CHICAGO – The reigning Horizon League champion UIC Flames (11-10) will begin their run to another title this weekend when they open up their conference season with a three-game series at Detroit Mercy (5-15). Game one is set for Friday at 2 p.m. CT with a doubleheader to follow Saturday at 11 a.m. at Buysse Ballpark.
 
UIC was selected as the preseason favorite to win the regular season for the fourth season in a row. The Flames took all nine of the first-place votes for a total of 81 points. In 2017, they posted a program-record for most league wins with a 20-4 record.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UIC looks to bounce back after suffering a pair of losses, 6-4 and 16-5 (5), Tuesday (March 20) to Illinois. The Flames were outhit, 24-10, as the Fighting Illini had seven of their hits come as home runs. Alyssa Griman paced the team with three hits, including her second homer of the year, and added two RBI while Tiana Mack-Miller batted in a team-best four.
 
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
The Flames head into the weekend having produced a .229 batting average in non-conference play with 124 hits (17 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR), 71 runs and 60 RBI. The team has additionally swiped a league-leading 48 bases to average 2.29 steals per game, which ranks ninth in the nation.
 
Lexi Watts has consistently sat at the top of the offensive production with her .391 average and team-leading 27 hits to rank fourth and second, respectively, among Horizon League players. Taylor Cairns is the only other player to hit above .300 with a .305 mark and follows in hits with 18. Of the runs scored, Griman and Skylee James each own a team-best 10 RBI. Watts additionally tops the stolen bases category with 17 as her 0.81 average places her 12th in the nation.
 
The UIC pitching staff controls the top earned-run average in the conference with a 3.00 mark. Allie Trudeau (2.25 ERA) and Karissa Frazier (4.11 ERA) have each earned eight starts and make up nine wins while combining for 73 of the team's 87 strikeouts. Marley Hanlon (2.28 ERA) has made nine appearances with four starts while Jennah Speth (4.04 ERA) has tossed 8.2 frames. The group has also held opponents to a .244 batting average which is the lowest in the league.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy picked up five wins during the tournament season against Morgan State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, UMass Lowell and Seton Hall, and is coming off its most recent 2-2 turnout at the Fordham Tournament to contribute toward its 5-15 overall record. Last season, the Titans went 18-34 and 12-10 in conference play for a fifth-place finish and were one win away for meeting with the Flames in the title game of the Horizon League Tournament.
 
Savvy Ferstle (.367), Jordan Manno (.328), Kori Keyes (.308) and Elizabeth Yager (.308) have had the top bats this season for UDM while Manno leads the group with a team-high 22 hits and 12 RBI, followed by Ferstle with 18 and 10, respectively. The Titans have secured the second-most stolen bases in the league with 32 made up by 10 players and a team-best seven from Sydney Pollock (.211).
 
UDM has allowed the most runs in the Horizon League with 152 as its pitchers carry a 6.34 ERA with opponents hitting .332. Ashley Mauser (4.02 ERA) and Liz Murphy (6.66 ERA) have thrown the most innings after splitting all but three starts and make up 53 of the team's 67 strikeouts.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Flames boast a dominating 64-6 record in the all-time series with the Titans after winning the series, 2-1, last season at home. This weekend will be the first time UIC has played at Buysse Ballpark since 2015, when it took a 3-0 series sweep.