CHICAGO -- UIC hits the home stretch of a lengthy 11-game homestand this weekend when the Oakland Golden Grizzlies visit Granderson Stadium for a three-game Horizon League series. The original schedule has shifted due to the weekend forecast and the teams will play a doubleheader Friday, March 23, beginning at 12:05 p.m. CT, before finishing the set on Sunday, March 25 at at 12:05 p.m.

UIC (13-5, 2-1 Horizon League) is one of three Horizon League teams that won two-of-three contests during the first weekend of conference play. The Flames came from behind to win in walk-off fashion against Northern Kentucky thanks to a Joshua Figueroa two-out single on March 17 before blanking the Norse in game one of a doubleheader on March 18, 5-0. NKU pushed across five runs in the top of the 10^th inning to take the night cap, 6-1.

Oakland (3-15, 1-2 Horizon League) fell short against Wright State in its first conference game last Saturday, 3-0. The Golden Grizzlies bounced back to win the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday, 6-5, before the Raiders took the series finale, 8-2. Oakland also had a game on Tuesday at Michigan and it fell to the Wolverines, 10-3.

ALEX'S ASSAULT

• UIC redshirt sophomore Alex Dee has been assaulting opponents over the past week. From March 14-18, he hit .462/.533/1.000 in three UIC wins.
• Dee launched a three-run home run and a grand slam to drive in seven runs against NIU on March 14. He also matched a career high with three hits .
• Named the Horizon League Batter of the Week Monday, Dee owns the team's longest active hitting (5) and on-base (9) streaks.
• A 2016 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and All-Horizon League Second Team honoree, Dee missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

SOUP'S ON

• Senior Ryan Campbell threw back-to-back complete games for the first time in program history at Georgia Tech (8.0 IP) and against Chicago State (9.0 IP).
• He is one of only two NCAA pitchers to toss at least two complete games this season. Kevin Stone, of Harvard, has three.
• Against Chicago State on March 10, 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 followed that with 16.1 consecutive scoreless innings.
• Campbell leads the Horizon League in innings pitched (37.2) and his ERA of 1.43 ranks 55^th in the entire NCAA.
• Last season, Campbell made 14 of his 16 appearances out of the bullpen for UIC.

BIRLINGMAIR BOUNCES BACK

• After issuing nine walks in 10.0 IP in starts at Georgia Tech and against Chicago State, junior Reid Birlingmair responded with arguably his best outing of the season against Northern Kentucky on March 18.
• The starter threw a season-high 7.1 scoreless innings against the Norse, while matching a season high with nine strikeouts. He scattered seven singles and issued only one free pass, which came in his final inning of work.
• Earlier this season, Birlingmair was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 26 after firing 7.0 scoreless IP with six Ks at UTRGV on Feb. 23. He surrendered only three hits in that start.
• A year ago he led the team in strikeouts (81) and ranked second in ERA (3.10). He made nine quality starts and his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.2 was best among UIC pitchers with at least 10 starts.
• The junior was an All-Horizon League selection both on the field and in the classroom last year. He was also named All-Horizon League Tournament.

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.
• He leads the Flames and is tied for 34th nationally with 11 appearances. Cerny owns a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 13.0 as he has issued only two free passes in 17.2 innings of work.
• He has a 0.51 ERA, which would rank eighth nationally with qualifying numbers (min. 1 IP per game played; Cerny is 0.1 IP shy).
• Cerny has made six consecutive scoreless appearances entering the weekend, stretching his last 9.1 innings of work. The only earned run he allowed this season came on Feb. 16 at New Orleans.

GOOSE EGGS

• UIC ranks 10th in the NCAA with three shutouts this season. The Flames blanked Southern in the season opener (Feb. 16), Chicago State (March 10) and Northern Kentucky (March 18-1). Ryan Campbell started the firts two contests, while Reid Birlingmair opened the NKU game.
• UCF currently leads the NCAA with seven clean sheets in 23 games.
• Only one other Horizon League team, Wright State, has at least one shutout in 2018.
• The Flames finished third in the country in 2017 behind Oregon State (14) and Long Beach State (12) with 11 shutouts.

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS (UIC vs. Oakland)

• Friday, March 23 (Game 1): RHP Ryan Campbell (3-1, 1.43 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Parr (0-4, 6.35 ERA)
• Friday, March 23 (Game 2): RHP Reid Birlingmair (3-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob Raymond (1-2, 8.03 ERA)
• Sunday, March 25: RHP Jacob Key (1-1, 2.61 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Lee (1-4, 9.82 ERA)

More notes, statistics and information for the weekend series can be found in the UIC Game Notes (PDF) linked in the blue box above.