Invitational opening weekend, which will give our fans a chance to see us before getting on the road. We see a variety of conferences represented this year and are thrilled with the level of talent that will be coming to Rosemont to play in this tournament. We will then get on the road to California and Florida and have the opportunity to play some great competition against teams like University of South Florida and James Madison."

For the second-consecutive season, the Flames will kick off their campaign by co-hosting the Total Control Sports Invitational (Feb. 6-8) along with Loyola. Held at the Dome in Rosemont, Ill., UIC will face Syracuse, North Dakota, Miami (Oh), Butler and Central Michigan. The Flames then head west to compete in the SCU Bronco Classic (Feb. 20-22) in Santa Clara, Calif., and take on San Jose State, Santa Clara and Idaho State.

The final two tournaments will place UIC in Florida. Up first, the Flames head to Clearwater, Fla., to take on Rhode Island, Sacred Heart, Villanova, South Florida and Maine at the USF-Under Armour Invitational (Feb. 27-March 1). UIC then returns to the Sunshine State for the UCF Knights Spring Fling Tournament (March 13-15) in Orlando, Fla., and will challenge Butler, James Madison, Fairfield, Central Florida and Monmouth.

"We are excited to test our team early to prepare us for Horizon League play," added Venturella. "The Horizon League has always been a good conference, but we will continue to work to always compete against ourselves and the game to be the best team possible."

The Flames jump into their first-of-four Horizon League home series when they host Oakland (March 20-21) at Flames Field. UIC then heads to Indianapolis, Ind., for a non-conference doubleheader against IUPUI (March 24) before returning home to face Green Bay (March 27-28), the reigning Horizon League champions.

A midweek matchup at Loyola (April 1) kicks off a series of eight games in 11 days on the road. After their non-conference tilt, the Flames make their way to Detroit, Mich., for a three-game series against the Titans (April 3-4). UIC will take on Northwestern (April 8) in Evanston, Ill., and conclude its road stint in Valparaiso, Ind., against the Crusaders (April 10-11).

A three-game series against Youngstown State (April 17-18) at Flames Field will serve as the only home games for the Flames during the month of April. UIC will play a single game at Bradley (April 21) for the first time since 2011 before traveling to Dayton, Ohio, to challenge Wright State (April 24-25). The Flames conclude their road schedule with a non-conference game against Northern Illinois (April 29) in DeKalb, Ill.

UIC will close out Horizon League action and its regular season when it hosts Cleveland State (May 1-2) at Flames Field. The Horizon League Championship will take place May 6-9, with the top-seeded team from the regular season scheduled to host and the winner advancing to the NCAA Regionals.