CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (13-13) will play its final pair of games before its conference season begins as it heads down to Urbana, Ill., for a Tuesday doubleheader against Illinois (16-8). Action is set to get underway at 1 p.m. CT at Eichelberger Field.
 
The Flames had a 3-1 turnout this past weekend while competing at the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Ind. UIC took both of its games against Bowling Green, 9-1 (6) and 4-1, while it split with Indiana after taking an 11-9 (8) win and 4-0 loss.
 
Lexi Watts boasted a team-best .571 batting average off eight hits as she also scored four runs and swiped five bases to garner the distinction of Horizon League Player of the Week for the second time this season. Taylor Cairns hit her first-career grand slam to contribute to her five RBI, as Jennah Speth and Tiana Mack-Miller also brought in five runs apiece. Elaine Heflin, Karissa Frazier and Allie Trudeau each picked up a win in the circle and Lindsay Melson garnered a save as the staff struck out 24 and held opponents to a .274 batting average.
 
Watts (.427) leads the effort of the offense that is hitting .266 this season as she owns 36 hits, followed by Savannah Soppet (.282), Mack-Miller (.273) and Kayla Wedl (.272), who have combined for 63 hits. Mack-Miller, Wedl and Cairns (.269) have made a difference in bringing runs in as the each hold 11 RBI. The Flames have been productive on the base paths with 28 stolen bases so far and a team-high eight each for Watts and Cairns.
 
Frazier (2.27 ERA), Heflin (2.42 ERA) and Trudeau (3.25 ERA) have thrown all but 14.2 innings this season as the team as a whole has held foes to a .236 batting average and struck out 111. Heflin has a team-best six wins, 66 strikeouts and eight complete games as Frazier (4), Trudeau (2) and Speth (1) have also ended up in the win column.
 
Illinois opens its home slate after going 4-1 at the Clearwater Spring Break Classic last weekend with wins over LIU-Brooklyn, Chattanooga, USF and Bethune Cookman. UIC is 2-5 in the all-time series after the Fighting Illini won the last meeting in 2014. Tuesday will be the first time the Flames visit Urbana since 2007.
 
Six players are hitting above .300 for Illinois with Annie Fleming (.415), Nicole Evans (.400) and Kiana Sherlund (.361) having the most impact on the team's .324 batting average. The trio each owns more than 30 hits and collectively have 25 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 63 RBI.
 
Taylor Edwards (2.19 ERA) and Breanna Wonderly (3.00 ERA) have split all but one start as Edwards owns a team-high eight wins and Wonderly has thrown nine complete games. The pitching staff has produced 68 strikeouts on the year while opponents are hitting .257.