SCHEDULE UPDATE - Friday, March 16 at 9:20 a.m.
UIC head coach Mike Dee announced a schedule change for the series. Friday's game has been postponed due to the wind chill in Chicago. The Flames and Norse will begin the series on Saturday, March 17 at 1:05 p.m. CT and conclude it with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 18. The first pitch of game one on Sunday is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

---

CHICAGO -- UIC continues its longest homestand of the season, a 12-game stint at Granderson Stadium, and begins Horizon League play on Saturday, March 17, when the Flames square off against the Northern Kentucky Norse in the first game of a three-game set at 1:05 p.m. CT. The teams will also play a doubleheader on Sunday, March 18 at noon.

After winning the regular season and Horizon League tournament titles in 2017, the Flames (11-4) begin the 2018 conference slate with the most wins among the League's six teams. UIC enters the weekend having won five consecutive games overall and five straight at home. Last time out, against Northern Illinois (March 14), head coach Mike Dee's squad erupted for season highs in runs (18), hits (22), doubles (5) and home runs (4).

Northern Kentucky comes to Chicago with a record of 3-12 on the season. The Norse are hitting .248 as a team with a conference-high 15 home runs in 15 games. On the mound, NKU has an 8.54 ERA and opponents are hitting .316 against the staff this spring. The team has dropped three straight decisions entering Friday's meeting.

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT

• UIC exploded for a season-high 18 runs on Wednesday against NIU. It was the highest output since scoring 23 at Youngstown State on April 21, 2017.
• The home team also tallied season highs in hits (22), doubles (5) and home runs (4) against the Huskies.
• Joshua Figueroa and Ryan Lin-Peistrup each had a career-high four hits and three RBI for the Flames. Figueroa hit one of four home runs.
• First baseman Alex Dee launched a three-run home run and a grand slam to drive in seven runs against NIU.
• UIC is averaging 6.3 runs per game and has eclipsed double digits four times. The Flames lead the Horizon League in batting average (.290), slugging percentage (.426) and total bases (216).

SOUP'S ON

• Senior Ryan Campbell has thrown back-to-back complete games for the first time in program history. He is one of only two NCAA pitchers to toss two complete games this season (Kevin Stone, Harvard).
• Last time out against Chicago State, the Carmel, Ind., native earned his first career shutout in a performance that earned his second Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.
• Campbell began the season by throwing 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings. He allowed three runs in the fourth inning of his third start at Georgia Tech and has added 13.2 consecutive scoreless inning since.
• Campbell leads the Horizon League in innings pitched and his ERA of 0.87 ranks 35th in NCAA.
• Last season, he made 14 of 16 appearances out of the bullpen for UIC.

TOUGH OTA

• UIC junior Scott Ota is one of the toughest outs in the Flames' lineup. He's hitting .424/.471/.644 and ranks as the 17^th toughest hitter to strikeout nationally, fanning only once every 19.7 plate appearances.
• In addition to batting average, he leads the League in hits (25) and RBI (16).
• Ota leads UIC in multi-hit (9) and multi-RBI (7) games.
• The Foster City, Calif., native was named Horizon League Batter of the Week two of the first three times the award was given out this season (Feb. 19; March 5).

CHUCKING IT

• UIC junior Charlie Cerny was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on March 5. He allowed one hit over 4.0 IP through two scoreless appearances, both in games won by the Flames,  against Roosevelt and Georgia Tech.
• The junior ranks 25^th in the NCAA with 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings and he is one of only six qualifying pitchers nationwide who has not surrendered a walk this season.
• He leads the Flames and is tied for 36^th nationally with nine appearances, while striking out 23 hitters in 15.0 IP without issuing a base on balls.
• He has a 0.60 ERA, which ranks 21^st nationally, allowing only one earned run to date (Feb. 16 at New Orleans).

MARCHING TO A MILESTONE

• UIC head coach Mike Dee, who is in his 20^th season, enters the weekend needing two wins to reach 600 in his career.
• The 10-time Horizon League Coach of the Year has led the Flames to the NCAA Regional round five times, most recently in 2017. He has helped the squad win 39 games three times, also most recently last season.
• Here is a list of Dee's other milestone victories at UIC:

    100 - March 24, 2002 vs. Ohio State (3-2)
    200 - March 18, 2005 vs. Iowa (2-1 [10])
    300 - May 19, 2007 vs. Wright State (14-5)
    400 - March 25, 2011 vs. Cleveland State (13-1)
    500 - March 20, 2015 vs. Oakland (11-10 [10])

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (UIC vs. NKU)
Game One: RHP Ryan Campbell (3-1, 0.87 ERA) vs. RHP Cameron Ross (0-2, 4.22 ERA)
Game Two: RHP Reid Birlingmair (2-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. LHP Sam Williams (1-1, 7.62 ERA)
Game Three: RHP Jacob Key (1-1, 2.88 ERA) vs. RHP Brody Basilone (1-1, 3.86 ERA)

More statistics, news and information can be found in the Series Notes PDF linked above.