CHICAGO -- UIC will put a bow on its longest homestand of the season, an 11-game set, on Tuesday, March 27, when the Flames host the Northern Illinois Huskies inside Granderson Stadium at 4:05 p.m. CT.

The Flames (15-6, 4-2 Horizon League) also welcomed the Huskies (6-16, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) back on March 14. NIU scored the game's first run in the top of the first, but UIC bounced back with five runs in the bottom half and never looked back. Alex Dee hit a three-run home run and a grand slam, while Joshua Figueroa and Dominic Smith also went deep to help the home team cruise to an 18-3 victory. Figueroa and Ryan Lin-Peistrup each tallied a career-high four hits against NIU.

Smith is the reigning Horizon League Batter of the Week. The outfielder hit .444 and drove in six runs to help UIC win its second consecutive conference series, taking two-of-three from Oakland, March 23-25. Smith is the sixth different UIC player to earn one of eight weekly recognitions from the League in six weeks this season. Between Ryan Campbell, Reid Birlingmair and Charlie Cerny, the Flames had the Pitcher of the Week in each of the season's first four weeks.  Scott Ota has twice been named Batter of the Week (Feb. 19 and March 5) and Dee was recognized last Monday.

UIC will send left-hander Braden Toikka to the mound Tuesday. The junior opposed NIU in the first meeting and pitched 4.0 innings, while allowing just one run on two hits. He struck out five Huskies. On the season, Toikka is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA in two starts and four appearances. His last outing came when he closed out the second game of a doubleheader sweep over Oakland in an 8-1 win on March 23.

The Huskies enter the contest hitting .231 as a team through 22 games. Brad Wood, who is one of three players to start all 22 games, has driven in a team-best 13 RBI. He is batting .291 with five extra-base hits and a team-high 15 runs scored. Right-hander Blake Walker will take the ball to start the game for NIU. He's making his second start and fifth appearance of the season. Walker boasts a 1.50 ERA in 6.0 IP with nine strikeouts and seven walks. He was not one of the eight pitchers used by NIU in the meeting on March 14.

After Tuesday the Flames will be on the road for their next four contests. UIC will have its first Horizon League road series at Youngstown State on March 29-31 before returning closer to home to play at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Tuesday, April 3.