CHICAGO – After winning the regular-season crown in three of the last four seasons, the UIC softball team (13-15) gets its Horizon League campaign underway this weekend when it hosts Cleveland State (2-25) for a three-game series at Flames Field. Due to rain forecasted to hit Chicago, a doubleheader will now be played Friday at 1 p.m. CT with a single game Saturday at noon.

In the Horizon League Preseason Poll, the Flames were selected to finish in first yet again after they received seven first-place votes, while the Vikings were chosen sixth. UIC set a program record last season for most conference wins with its 18-5 record.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames head into the weekend after falling short in their doubleheader at Illinois on Tuesday (March 21) as the Fighting Illini took both games in 7-3 and 7-5 finals.
 
UIC was able to put up 16 hits led by the effort of Kayla Wedl, Savannah Soppet and Alice Fitzpatrick with three apiece. Wedl and Soppet also picked up four of the team's nine RBI and scored a combined three runs. Karissa Frazier was the most effective for the Flames in the circle after coming on in relief and tossing four innings in game two with just two hits allowed.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
Leading up to conference play, UIC has grasped a .267 batting average which ranks second in the Horizon League behind Wright State and Valparaiso's tied .273. The Flames are on their own at the top of the conference in hits (192), triples (9), runs (105), RBI (87), walks (73) and stolen bases (29).
 
Lexi Watts (.409), Soppet (.295), Wedl (.284) and Tiana Mack-Miller (.265) hold the best averages for UIC as they all own over 20 hits, with a team-high 36 from Watts, who also leads the team in stolen bases with nine. Wedl has produced a team-best 10 extra-base hits with five doubles, four triples and one home run, as she also has the top mark of 13 RBI and 17 runs scored.
 
The Flames' team ERA of 2.97 leads the conference as they also own the lowest opposing batting average of .239 and most strikeouts with 118.
 
Frazier (2.24 ERA) has tallied the best ERA in 56.1 innings pitched as she has acquired a 4-6 record. Elaine Heflin (2.83 ERA) has thrown the most innings with 74.1 and has picked up more than half of the team's strikeouts with 67 en route to her 6-6 record. Allie Trudeau (3.21 ERA) has started two of the last four games and owns a 2-2 record while having thrown 32.2 frames.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State produced just two wins during the tournament season over Canisius and Indiana State for an overall record of 2-25, as it is coming off a most recent 0-5 turnout at the FGCU/Four Points Spring Break Classic (March 17-19). Last season, the Vikings went 21-32 with a 12-12 mark in conference to finish fifth in the regular-season standings.
 
Mackenzie Joecken (.327), Melissa Jacobsen (.288), Macy Kaisk (.264) and Mel Woodard (.222) are at the top of the Cleveland State offense that is collectively hitting .207 on the year. Jacobsen owns a team-high 23 hits while Kaisk has produced three of the team's eight home runs. Bringing in the runs for the Vikings has been Riley Ries (.132) with 10 RBI, followed by Joecken with nine, as Ries has also walked 15 times.
 
The pitching staff has allowed opponents to hit .337 while it owns a 5.59 ERA. Joecken (4.04 ERA) has thrown a team-high 62.1 innings and has 28 of Cleveland State's 60 strikeouts as she has also picked up both wins. Kloee Cuckler (5.58 ERA), Alicia Major (5.82 ERA), Krisitin Catalano (6.05 ERA) and Hanna Breeden (8.70 ERA) have all tossed upwards of 20 innings.

ALL-TIME SERIES
UIC is 48-25 in the all-time series with Cleveland State as it won last year's series, 2-1, and bested the Vikings in its first game of the Horizon League Championship.