CHICAGO -- The UIC baseball team remains on the road to take on Youngstown State in a four-game series April 2-3. The two teams will play doubleheaders on both days, with the first game on Friday slated for seven innings.

FIRST PITCH
• UIC completed a four-game sweep of Oakland last time out, using a four-run ninth inning to come from behind in the series finale to win, 5-2. The Flames outscored the Golden Grizzlies by a 39-12 margin over the four games.
• The Flames currently own the top two batting averages in the Horizon League as Thomas Smart leads the league with a .385 average while Bryan Rosario ranks second with a .375 batting average. Smart also ranks atop the league in on-base percentage (.512).

BOTTCHER COLLECTS WEEKLY AWARD...AGAIN
• Infielder Matt Bottcher picked up his second Horizon League Batter of the Week award March 30 after helping the Flames to series sweep of Oakland.
• In his return to the lineup following an injury, Bottcher started all four games for UIC, slashing .500/.526/.813 with eight hits, including two doubles and a home run.
• The second baseman drove in five runners, led the team with 13 total bases and added a pair of walks as well as a stolen base.
• In addition, Bottcher recorded three multi-hit games including a pair of games with three hits and multiple RBIs.
• Bottcher was previously tabbed the Batter of the Week on Feb. 24 following the opening weekend of action. The award came after Bottcher batted .385, slugging .538 and matching the team-lead with three RBIs as the Flames went 1-2 on the opening weekend of the year.

ON A STREAK
• Bryan Rosario, who has started in 17 of 18 games for the Flames this season, was on a 16-game hitting streak before going hitless in the series finale against Oakland.
• The redshirt junior, who did not appear in any games in his first season with UIC a year ago, ranks second on the team in hits (24).
• Thomas Smart, the only player to have started every game, has reached base safely in every single contest this year. Smart has also started all 18 games in right field for UIC and has batted lead off in every contest for the Flames this year.

RECORD WATCH
• Graduate student Jacob Key's is already in the UIC record book and will push to move his name up the list in a number of categories throughout the season.
• Key currently sits second all-time in strikeouts (232), seventh in wins (20) and third in starts (47). Key's 288.2 innings pitched ranks third in program history
• The starting pitcher entered the 2021 season tied for third in career strikeouts (208), tied for eighth in career wins (18) and tied for fourth in career starts (42). 
• Key finished the 2019 season tied for seventh in single-season strikeouts (90), tied for second in single-season starts (16) and sixth in single-season innings pitched (105.2).