CHICAGO - The UIC softball team (21-19, 12-5 HL) enters into its final series of the regular season this weekend as it welcomes Cleveland State (22-25, 7-10 HL) to Flames Field. The series opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. CT, with a doubleheader at noon on Saturday to close out competition. The Flames will also honor Erica Hampton, Amanda Mener, Paige Peterson and Eleni Polites for Senior Day on Saturday.

UIC is coming off a 3-2 loss to Northern Illinois on Wednesday after the game was called in the middle of the fifth inning due to rain. Laura Swan (2-for-2) and Tiana Mack-Miller (1-for-1) each went perfect at the plate and combined for three walks, as Savannah Soppet also added two of the Flames' seven hits.

Mack-Miller (.363), Polites (.349), Swan (.325), Peterson (.321) and Mener (.303) have made the top contributions to UIC's league-leading .299 batting average this season. Mack-Miller boasts 45 hits, 15 doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI, while she is hitting .426 with 23 hits in conference play alone. Her average of .36 doubles per game ranks 18th in the national standings.

Elaine Heflin and Bridget Boyle have controlled the circle for the Flames by producing records of 10-9 (9-2 HL) and 6-8 (3-3 HL), respectively. Heflin owns a 2.88 ERA, the third best in the Horizon League among those with 10 or more appearances, in 128.2 innings with 99 strikeouts, which ranks second in the conference. Boyle has gone 91 innings for a 4.69 ERA and possesses 47 strikeouts. The staff has combined to limit opponents to a .269 batting average while producing a 3.60 ERA.

Cleveland State heads to Chicago after falling in two games to Akron on Tuesday and splitting a doubleheader versus Detroit on Wednesday. With a 7-10 record in league play, the Vikings are currently tied with Youngstown State for fifth place.

The Cleveland State offense has six players hitting above .300 and are led by Cynthia Woodard (.438) and Erica McNew (.429). Woodard has been the powerhouse for the Vikings as she has produced the team's most hits (67), doubles (13), home runs (23) and RBI (49), while owning a slugging percentage of .974. She ranks fourth in the nation in home runs, second in home runs per game and sixth in slugging percentage.

Susan Knight (3.32 ERA) and Alex Radjen (4.80 ERA) have taken the most starts for Cleveland State, while Mackenzie Joecken has tabbed the best ERA at 3.25. With both throwing eight complete games, Knight is 10-11 on the year with 68 strikeouts and Radjen is 8-7 with 101 Ks in 102 innings.

In the all-time series, UIC is 43-23, with a 16-12 mark when the game is played at Flames Field. Last season, the Flames and Vikings competed just once, with UIC falling, 5-1, on the road.