CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (3-7) will make its Horizon League debut this weekend as it travels to Youngstown State (6-2). The Flames and Penguins will begin the series with a doubleheader on Friday, March 12 and will finish out the weekend with another doubleheader on Saturday, March 13. Friday's contests are set for a 1 p.m. CT start, while Saturday's games have first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. All four games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
The Flames faced tough competition at the Saluki Invitational last weekend, taking a pair of losses to Creighton and host Southern Illinois and picking up an eight-inning win over Saint Louis for a 1-4 showing on the weekend.
BRINGING OUT THE BATS
Heading into the first week of Horizon League action, UIC owns a team batting average of .234, good for third highest amongst Horizon League teams. The Flames have tallied the second-most hits in non-conference action, totaling 60 hits as a squad. UIC's 33 runs and 30 RBIs also stand at third in the League.
Kayla Wedl has led the Flames' offensive efforts so far, batting .406 on the young season to rank fourth in the Horizon League. Wedl's 13 hits stand at second-most in the League, while her six RBI come in at seventh most. The fifth-year senior is also one of only two players with three home runs already on the season. Junior
Tara McElligott also makes the Horizon League ranks, checking in at sixth in the conference in RBI with seven and 11th in hits with eight. Senior
Cassie Kaelber also breaks the League's top-10 in hits, recording nine hits so far this season to tie for sixth in the conference.
HEATING UP THE CIRCLE
As a team, the UIC softball pitching staff owns a 3.82 earned run average, putting them at fourth in the Horizon League. Southpaw
Marley Hanlon leads the Flames with a 2.62 ERA, good for 10th in the conference. Sophomore
Christina Toniolo has seen the most action, owning a 4.10 ERA through 29.0 innings pitched to rank 13th in the League.
Miranda Gomez follows in 15th with a 4.20 ERA, pitching 21.2 innings so far for the Flames. Toniolo also paces the Flames with 15 strikeouts, a mark which ranks 10th amongst Horizon League pitchers.
BACK IN THE LINEUP
The 2021 roster features just six upperclassmen, including fifth-year senior and 2019 Horizon League Player of the Year
Kayla Wedl, who led the team in hits (23), runs (14) and steals (6) in the shortened 2020 season. Also returning for UIC is senior
Maddie Spinks, who hit .340 in 2020 with 17 hits and 13 runs. Fellow seniors
Cassie Kaelber,
Marley Hanlon and
Kayla Pociejewski are also all back for the Flames in 2021. Junior
Tara McElligott is also back in the lineup after hitting .228 with 13 hits, three home runs and 10 RBI in the 2020 campaign.
YOUNG SQUAD
UIC's 2021 squad is made up primarily of underclassmen, boasting seven freshmen and seven sophomores. First-year Flames
Annmarie Sillas,
Dee Dee Caskey,
Isabelle Garcia,
Larisa Villa,
Miranda Gomez,
Emma Crowley and
Alyssa McIntosh will all be making their UIC debuts this season, while sophomores
Mary Jones,
Jordyn Cebedo,
Christina Toniolo,
Samantha Ferguson,
Alannah Cran and
McKennah Ulrey are all back for their second season with the Flames.
Ferguson led the Flames last year with a .349 batting average, accumulating 22 hits, eight runs and five RBI in her freshman campaign. In the circle,
Christina Toniolo paced the Flames' staff with a 3.12 ERA across 49.1 innings pitched in her first year with the Flames.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Youngstown State finished non-conference action with a 6-2 record, most recently taking a four-game sweep over Akron. Yasmine Romero leads the Penguins so far with 10 hits this season, followed closely by teammate Grace Cea, who owns nine hits on the season so far. Cea also leads Youngstown State in RBI, driving in 11 runs for the Penguins. In the circle, Elle Buffenbarger leads the way, owning a 3.04 ERA through a team-high 23.0 innings pitched. The Flames are 46-18 all-time against Youngstown State after taking a three-game series sweep over the Penguins when the two teams last met in 2019.
