CHICAGO --  The UIC baseball team opens up a four-game homestand Thursday-Saturday, April 8-10, as the Flames welcome Northern Kentucky to town for a four-game set. All four contests will be broadcast on ESPN3.

FIRST PITCH
•    UIC took 1-of-3 in a weekend trip to Oakland last time out, splitting a Friday doubleheader before dropping a twin bill on Saturday. Cristian Lopez picked up the Flames' lone win with 7-inning complete game, two-hit, shutout in a 6-0 UIC victory.
•    The Flames currently own two of the top two batting averages in the Horizon League among qualified hitters as Thomas Smart leads the league with a .385 average while Bryan Rosario ranks seventh with a .346 batting average. Matt Bottcher would rank first (.393), but the second baseman has not appeared in enough games to qualify.

LOPEZ SHUTS DOWN OAKLAND
•    Senior Cristian Lopez shut down the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on April 2 en route to being named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on April 6.
•    The righty threw a complete-game two-hitter, leading the Flames to a 6-0 victory over Oakland. Over the course of the seven-inning contest, Lopez surrendered a single in the first and second innings before dominating the rest of the way.
•    The right hander struck out four, did not surrender a walk in the outing and allowed just a pair of base runners over the final five innings. Lopez finished in impressive fashion, retiring the final six batters in order to secure the win.

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 (27).
•    Thomas Smart, the only player to have started every game, had an 18-game on-base streak come to an end in the series at Youngstown State. Smart has also started all 22 games in right field for UIC and has batted lead off in every contest for the Flames this year.