CHICAGO -- UIC will open the 2018 season at long last when it participates in the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans, La., Feb. 16-18. The Flames are scheduled to play four games against three different teams at the event.

The Flames, which participated in an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in program history in 2017, will begin this year with a split doubleheader on Friday. UIC will open the season against Southern University at 12 p.m. on Friday before battling New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. The Flames will rematch with Southern on Saturday in a game that will be televised live on MLB Network at 2 p.m. The weekend closes on Sunday with a meeting against Prairie View A&M at 12 p.m.

More news and notes about UIC ahead of the #AndreDawsonClassic can be found below:

PADILLA PICKS UP HONORS

• UIC redshirt junior Alex Padilla has earned a pair of preseason recognitions from the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)
• The closer was named to the NCBWA preseason All-America Third Team, and to the Stopper of the Year watch list.
• The Chicagoan boasted a 0.45 ERA and 10 saves a year ago. He did not allow a run in Horizon League play and finished the season with a streak of 24.2 scoreless innings over 18 appearances.
• Padilla made a team-high 28 appearances, five more than any teammate, and did not allow a run after March 5 at Missouri.

BACK IN THE LINEUP

• UIC returns three mainstays from last year's championship team to its batting order in 2018. Right fielder Scott Ota, third baseman Thomas Norton and designated hitter Bowen Ogata combined to appear in 158 games last year while making 154 starts.
• Ota made 55 starts for the Flames and appeared in all 56 games. He drove in 42 runs as a sophomore, which ranked third on the team. He had 19 extra-base hits, including a team-high three triples.
• Norton batted a team-high .429 at the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional against Southern Miss and Mississippi State. He hit his first career triple against USM and added a double against MSU.
• Ogata collected 20 RBI in 2017. He clubbed two home runs, both of which came on the road against SEC foes No. 7 Vanderbilt (Feb. 26) and Missouri (March 5).

BACK ON THE BUMP

• UIC graduated two-thirds of its weekend pitching rotation, but returns All-Horizon League hurler Reid Birlingmair. After primarily throwing on Saturday in 2017, the junior is slated to take the ball on Friday nights this season. He ranked second on the team and third in the Horizon League with a 3.10 ERA, while putting together nine quality starts in 15 outings.
• Jacob Key pitched primarily in midweek games as a freshman in 2017, registering a 6-0 record and 2.44 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts). Key is poised to make the leap to the weekend for the Flames.
• One of UIC's three seniors, Ryan Campbell, will move from the bullpen to the rotation. During his first season in a Flames uniform, Campbell appeared in 16 games with a pair of starts. He surrendered only five extra-base hits and punched out 17 hitters in 24.0 innings of work.

BULLPEN BOYS

• UIC returns the majority of its key contributors in the bullpen. Closer Alex Padilla is back in the mix, as are veterans Noah Masa and Charlie Cerny. Padilla made a team-high 28 appearances and made 10 saves, while Cerny (23) and Masa (18) combined for 41 appearances.
•  Opponents batted .163 against Masa, the lowest mark of anyone on the team with minimum 20.0 IP.
• Two notable departures - Connor Ryan and Mitchell Schulewitz - began careers with Major League clubs over the summer. Ryan was drafted in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and Schulewitz signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals.

DEFENSIVE DANDIES

• UIC not only led the Horizon League, but the entire NCAA lead with a fielding percentage of .984 last season, just ahead of Michigan (.983).
• UIC's 35 errors were tied for the fewest in the country in 2017. Stony Brook had 35 errors and ranked seventh in fielding percentage (.981).
• 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.
• Junior outfielder Scott Ota boasted the Horizon League's only spotless fielding percentage among qualifiers as a sophomore. He added four assists from his post in right field. Former UIC first baseman Ricardo Ramirez was third in the League at .996.

BEST OF THE BEST

• The 2017 Flames (39-17) became the fastest team in program history to reach 30 wins with a 1-0 walk-off win over Georgia Tech at home on April 28.
• Last season's squad 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.
• Before last 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 ranked second in the NCAA with an earned-run average of 2.65 in 2017, behind only Oregon State (1.93). It was the best ERA in UIC program history.
• The lowest single-season ERA in UIC program history prior to 2017 belonged to the 2003 staff, which finished that year with a mark of 3.19.
• The team's WHIP (1.11) & hits allowed/9IP (7.0) were also second only to Oregon State (0.98; 6.27).
• UIC pitched 11 shutouts, ranking third in the NCAA behind Oregon State (14) and Long Beach State (12).

PERFECT TEN

• Ten members of the UIC baseball program were honored when the Horizon League announced its 2017 postseason award winners. 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.
• 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 a member of the New York Yankees organization and was invited to big leage camp in Tampa, Fla.
• Dee won the conference's Coach of the Year Award for the 10th 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.
• Jacob Key rounded out the list of UIC honorees as the starting pitcher claimed a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

MAKE SPACE IN THE TROPHY CASE

• UIC secured its 12^th Horizon League regular-season title at Wright State on May 20, 2017. After entering the series with a two-game lead, but dropping the first two games by a combined three runs, the Flames came from behind to win the regular-season finale, 5-2.
• Since 1996, UIC owns 12 Horizon League crowns, most of any program in conference history. Wright State is second on the list with five, while Milwaukee and former League member Butler have claimed three apiece.

WE ARE FAMILY

• UIC has a set of brothers in its 2018 roster in redshirt sophomore Alex Dee and freshman Sean Dee.
• Older brother Alex was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2016 at UIC, but he missed the entire 2017 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• Alex and Sean, who hail from Onalaska, Wis., are the nephews of UIC head coach Mike Dee.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

• The Flames had six players selected in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft in June. That was the most in program history, and the most from any Horizon League squad in a single season.
• Two UIC standouts were taken on the second day. Connor Ryan was the first Flame off the board, going to Cincinnati in the eighth round. In the 10^th round the San Francisco Giants chose catcher, and Horizon League Player of the Year, Rob Calabrese.
• On the final day of the draft, Mickey McDonald (Oakland, 18^th round), David Cronin (Chicago White Sox, 20^th round), Jake Dahlberg (St. Louis, 21^st round) and Cody Bohanek (Houston, 30^th round) were chosen to join the professional ranks.
• Mitchell Schulewitz inked a contract with the Kansas City Royals, while two others, Ricardo Ramirez (Traverse City Beach Bums) and Jack Andersen (Windy City Thunderbolts) joined independent clubs.

SEASON PREVIEW WITH COACH DEE