CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (22-14, 19-7 HL) will begin an eight-game road stint this weekend as it travels to Rochester, Mich. to face Horizon League foe Oakland (16-12, 15-9 HL). The Flames and Golden Grizzlies will begin the series with a doubleheader on Friday, April 23 at 1 p.m. CT before wrapping up the series with another doubleheader on Saturday, April 24 at noon. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames completed a four-game sweep over Cleveland State, outscoring the Vikings 38-6 in the series. UIC won the opener 5-1 before picking up a pair of one-sided run-rule victories (17-3, 12-0) and finishing out the series with a 4-2 win in the finale.

Kayla Wedl picked up her second Horizon League Player of the Week award of the season and ninth of her career on Tuesday (April 20) after batting .615 with eight hits, five runs and 10 RBI in the series.   

BRINGING OUT THE BATS
Heading into the final three weeks of Horizon League play, UIC stands at second in the League in batting, averaging .297 at the plate as a team. The Flames lead the conference in RBIs (184), hits (284), runs (207), stolen bases (60), slugging percentage (.465) and on-base percentage (.371), while checking in at third in home runs (27) and second in walks (93).  

Kayla Wedl continues to pace the Flames at the plate, batting .443 on the season to lead the Horizon League. The fifth-year senior now leads the conference in nearly every offensive category, including slugging percentage (.893), runs (47), hits (54), stolen bases (22) doubles (13), triples (6) and homers (10), while she comes in at second in the League in RBIs with 39. Nationally, Wedl leads the way in triples while also checking in at seventh in the nation in runs per game (1.31), ninth in hits, eighth in total bases (109), and 31st in batting average.

Sophomore Samantha Ferguson comes in at eighth in the conference in batting with a .357 average on the season, and she is also fifth in the League in RBI, driving in 24 runs so far. Freshman Emma Crowley joins Wedl and Ferugson on the RBI list, tied with Ferguson in fifth with 24 RBI, while Junior Tara McElligott has landed herself in the League's top three in runs, crossing the plate 28 times this season to stand at third. McElligott is also in a tie for third in the League in home runs with seven.  

HEATING UP THE CIRCLE
As a team, the UIC softball pitching staff owns a 3.10 earned run average, putting them at fourth in the Horizon League. Senior Marley Hanlon leads the Flames with a 1.48 ERA, putting her at second in the League. Freshman Miranda Gomez comes in at 11th in the League, owning a 3.31 ERA through 72.0 innings pitched, while sophomore Christina Toniolo follows just behind Gomez in 15th with a 3.55 ERA through 102.2 innings. Toniolo is in a tie for the second-most wins in the conference with 11 and she also comes in at 10th in the League in strikeouts with 54 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
Oakland sits just behind UIC in the Horizon League rankings with a 15-9 record so far in conference action. The Golden Grizzlies most recently faced first-place Youngstown State, dropping all four games to the Penguins in last weekend's series. Oakland has a slight edge over UIC at the plate, owning the League's top team batting average at .298. Madison Jones leads the Golden Grizzlies offensive efforts, owning a team-high .370 average at the plate. Cammie Brummitt leads the Golden Grizzlies in hits with 37, followed by Jones and Lauren Griffith with 34 hits apiece. Sydney Campbell sees the most action in the circle for Oakland, and she owns a 1.97 ERA through 99.2 innings pitched to stand at third in the Horizon League. The Flames have the advantage in the all-time series, 14-9, but the Golden Grizzlies won the series when the two teams last met in April 2019, 2-1.