CHICAGO – The No. 1 seeded UIC softball team (30-21) will begin the campaign for its third-straight Horizon League Championship and 11th conference title in program history this week, as it hosts the Horizon League Tournament at home inside Flames Field. The tournament kicks off on Wednesday, May 8 and runs through Saturday, May 11.

UIC's Regular Season Championship and No. 1 seed secured a first-round bye for the Flames, who will face the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 4 Northern Kentucky and No. 5 IUPUI on Thursday, May 8 at 12 p.m. CT. Links to the weekend's broadcasts and live stats can be found on the championship central site by clicking the blue box above.

HORIZON LEAGUE HEROES
The Horizon League announced its postseason awards on Tuesday, with several Flames taking home honors. Kayla Wedl was crowned the League's Player of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-League First Team. Wedl took home the League's highest honor after an impressive offensive season that included a .453 batting average, 73 hits and 56 RBI for the junior.

Joining Wedl on the All-League First Team were Lexi Watts and Skylee James, earning the fourth and second First-Team honors of their respective careers. Alyssa Griman and Cassie Kaelber were awarded All-League Second Team honors, while Schyler Ek and Tara McElligott took home All-Freshman Team accolades.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC took two-of-three from Wright State this past weekend for its seventh Horizon League series victory of the season. Saturday's 6-0 win in the series finale was UIC's 20th conference win of season, matching the program's Horizon League win record, which was set by the 2017 squad. The win was also UIC's 30th overall, marking its fourth-straight year recording at least 30 wins.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC has had a big presence at the plate all season long, leading the Horizon League in batting average (.325), runs (317), hits (438), and RBI (277). UIC's .325 team batting average ranks 13th in the nation, and its .402 on-base percentage leads the conference and ranks 19th nationwide. The Flames average 6.22 runs per game, which puts them at 20th in the nation in scoring, and their .502 slugging percentage as a squad ranks 25th in the nation. Defensively, UIC is the most efficient team on the field around the conference, owning a .962 fielding percentage as a squad. The Flames have turned 26 double plays this season, compared to 10 by their opponents, ranking them 15th in the nation in double plays per game (0.51 per game).

In the circle, UIC owns a 4.41 ERA. Marley Hanlon leads the way with a 4.04 individual ERA, followed closely by Jennah Speth (4.17 ERA), Allie Trudeau (4.45 ERA) and Karissa Frazier (4.97 ERA). In Horizon League contests, UIC's staff has the second-lowest ERA at 2.82, allowing the second-fewest hits (131) and the second-fewest runs (73).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Detroit Mercy finished the regular season with a 16-8 record in Horizon League play to earn the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 Youngstown State with a 13-9 finish. Northern Kentucky compiled a 12-11 record to grab the No. 4 seed, while IUPUI (11-11) and Oakland (9-14) round out the top six. Detroit Mercy finished with the League's lowest ERA at 2.77, followed by the Youngstown State pitching staff's 3.35 ERA. Behind the Flames, Oakland has the best offensive numbers, coming in second in the League in batting average (.295), runs (240), hits (404) and RBI (209).