CHICAGO – Four games in three days against two different opponents in two cities is the task facing UIC (15-19, 7-4 HL) this weekend when they battle Valparaiso (14-17, 7-4 HL) in a Friday afternoon doubleheader and then travel north to Milwaukee (15-16, 6-4 HL) for a Sunday twinbill.

UIC closes out their six-game homestand with a Friday afternoon doubleheader against Valparaiso beginning at 12:05 p.m. CST and will be televised on ESPN3. The Flames and Crusaders are currently tied for second place in the Horizon League with identical 7-4 records. Over the next seven days, the teams will meet five times with the series shifting to Valparaiso for a three-game set on April 29 – May 1.

On Sunday April 24 the Flames travel across the state line to Milwaukee for an afternoon doubleheader starting at noon CST. UIC seized two of three games in the series last weekend at Granderson Stadium taking the rubber match in dramatic fashion with a 6-5 comeback win. The Flames trailed 5-1 after seven innings before plating five runs in the eighth for the victory. The win also catapulted UIC into a tie for second place in the standings.

The Flames will send right-hander Connor Ryan (2-1, 2.35 ERA) to the mound in the first game on Friday and lefty Jake Dahlberg (4-6, 5.96 ERA) in the nightcap against Valparaiso. When the series moves to Milwaukee on Sunday, UIC trots out right-hander Ian Lewandowski (3-3, 4.45 ERA) in the opener with the second game starter yet to be determined.

Below are a few notes about UIC and the upcoming series:

HITTING VS PITCHING
UIC enters the series as the best hitting team in the Horizon League with a .306 average and will face the league's best pitching staff (Valparaiso, 2.65 ERA). UIC is tied for third with a 3.99 ERA, but leads the league in striking out opposing batters (95). The two teams rank 1-2 in multiple offensive categories: average (Valpo, 2nd), slugging (Valpo - 1st, UIC - 2nd), on-base percentage (UIC - 1st, Valpo - 2nd).

REACHING WITH REGULARITY
First baseman Ricardo Ramirez has reached safely in 27 of the last 29 con¬tests. He has recorded a hit in eight of the last nine games, going 12-34 (.353). Ramirez leads the Horizon League in RBI (33) and sac flies (six), is tied for lead in doubles (13) and ranks among HL leaders in several other offensive categories.

CROOKED NUMBERS
UIC has posted three runs or more in an inning 19 times this season. The Flames have pushed across at least seven runs in a single frame on six occasions through 34 games, most recently in the third inning (7) of an 11-2 win over North¬western on March 8. UIC tallied a season-high nine runs in the fourth inning of a 22-5 victory at Texas Southern on Feb. 20.

POWER OUTAGE
In their 15 wins this season the Flames are hitting .341 (174-484) and aver¬aging 9.7 runs per game (145 runs) compared to a .226 (145-642) average and 3.5 runs per game (66 runs) in 19 losses. On the mound UIC pitching staff owns a 2.49 ERA (37 ER/134.0 IP) in triumph and a 7.98 ERA (141 ER/159.0 IP) in defeat. For the season, the Flames are averaging 6.2 runs per game.

TALE OF TWO TEAMS
UIC won its first game (1-17) when trailing after sixth inning on April 17 vs. Milwaukee. The Flames are nearly unbeatable when they get off to a fast start and have the lead after three innings; conversely UIC is 5-12 when the opposition scores first and often struggle when having to play from behind (win-loss break-down per inning):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Leading 4-2 5-2 11-1 13-3 13-2 12-1 13-0 13-0
Trailing 3-10 2-14 0-12 1-13 2-16 1-17 1-17 0-17