CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (10-4) will look to extend its six-game winning streak this weekend, as it travels to Indiana for its final tournament of the season. The Flames will open the Hoosier Classic on Friday, March 16 against Northern Illinois at 9 a.m. CT before facing host Indiana at 2 p.m. Saturday has UIC against Big Ten-foe Northwestern at 9 a.m. and Northern Illinois at 11:30 a.m. The Flames will close the tournament with a rematch against the host on Sunday, March 18 at 10 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC had a sweeping performance last weekend at the Racer Classic, winning all five of its games, three of which were shutouts. The offense combined for 26 hits over the course of five games while earning 13 walks and stealing a tournament-high 15 bases.

Tiana Mack-Miller paced the Flames with a 5-for-12 performance, with three walks and three runs scored. Lexi Watts continued her solid offensive output, providing five hits and a team-high six stolen bases. The pitching staff held batters to a .190 batting average, and combined for 23 strikeouts and a 0.41 earned-run average. Allie Trudeau carried the bulk of the time on the mound, pitching 14.1 innings with a 0.49 ERA and 12 strikeouts, and was crowned Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for her performance.  

WATTS PROVIDES OFFENSIVE POWER
Watts has been a force at the plate this season, leading the Flames with a .444 batting average and .500 on-base percentage. The junior is 11th in the nation in stolen bases with 12, and also leads the squad in hits (20) and runs scored (11.)

As a team, UIC is hitting .232 with 83 hits, out-scoring opponents 49-27. Including Watts (20), the Flames have four players with double-digit hit outputs in Taylor Cairns (12), Tiana Mack-Miller (10) and Skylee James (10). Claire Crane is just one hit shy of double digits with nine hits, and leads UIC alongside James with seven runs batted in apiece.

PITCHING PROWESS
UIC's pitching staff made up of Marley Hanlon (1.29 ERA), Karissa Frazier (1.75 ERA) and Trudeau (1.93 ERA) has been nothing short of impressive so far this season. The trio is 23rd in the nation with a combined ERA of 1.62, while also owning the three lowest earned run averages in the Horizon League. Frazier leads the staff with a .193 opponent batting average, followed by Trudeau (.217) and Hanlon (.224).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Northern Illinois (5-17): The Huskies battled with Louisville Wednesday (March 14) afternoon, and were dealt a 9-4 loss. NIU scored four in the top of the third, but were unable to hold off the Cardinals, who put in three in the bottom half of the third and tacked on another five in the sixth for the win. Jenny Van Geerty and Kayla Scaperrota each own a .400 batting average to carry the offense, and collectively own 48 hits thus far. The Huskies are batting .265 as a squad, with 69 runs scored off 154 hits. The pitching staff has a combined earned run average of 5.06, and is led by Alex Frenz's 4.33 ERA through 42.0 innings pitched. Tara Thacker has seen the most action with 59.0 innings pitched, and has held batters to a .296 average.

Indiana (4-19): Indiana also had a mid-week matchup, as it faced No. 24 Kentucky on Wednesday and took a 15-2 (5) loss. Kentucky outhit the Hoosiers 11-5, and capitalized on nine walks to earn the run-rule victory. Indiana is hitting .221 as a team, with Gabbi Jenkins leading the pack in both batting average (.324) and hits (24). Rebecca Blitz has also surpassed the 20 hit mark with 21 hits, all of which have been singles. On the mound, Emily Goodin and Tara Trainer see the most action, combining for 101.2 of Indiana's 146.0 innings. Goodin owns a 2.93 earned run average, and has kept batters to a .206 average, while Trainer has an ERA of 4.02 and has a .213 opponent batting average.   

Northwestern (15-8): The Wildcats are on a six-game winning streak themselves, after clearing all four opponents at the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic last week. Northwestern took down Iowa State 1-0, and run ruled Penn State 13-0 (6) the first day of the tournament. The next day the Wildcats defeated Penn State again, 6-4, before besting host Houston, 5-4. Northwestern completed the sweep with an 11-3 domination of Lipscomb on Sunday. The Wildcat offense has two players with 20 plus hits in Sabrina Robin (31) and Rachel Lewis (23). They own batting averages of .369 and .338, respectively, and combine for 35 of the team's 99 runs batted in. Kenna Wilkey and Morgan Newport see the most time on the mound, with Newport owning a 2.43 earned run average to Wilkey's 2.84. The five-member Wildcat pitching staff holds opponents to a .236 average and has a combined ERA of 3.13.

ALL-TIME SERIES (LAST MEETING)
vs. Northern Illinois: 29-25 (March 4, 2017, L, 6-1)
vs. Indiana: 8-15 (March 19, 2017, W, 11-8 (8))
vs. Northwestern: 10-31 (March 29, 2017, L, 10-4)

LOOKING AHEAD
The Flames will make a trip down to Champaign, Ill. on Tuesday, March 20 for a double-header against Illinois. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT.