CHICAGO -- UIC will play its final two non-conference games of the regular season this weekend when it hosts Chicago and Benedictine at Granderson Stadium. U of C makes the trip across town Tuesday night before BU comes in on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled to begin at 6:35 p.m. CT and both will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Flames (23-14) have won three games in a row and seven of the last eight. Over the weekend UIC shut out Milwaukee three times en route to a series sweep of the Panthers. The Flames had two complete games in the series and allowed just nine hits over the two games without issuing a base balls over 27.0 innings.

UIC's pitching staff continues to position itself among the nation's best. The Flames rank seventh in the NCAA with a staff ERA of 2.89 and seventh with six shutouts through 37 games. Individually, Charlie Cerny leads the country in both ERA (0.70) and WHIP (0.62). He ranks sixth in both hits allowed per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 10^th in walks per nine innings.Ryan Campbell has the NCAA's 19^th-best ERA at 1.65 and he ranks tied for 10^th with three complete games. UIC is the only team in the country with two pitchers in the top 20 in ERA.

Cerny was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. In his last start against UWM, the junior allowed only three hits in his first complete game, while striking out a career-high eight.

Offensively, the Flames have been coming around. Over the last seven wins since April 17, UIC is averaging 9.1 runs per game and hitting .336 as a club. Dominic Smith, who was named Horizon League Batter of the Week Monday, is batting .500/.800/.500 in that span with three extra-base hits and a team-high 11 RBI. Derrick Patrick, who claimed Batter of the Week honors on April 23, has scored 10 runs in the last seven games.

University of Chicago comes over from Hyde Park with a five-game winning streak and a record of 22-9 in 2018. The team is batting .318 and averages just over eight runs per game. The Maroons have been sharp on the mound with a staff ERA of 3.63 and 253 strikeouts in 247.2 IP.

Benedictine is 21-12 in 2018. The Eagles will play a doubleheader at Webster University in Normal, Ill., on Tuesday before playing the Flames on Wednesday night.

Senior Wyatt Trautwein (1-2, 0.72 ERA) is expected to start on the mound Tuesday night for UIC. Junior Reid Birlingmair (4-1, 2.08 ERA) is slated to get the nod on Wednesday.