CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (6-9) will travel to Richmond, Ky. this weekend to compete in the EKU Invitational. The Flames will be facing Dayton and Akron in addition to host Eastern Kentucky in the three-day tournament spanning March 6-8 at EKU's Gertrude Hood Field.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC put together a 2-3 showing last weekend at the OSU/Tulsa Invitational, taking home wins over Louisville and Drake, while falling to top contenders No. 14/15 Oklahoma State, Tulsa and No. 10 Oregon. For the third-straight weekend, Samantha Ferguson led the Flames with a .417 average, tallying five hits and one RBI off her first career home run. The Freshman also crossed the dish three times herself. Kayla Wedl finished the weekend batting .400 with a team-high six hits and two RBI, while Maddie Spinks batted in three runs off five hits with a .385 average on the weekend.

AT THE PLATE
The Flames are batting .214 as a team, led by freshman Samantha Ferguson's .378 average. Kayla Wedl follows with a .313 average, and together the pair leads the team in hits, tabbing 17 hits and 15 hits, respectively. Ferguson's 17 hits puts her in a tie for first in the League, while her .378 average ranks 10th. Wedl's .313 average ranks 21st in the conference, while her 15 hits ties for sixth. Alyssa Griman leads the team with seven RBI, followed by Wedl with six.

IN THE CIRCLE
Christina Toniolo ranks fifth among Horizon League pitchers with a 2.62 ERA. Her 26 strikeouts rank sixth in the conference, while her 34 hits allowed are 10th-lowest in the conference. Allie Trudeau has seen the most time in the circle, dealing 44.1 innings. The senior owns a 4.58 ERA and follows Toniolo in the Horizon League rankings with 23 strikeouts on the season so far.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Flames have showed early resiliency this season, taking four of their six wins so far by way of the comeback. UIC mustered a pair of comeback wins over Memphis in their first weekend at the FGCU Invitational, taking both games by a one-run margin. In its second weekend at the Fresno State Invitational, UIC picked up a walk-off win over UC Santa Barbara, breaking a 4-4 tie in their final at bat. On Saturday (Feb. 29) the Flames completed a 4-3 comeback win over Drake in extra innings, fighting off two deficits through eight innings of action.

NEW FACES
The Flames welcome six newcomers to the squad in 2020, as McKennah Ulrey, Alannah Cran, Samantha Ferguson, Christina Toniolo, Jordyn Cebedo and Mary Jones all kick off their UIC careers. Jones and Toniolo hail from nearby Chicago suburbs, while Cran, Ferguson and Cebedo all call California home. Ulrey is also from out west, calling Orting, Washington home.

BACK FOR MORE
The Flames will look to build off a successful 2019 season that included their fifth-straight regular season title, as well as its 15th Horizon League Tournament Championship appearance. The 2019 squad took home a program-best 20 conference wins and finished with the highest team batting average in program history at .323.

The 2020 squad was selected to finish at the top of the Horizon League for the fifth-straight year. The Flames took home seven first-place votes and 79 total points in the conference's preseason poll, as voted on by the League's head coaches.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Dayton is 4-10 this season, splitting four games this weekend at the UNCG Spartan Classic. Lillie Knesel bats .419 to pace the Flyers, followed by Mallory Kimmell's .400 average. Kimmell has the advantage in hits with 14, with Knesel and Abby Ehrenborg following closely with 13. Sarah Bailitz spends the most time in the circle for Dayton, owning a 5.30 ERA through 35.2 innings, while Jessica Weaver has the lowest ERA on the squad at 3.66 through 32.0 innings. The Flames and Flyers have a 1-1 record against one another, but the two teams have not met since the 1989 season.

Host Eastern Kentucky is 17-2 after a 5-0 showing this past weekend at the ASU Invitational. The Colonels picked up two wins against Nicholls State and Alabama State, as well one win over the University of Southern Mississippi. Sammi Miller is batting .400 to lead the Colonels, and her 24 hits and 18 runs also lead the team. Ariyana Miranda drives in the most runs, recording 17 RBI on the season. Mollie Paulick handles things in the circle for Eastern Kentucky, owning a 9-1 record and a 1.29 ERA through 65.1 innings of action. The Flames have a one-game advantage all-time over the Colonels, 3-2, taking a 2-1 win over the Colonels in extra innings back in 2017.

Akron dropped a pair of games to Marshall on Wednesday, falling to 6-15 on the season . Bailey Drapola owns a team-high 24 hits, and her .393 average also leads the team. Sydney Jascoe specializes in the long ball, owning seven home runs and 21 RBIs already this year. Adrian Smith has pitched 53.2 innings, allowing 43 earned runs and 47 hits for a 5.61 ERA. UIC leads the series all-time, 6-5, last facing the Zips in 2005.

UP NEXT
The Flames will make their way to St. Louis, Mo. for their final tournament, the Billiken Spring Invitational, March 13-15.