CHICAGO -- UIC has not played outside of the familiar confines of Flames Field since March 10, but that changes this weekend as the squad travels to Northern Kentucky for a three-game series against the Horizon League foe. UIC and NKU will play a single game on Friday, April 1 at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT, before wrapping up with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2. First pitch of the twin bill is slated for 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT.

One of the toughest opponents the Flames (4-18, 1-6 Horizon League) faced in the month of March proved to be Mother Nature. UIC had 11 games rescheduled, postponed or canceled between March 10-29 due to weather. All three Horizon League series have been impacted and the Flames have only been able to complete seven of nine scheduled conference contests to this point. This weekend's opponent, NKU (12-16, 2-4 Horizon League), has played six more games overall than UIC to date.

The Norse have had a tough time getting on the field of late, as well. NKU has played only once since March 20, a 4-2 victory at Dayton on Tuesday afternoon. The team has not played at home since March 15 against Western Illinois.

Offensively, the Flames have been paced by the team's lone senior, Tara McElligott, this spring. She's batting .340/.478/.623 and leading the team with eight extra-base hits and 10 RBI. In five Horizon League games, the Lockport, Ill., native is producing at a clip of .417/.632/.833. Freshman Grace Fleming, one of three UIC student-athletes to start all 22 games, is hitting .360 in conference play and she leads the team with nine hits and five RBI in those contests.

A 2021 All-Horizon League Second Team honoree, Kendyl McKeough, is batting .353/.411/.729 for the Norse. The senior leads the Horizon League with eight home runs and her slugging percentage (.729) ranks second in the conference.

For more UIC notes, statistics and information, please click here.

All three games this weekend from Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field can be seen on ESPN+. Links are available in the blue box above and on the UIC schedule page.