CHICAGO -- UIC returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 on Friday afternoon when the Flames square off against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the first game of the Hattiesburg Regional at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

The Flames (39-15, 22-8 Horizon League) earned their way into the field of 64 by winning the Horizon League Tournament last weekend. UIC blanked 5^th-seeded Oakland, 8-0, in the opener before knocking off No. 2 Wright State in back-to-back contests on May 26 and 27. The Flames and Raiders met seven times over a 15-day span beginning on May 13 and UIC won five of those matchups, including the two in the conference tournament.

Regional host Southern Miss (48-14, 25-5 Conference USA) is ranked 11^th in the country according to D1Baseball.com. The Golden Eagles are hosting an NCAA regional for the first time since 2003.

Mississippi State (36-24) and South Alabama (39-19) are also being sent to Hattiesburg along with the Flames. The Bulldogs and Jaguars will square off at 6 p.m. on Friday evening. The two winning teams from Friday's games will meet on Saturday at 6 p.m. The two losing teams will play an elimination game earlier in the day at 1 p.m.

The Flames are participating in a regional for the fifth time under head coach Mike Dee. UIC has gone 1-2 in each of its last two appearances. At the 2008 College Station Regional, the Flames lost their opener to host Texas A&M before rebounding to defeat Dallas Baptist the next day, 9-5. UIC was eliminated by the Houston Cougars in a game that featured 25 runs scored between the two teams.

In 2007, the Flames were sent to Long Beach, Calif., and they responded by topping the hosts from Long Beach State in the opener, 4-1. The Flames dropped a game to UCLA by the score of 3-1 before being edged by Long Beach State, 4-3.

BEST OF THE BEST

• The 2017 Flames (39-15) became the fastest team in program history to reach 30 wins with a 1-0 walk-off win over Georgia Tech on April 28.
• This team beat the old record by one game, as the 2002 squad won for the 30^th time in its 41^st game.
• The 2002, 2003 and 2017 teams share the current program record for wins in a season with 39.
• UIC has now won at least 30 games a total of 13 times in program history and 10 times under head coach Mike Dee, including this campaign.
• Before this season, the program last won at least 30 games in 2008 (35). That season was the last in a streak of eight consecutive seasons with at least 32 victories.

PITCHING PROWESS

• The Flames rank second in the NCAA with an earned-run average of 2.57 through May 28, behind only No. 1 Oregon State (1.84).
• The lowest single-season ERA in UIC program history belongs to the 2003 staff, which finished that year with a mark of 3.19.
• The team's WHIP (1.08) & hits allowed/9IP (6.85) are second only to Oregon State (0.98; 6.32).
• UIC has pitched 11 shutouts, one behind Oregon State for the lead in the NCAA.
• The Flames own three of the top six qualifying ERA's in the Horizon League.
• Jake Dahlberg is first (2.09), Reid Birlingmair is third (2.75), and Jack Andersen is sixth (3.30).
• UIC's fourth starter, freshman Jacob Key, owns a 2.44 ERA in 51.2 IP (12 appearances/10 starts).
• Reliever Alex Padilla boasts a 0.49 ERA (2 ER/37.0 IP) and a team-high 10 saves out of the bullpen.
• The Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year did not allow a run in 15 Horizon League outings with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 22.1 IP.

DEFENSIVE DANDIES

• UIC not only leads the Horizon League, but the entire NCAA lead with a fielding percentage of .985 through May 28, just ahead of Texas and Michigan (.983).
• UIC's 31 errors are the fewest in the country in 2017, four less than Stony Brook.
• The Flames boasted a fielding percentage of .986 through 30 Horizon League games. They were charged with 16 errors (0.53 per game) vs. conference foes.
• Second baseman David Cronin leads the Horizon League in assists with 179, while shortstop Cody Bohanek ranks second with 176. The next closest player, Wright State's Matt Morrow, owns 154.
• Outfielder Scott Ota boasts the Horizon League's only spotless fielding percentage among qualifiers. He has added four assists from his post in right field. UIC first baseman Ricardo Ramirez is third in the League at .996.

DAHLBERG KEEPS DEALING

• Senior Jake Dahlberg set a career high with his 10th win of the season against Oakland on May 25. It was his 24th victory in a UIC uniform, which ranks tied for third on the program's all-time list with both Ryan Zink and Ryan Gehring.
• He ranks prominently among the national leaders in several statistical categories including: hits allowed per 9 IP (4th; 5.0), victories (6th; 10), and WHIP (7th; 0.85).
• Opponents are hitting .164 against Dahlberg in 15 starts and he is the only Horizon League pitcher with a mark below .200 (teammate Reid Birlingmair ranks second at .212).
• The left-hander leads UIC with 75 strikeouts and he became the fifth pitcher in program history to reach 200 for his career on May 13 against Wright State. He fanned four last time out to move to second on the all-time list with 209.

CALABRESE KEEPS CRUSHING

• Junior Rob Calabrese hit safely in a career-high 16 games before the streak came to an end in game two of a doubleheader at Valpo on May 14. Calabrese slashed .475/.521/.729 during the stretch with 28 hits, 12 doubles, a home run, 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.
• The catcher reached base safely in 42 consecutive games before that streak concluded on May 14 against the Crusaders. That was the longest streak for any UIC player since Justin Johnson's 39 in a row to conclude the 2006 season.
• The Horizon League Player of the Year batted .383 in conference games. He had 15 doubles in HL games to lead all players and 44 hits to rank tied for second.
• The Staten Island, N.Y., native leads the Horizon League and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 23 doubles. He leads UIC and ranks tied for fourth in the conference with 48 RBI in all games.

PERFECT TEN

• Ten members of the UIC baseball program were honored when the Horizon League announced its 2017 postseason award winners on May 23. That matches the 2003 squad for the most postseason honorees in program history.
• For the first time ever, UIC boasted the Player of the Year (Rob Calabrese), Pitcher of the Year (Jake Dahlberg), Relief Pitcher of the Year (Alex Padilla) and Coach of the Year (Mike Dee) in the same season.
• Calabrese is the fourth Flame in program history to earn Player of the Year plaudits, joining Curtis Granderson (2002), Chuck Peters (2003) and former teammate Jeff Boehm (2015).
• Dahlberg claimed the Pitcher of the Year award for the second time in three years, becoming the first player in Horizon League history to win that award multiple times. He is only the third player, at any position, to win two Horizon League specialty awards. Jeff Beasley of Butler was named the Player of the Year in 1996 and 1998, while Wright State's Andrew Elliott was the League's Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
• Padilla becomes the second different UIC reliever to be named the Relief Pitcher of the Year in as many seasons. Trevor Lane, who claimed the recognition in 2016, is currently pitching for the Charleston RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
• Dee won the conference's Coach of the Year Award for the 10^th time in 19 seasons. He also won the award eight times between 1999-2008, and most recently in 2015.
• Calabrese (C), Dahlberg (SP) and Padilla (RP) were named to the All-Horizon League First Team, as was shortstop Cody Bohanek.
• UIC placed a League-high four players on the All-Horizon League Second Team, as well. Second baseman David Cronin, center fielder Mickey McDonald and starting pitchers Jack Andersen and Reid Birlingmair each earned nods.
• Newcomer Jacob Key rounds out the list of UIC honorees as the starting pitcher claimed a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

KINGS OF THE CLASSROOM

• For the third consecutive semester, UIC's baseball program registered a team grade-point average above 3.0.
• The Flames posted a mark of 3.21 during the season this spring after earning a mark of 3.13 in the fall.
• Seven members of the program tallied a spotless 4.0 GPA this spring.
• Four members of the squad were named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team. Senior Mitchell Schulewitz was honored for the first time, as were sophomores Reid Birlingmair and Charlie Cerny. Senior Ricardo Ramirez was named to the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive season.

HAVE GLOVE, WILL TRAVEL

• Redshirt junior Mickey McDonald has started all 54 games in center field for the Flames.
• From 2014-15, McDonald was an All-Horizon League third baseman, earning First Team honors as a sophomore in 2015 after collecting a Second Team nod as a freshman in 2014.
• The San Mateo, Calif., native missed the entire 2016 season and received a medical redshirt before switching positions.
• Despite having no experience there, McDonald earned All-Horizon League Second Team honors in the outfield this season. He batted .324 in conference play with nine extra-base hits, 12 stolen bases and 12 RBI.

INKED IN THE LINEUP

• Five Flames have been in the starting lineup for each of UIC's 54 games, while a sixth has played in every game and started all but one.
• Cody Bohanek and David Cronin have started every game at shortstop and second base, respectively, while Mickey McDonald has opened each contest in center field.
• Ricardo Ramirez has 53 starts at first base and one as the designated hitter, while the durable Rob Calabrese has 50 starts behind the plate and four as the DH.
• Scott Ota has started 53 games in right field and appeared in all 54.
• Of UIC's nine projected starters in the lineup, none has fewer than 46 starts this year.
• On the mound UIC has utilized five starting pitchers to open its 54 games. Jake Dahlberg owns a team-high 15 starts, just ahead of Reid Birlingmair (14) and Jack Andersen (13). Jacob Key has made 10 starts, while Ryan Campbell has made a pair.

COACH DEE'S PRESS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS