INDIANAPOLIS – For the third time this season, members of the UIC baseball team have swept the Horizon League's Player of the Week Awards, the conference announced Monday, April 30. Charlie Cerny was named the Pitcher of the Week for the second time and Dominic Smith added his second Batter of the Week honor.
 
The pair was instrumental in helping UIC to a three-game sweep of Milwaukee over the weekend. Cerny made his second start of the season, and only the fourth of his career, in the nightcap of a twinbill on Saturday, April 28. The Bloomington, Ill., native threw the second of two complete-game shutouts in the same day for UIC, topping Milwaukee 4-0 in the second game of the doubleheader. It was Cerny's first career complete game, one that required only 90 pitchers, 29 batters faced and was played in 1:47. He allowed only three hits, struck out a career-high eight and did not walk a Panther.
 
Milwaukee had singles in the first and third innings, but both times runners were erased when Cerny induced a double play. Following a harmless one-out infield single in the sixth inning, the junior retired 11 in a row to finish the outing.

Cerny leads the NCAA in earned-run average (0.70) and WHIP (0.62) as of April 30. He ranks sixth in both strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.00) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.66), and 10^th in walks per nine innings (0.93). He's an integral member of a pitching staff that ranks seventh in the country with a staff ERA of 2.89 and seventh with seven shutouts, three of which Cerny has pitched in.
 
Cerny's stiffest competition for the honor this week may have come from two of his teammates. Ryan Campbell threw a complete-game shutout of his own Saturday with four hits, no walks and seven strikeotus. Jacob Key allowed only two hits and no walks over 7.0 scoreless innings Sunday. Over the weekend, UIC blanked Milwaukee three times, allowing only nine hits and not walking a single batter over 27 innings pitched.
 
  
Smith moved up to the third spot in the batting order over the weekend and delivered five RBI to help the Flames to a three-game sweep at Granderson Stadium. In the first game of the weekend, Smith hit a two-run double in the sixth inning to expand the home team's lead to five runs. During the second game of the doubleheader, he drove in the game-winning in the sixth inning once again. In the finale on Sunday, Smith hit RBI singles to drive in the only two runs UIC would need in a 2-0 shutout.
 
For the week Smith led the club with five RBI and tied for the team lead with six hits. In just the three-game Horizon League series against Milwaukee, he batted .545/.583/.645, all team highs.
 
Both Cerny and Smith were recognized for the second time this season on Monday. Cerny was named Pitcher of the Week on March 5 for his outstanding effort out of the UIC bullpen. Smith was also chosen as Batter of the Week on March 26 after driving in six runs over two games in a doubleheader sweep of Oakland.
 
Seven different Flames have claimed 11 Horizon League Weekly awards in 2018. UIC has had the Pitcher of the Week five times, including Monday, and the Batter of the Week six times, including each of the last two.
 
UIC Pitchers of the Week:
Ryan Campbell – February 19; March 12
Reid Birlingmair – February 26
Charlie Cerny – March 5; April 30
 
UIC Batters of the Week:
Scott Ota – February 19; March 5
Alex Dee – March 19
Dominic Smith – March 26; April 30
Derrick Patrick – April 23
 
UIC hosts midweek games on May 1 against Chicago and May 2 against Benedictine. Both contests will begin at 6:35 p.m. CT at Granderson Stadium and be televised on ESPN+.