CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (16-18) will take a break from Horizon League action this weekend, welcoming Western Illinois (10-18) to the near west side for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames finished 1-2 on the road against Oakland this past weekend, taking their first Horizon League losses of the season. UIC grabbed a commanding 10-0 (5) victory in the opener, but came up short in Saturday's doubleheader, falling 7-6 in game one and 5-0 in game two.

WHERE WE RANK
UIC currently sits first in the Horizon League standings with a 7-2 mark in conference play. The Flames continue to lead the League in several offensive categories, including runs (182), RBI (165), slugging percentage (.430) and on-base percentage (.378). UIC also owns the most home runs in the conference (21), and its .294 team batting average is second to an Oakland squad that is batting .296.

Lexi Watts leads all Horizon League players and ranks 35th in the nation with a .430 batting average. Skylee James follows in second with a .410 average, followed by Kayla Wedl in third batting .388. Watts also leads the conference in hits (43), runs (37) and stolen bases (22). The senior is averaging 0.65 steals per game to rank 17th in the nation, and her 1.09 runs per game is good for 18th in the country.

UIC's team ERA of 5.15 ranks sixth in the League, while its 248 hits allowed is third lowest in the conference. Marley Hanlon owns the lowest ERA against Horizon League opponents at 1.09, owning three wins and one loss against conference foes.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Western Illinois owns a 10-18 record overall with a 3-6 record in the Summit League after a 2-1 showing against South Dakota State April 7-8. The Leathernecks are batting .238 as a squad, led by Jasmine Lara's .318 batting average. Lara also leads the team in runs (18) and hits (28), while teammate Payton Abbott takes the lead in RBI with 21. Emily Ira leads the Leatherneck pitching staff, owning a 2.81 ERA through 92.1 innings pitched. Ira also paces WIU with 84 strikeouts, while keeping batters to a .259 average at the plate. Western Illinois holds an 11-9 advantage over UIC all-time, last defeating the Flames 1-0 back in March of 2017 at the Coach B Classic.

UP NEXT
UIC will make preparations for six Horizon League contests next week, starting with a road trip to IUPUI April 16-17.