CHICAGO -- UIC remains in sweet home Chicago for the next consecutive weekend as another formidable foe comes to Flames Field in the form of the Robert Morris University Colonials. The schedule for the three-game series has shifted slightly as the teams will now play a doubleheader on Friday, March 25, beginning at 11 a.m., before wrapping up the set on Saturday, March 26 with a single game at 2 p.m.

The Flames (4-16, 1-4 Horizon League) opened the home portion of the 2022 slate last weekend by hosting the conference's defending regular season champion, Youngstown State. The Penguins claimed the series with UIC's victory coming in walk-off fashion, 5-4, in the nightcap of a doubleheader on March 20.

RMU (14-9, 3-0 Horizon League) has only one conference series under its belt this spring. The Colonials pushed across 28 runs and racked up 18 extra-base hits in a three-game series to sweep Detroit Mercy on March 17-18. Fifth-year senior Taylor Rhinehart played a significant role in the series as she hit .615/.615/1.038 with five extra-base hits, four RBI and five runs scored en route to capturing Horizon League Player of the Week honors.

Admission to Flames Field is free for fans in 2022. Live stats will be available for all three games between the Flames and RMU. Saturday's game will also be available on ESPN+.

ON A TEAR

• Tara McElligott, UIC's lone senior, has been a force at the plate for the Flames as she's batting .370 and slugging .696 on the year, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in those categories among Horizon League players.
• McElligott's on-base percentage of .508 is 50 points higher than the conference's next best (Alicia Peters, GB, .458), and ranks 66th in the NCAA entering the weekend.
• In the recent series against Youngstown State, McElligott  batted .800, slugged 1.800 and reached base safely in 10 of 11 plate appearances (.909).
• She collected three extra-base hits (1 HR, 2 2B), scored twice, drew three walks and was hit by three pitches against the Penguins.
• McElligott was named Horizon League Batter of the Week on Feb. 15, after hitting two home runs with seven RBI in five games at the San Diego State Tournament. The Lockport, Ill., native batted .583/.667/1.333 in UIC's first five games.

KEEPING IT CLOSE

• Eight of UIC's 20 games this spring have been decided by a single run and the Flames are 4-4 in those contests.
• Two UIC victories on the year - the season opener against Cal Poly (Feb. 11) and the finale of the USF Tournament against Army (March 4) - were 1-0 triumphs.
• The Flames have held the opposition to two runs or fewer five times in 20 games, having won three.
• UIC has gone to extra innings four times in 2022. They have played three 8-inning games and one 9-inning games to date.

TONIOLO TAKES THE BALL

• Junior Christina Toniolo has been UIC's most reliable pitcher in the circle this spring, leading the team with eight starts, 14 appearances and 60.1 innings pitched. She has logged four complete games this spring.
• She leads the Flames with a 2.83 ERA and 37 strikeouts, while walking 18.
• Last summer, Toniolo earned a tryout with the Italian National Team ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She is eligible for the Italian side as she claims dual citizenship with two parents, Michael and Tina, who are first-generation Americans.

FRESH FACES

• UIC's lineup features three freshman who have each garnered significant playing time this  spring. Newcomers Grace Fleming and Jojo Santiago have each started all 20 games in 2022, while classmate Hailey Cowing has appeared in 18 games with 15 starts.
• Fleming and Cowing have been two of the top hitters for the Flames in five conference games so far. Fleming is batting .412 with a team-high seven hits in Horizon League games,  while Cowing is hitting .364 and slugging .636 with a home run and three RBI.
• All three freshmen, along with junior Jordyn Cebedo, are tied for the team lead with three RBI apiece in league games.
• Fleming is tied with senior Tara McElligott with a team-best five multi-hit games this year, and her current five-game hitting streak leads the Flames.

More notes, statistics and information can be found in the UIC Game Notes PDF found in the blue box above.