CHICAGO – After nearly two weeks away, UIC (5-4) will return to the diamond this weekend as it is set to compete in the Racer Classic in Murray, Ky. The Flames open competition at Racer Field on Friday against Rhode Island at 9 a.m. CT and Evansville at 11:30 a.m. Play continues Saturday with Kent State at 9 a.m. and Murray State at 2 p.m. before closing out their stay Sunday with a rematch versus Rhode Island at 9 a.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UIC last competed at the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament (Feb. 23-25) in Boca Raton, Fla., and went 3-2 at the tourney. The Flames took down Dartmouth, 4-0 and 3-2, and Columbia, 5-4, but fell to Tulsa, 7-2, and FAU, 1-0.
 
Lexi Watts went a team-best 9-for-16 (.563) and had an on-base percentage of .632 to earn her the title of Horizon League Player of the Week. Allie Trudeau led the pitching staff with a 1.05 earned-run average after 13.1 innings pitched as she went 1-1 and struck out 12, including a career-high nine against FAU, to limit opponents to a .159 batting average.
 
WATTS LEADS THE CHARGE
Watts spearheads the offensive output this season with her .517 average that ranks 11th in the nation, and seventh among those with at least 10 hits, as she is the lone Flame to have a double-digit hit output with 15 and is currently on a six-game hit streak. She additionally owns a team-best .588 on-base percentage to rank 14th nationally and has six stolen bases to rank 28th.
 
Collectively, UIC is hitting .238 with 57 hits and has out-scored opponents 31-25. After Watts, the top hit totals have been made up by Taylor Cairns (.391) with nine, Skylee James (.226) with seven and Claire Crane (.240) with six, while Watts, James, Alyssa Griman and Kayla Wedl tie for a team-high four RBI that make up 16 of the team's 26 runs batted in. Also, the Flames have stolen 16 bases for an average of 0.11 per game that ranks 33rd in the nation.
 
PITCHING PROWESS
UIC's pitching staff made up of Marley Hanlon (1.71 ERA), Karissa Frazier (2.16 ERA) and Trudeau (2.86) has been nothing short of impressive so far this season. The trio has held opponents to a minimal .211 batting average, with a team-best .193 from Frazier, and 47 hits as eight of the nine foes have had seven or less tallies. They have additionally struck out 40 with Trudeau (17) and Frazier (15) ringing up the most, and own at least one win apiece with a top mark of 3-1 from Frazier.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Rhode Island (1-8): The Rams have lost their last six games including all five at the EMU Madeira Beach Tournament (Feb. 23-25) to Eastern Michigan, Albany, Manhattan, Marist and Middle Tennessee. Kylie Shivery (.310) and Erika Yeager (.333) head the offense with 17 of the team's 48 hits with a combined six doubles and three home runs as they each hold a team-best five RBI. Pitching has primarily been split between Riley Kernan (2.86 ERA), Becca Rogers (3.63 ERA) and Sarah Gunderson (5.17 ERA) with the lone win going to Kernan. As a group, they have struck out 38 and allowed opponents to hold a .255 average with 63 hits.
 
Evansville (6-12): The Purple Aces bounced back from a 10-game losing streak to go 4-1 at last weekend's Hilltopper Spring Fling (March 2-4) after defeating both Austin Peay and Dayton twice. Six players have reached double-digit hit totals to aid in the team's 102 hits this season. Eryn Gould (.373) holds a team-best 19 hits with nine extra-base efforts while Brittany Hay has ripped off four home runs and 14 RBI. Morgan Florey (2.12 ERA) has thrown more than half of the innings for Evansville with 62.2 and has struck out 103 to rank fifth among Division I pitchers while she has held opponents to a .214 average.
 
Kent State (9-6): The Golden Flashes are coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Duke Inaugural Tournament (March 3-4) with wins over Lehigh and Yale. Kent State holds the best average out of any opponent this weekend as it is hitting .285. Holly Speers boasts the top average of .585 to rank second nationally as she owns 24 hits with five doubles and four homers in addition to 20 RBI and the fourth best on-base percentage in the nation at .667. Madi Huck (1.49 ERA) and Brenna Brownfield (3.33 ERA) have controlled the circle for all but 24.1 innings as they have combined for 29 of the team's 39 strikeouts. Huck owns the best record at 6-1 and has collected three shutouts.
 
Murray State (6-12): The Racers have gone 1-6 over their last seven games which featured a 1-4 turnout at the Coach B Classic (March 2-4) with the lone win coming against Southern Illinois. Murray State is hitting .226 with the top bats coming from Jensen Striegel (.327) and Sierra Gilmore (.315) as they each hold a team-best 17 hits. Gilmore is second in RBI (11) to Lexi Jones' (.160) 14 as Jones has posted four home runs. All but one start has been split between Olivia Suski (3.36 ERA) and Haven Campbell (3.85 ERA) with Campbell producing a team-high five wins and 17 strikeouts to assist in the team's total of 40.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES (LAST MEETING)
vs. Rhode Island: 4-1 (Feb. 27, 2015; W, 4-0)
vs. Evansville: 4-4 (March 28, 1998; W, 6-0)
vs. Kent State: 2-3 (Feb. 12, 2016; L, 10-0 (5))
vs. Murray State: 0-1 (March 5, 2017; L, 1-0)
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Flames will close out their tournament schedule next weekend at the Hoosier Classic (March 16-18) in Bloomington, Ind. UIC will face Northern Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern at Andy Mohr Field.