CHICAGO -- After opening the 2018 season with three wins in four games at the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans, UIC will continue its swing through the south when it visits the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in Edinburg, Texas, for a three-game series, Feb. 23-25.

The set opens under the lights at UTRGV Baseball Stadium on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. CT, and continues with matinee affairs on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.

The Flames (3-1) are 3-1 on the young season with lone loss coming in extra innings on opening night at New Orleans. The squad was facing a three-run deficit in its next game on Saturday, Feb. 17 against Southern, but UIC rallied for eight runs in the top of the ninth to come back and snag a victory in a game that was televised nationally on MLB Network.

UTRGV, which has played all home games so far, won its first four games of the season before falling to UT-Corups Christi on Tuesday night. The squad is batting .298 as a team entering the weekend with three regulars - Elijah Alexander, Aaron Dees and Tyler Torres - all batting .400 or better. That trio has combined to hit four home runs and drive in 16 of the team's 34 runs on the year.

More news and notes about UIC ahead of the weekend series can be found below:

SERIES PROBABLES (UIC vs. UTRGV)
Friday, Feb. 23: RHP Reid Birlingmair (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Carter Johnson (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
Saturday, Feb. 24: RHP Ryan Campbell (1-0. 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jorge Flores (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday, Feb. 25: RHP Jacob Key (0-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Adams (1-0, 5.14 ERA)

FLAMES SWEEP HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS

• UIC's Ryan Campbell and Scott Ota were named the Horizon League Pitcher and Batter of the Week, respectively, on Monday, Feb. 19.
• Campbell threw a career-high 7.0 shutout innings on Feb. 16 against Southern. He struck out five and did not walk a batter as he picked up his second victory in a UIC uniform.
• Ota batted .429 with 12 total bases, five RBI and five scored on the weekend. His two-run single in the top of the ninth against Southern on Feb. 17 broke a 4-4 tie and was one of many highlights in an eight-run inning for UIC.
• It was third weekly award of Ota's career and the first for Campbell.

PADILLA PICKS UP PRESEASON AWARDS

• 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.
• He struck out the side, preserved a shutout and earned his first save of the season on Feb. 16 vs. Southern

FIGUEROA FINDS SOME POP

• UIC redshirt freshman Joshua Figueroa made an instant impact in his first collegiate action last weekend.
• In only three games, the Chicagoan batted .417 and slugged .833 at the Andre Dawson Classic with two doubles, his first career home run and five RBI.
• Figueroa made his UIC debut behind the plate at New Orelans on Feb. 16 and served as the designated hitter against Southern and Prairie View A&M over the next two games.

MASHERS IN THE MIDDLE

• UIC's Scott Ota, Bowen Ogata, Aaron Ackerman and Joshua Figueroa proved to be a nightmare for opposing staffs at the Andre Dawson Classic
• The quartet combined to bat .421 with 12 extra-base hits and 20 of the team's 25 RBI on the weekend.
• Ogata leads the clb with seven hits, three of which went for doubles.
• Ackerman batted .429 to match Ota for team-high honors, while also drawing four walks to get on base at a clip of .556.

STRONG STARTS

• UIC's first three starting pitchers - Ryan Campbell, Reid Birlingmair and Jacob Key - set the tone on the bump for the Flames last weekend.
• The trio combined to strike out 23 batters, while walking only three over the first three games of the Andre Dawson Classic. Birlingmair and Key both fanned nine, which was career high for the latter.
• The opposition batted only .136 in 7.0 innings against Campbell and .190 in 7.1 IP from Key. Both pitchers had the longest starts of their career.

FREDDY FEELS FINE

• After missing the entire 2017 season following Tommy John surgery, UIC's Joey Fredrickson debuted out of the bullpen in 2018 at the Andre Dawson Classic.
• Fredrickson picked two wins in relief and posted a 2.45 ERA over 3.2 IP in his first stints as a Flame.

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 in 2017 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.