CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (18-14, 15-7 HL) will be back in Chicago this weekend as it hosts Horizon League foe Cleveland State (9-23, 4-16 HL) in a four-game set, beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, April 16 at 1 p.m. CT and wrapping up with another twin bill on Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. All four games will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Friday's doubleheader will serve as the UIC Vs. Cancer game, as the Flames have joined up with the Vs. Cancer organization to help raise funds for children suffering from pediatric brain tumors. The squad has been raising funds since March 4, with Friday's doubleheader marking the end of the campaign.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames split their four-game series at Robert Morris last weekend, taking the opener 6-5 as well as the finale, 12-6. The Colonials got the edge in games two and three, defeating the Flames in a pair of one-run contests, 2-1 and 6-5.

BRINGING OUT THE BATS
Four weeks into Horizon League play, UIC stands at third in the League in batting, averaging .280 at the plate as a team. The Flames lead the conference lead in RBIs (150), hits (240) and runs (169), and they come in at third in the League in both team slugging percentage (.435) and team on-base percentage (.353).

Kayla Wedl continues to pace the Flames at the plate, batting .422 on the season to rank second in the League. Wedl's 29 RBIs are also second in the League, while her 46 hits and eight home runs lead the conference. The fifth-year senior is also the League's top run scorer, scoring 42 times this season for a hefty 13-run lead over any other player in the conference. The Flames' shortstop is also the League's top base stealer, swiping 18 bases so far this season.

Sophomore Samantha Ferguson comes in at 11th in the conference in batting with a .337 average on the season, and she is also fourth in the League in RBI, driving in 23 runs so far. Freshman Emma Crowley joins Wedl and Ferugson on the RBI list, tied for ninth with 19 runs driven in this year, while Junior Tara McElligott has landed herself in the League's top five in runs, crossing the plate 23 times this season to tie for third. McElligott is also in a tie for fifth in the League in home runs with five.

HEATING UP THE CIRCLE
As a team, the UIC softball pitching staff owns a 3.25 earned run average, putting them at fourth in the Horizon League. Senior Marley Hanlon leads the Flames with a 1.57 ERA, putting her at second in the League. Freshman Miranda Gomez checks in at 13th in the League, owning a 3.55 ERA through 67.0 innings pitched, while sophomore Christina Toniolo follows just behind Gomez in 15th with a 3.63 ERA through 90.2 innings. Toniolo also ranks fourth in the conference in wins with nine and ninth in strikeouts with 50 so far this season.  

FAN ATTENDANCE
At present, only pre-authorized family and friends of participating UIC student-athletes and staff are permitted to be in attendance at Flames Field due to the reduced capacity allowed under State of Illinois COVID safety guidelines. Guests of visiting personnel and members of the general public are unfortunately not permitted at this time. Walk-up admission is strictly prohibited.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Cleveland State is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak after enduring a four-game sweep against second-place Oakland. The Vikings are hitting .225 as a team so far this season, led by senior Sydney Bajusz, who owns a .314 average to lead the team and rank fourth in the Horizon League. Bajusz also leads the Vikings in hits with 33, as well as RBI with 20. In the circle, junior Hanna Griffin leads for Cleveland State with a team-low 3.75 ERA through 72.2 innings pitched. Fellow junior Taylor Betz also sees a lot of action in the circle, owning a 4.54 ERA through 69.1 innings pitched. Betz paces the Vikings with 55 strikeouts, putting her at eighth in the League. The Flames are 56-25 in their all-time series against Cleveland State, most recently taking a three-game sweep over the Vikings when the two teams last met March 22-23, 2019.