CHICAGO (Dec. 5, 2023) – The UIC softball team released its full 2024 schedule Tuesday afternoon with the Flames slated to face five Power Five programs, while also competing in their second season as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
"We are so excited to get back out onto the field in February," head coach Lynn Curylo said. "We cannot wait to compete in The Valley once again and we are eager to face off against several tough opponents in our non-conference tournaments."
 
UIC kicks off its season Feb. 9-11 at Cal State Fullerton's Easton Classic. The marquee game for the Flames in this round-robin tournament will come on Feb. 10 against the host Titans, who earned an NCAA regional berth last season.
 
UIC goes to the opposite end of the country the following weekend for the USF Bulls Invitational from Feb. 15-17 in Tampa, Fla. Highlighting the tournament will be the Flames' first two Power Five matchups of the season against Boston College (Feb. 15) and Purdue (Feb. 16).
 
The Flames remain in the Sunshine State to finish out the month of February, competing in the T-Mobile Tournament, hosted by two-time NCAA champion Florida. UIC will see the Gators twice during the event on Feb. 24-25.
 
UIC will play its third consecutive tournament in Florida in early March at the FIU Classic in Miami. The three-day, round-robin tournament is highlighted by the Flames' contest against a Seton Hall program that is coming off a 42-18 season with an appearance in last year's NCAA regionals.
 
The Flames wrap up their pre-conference schedule March 7-8 in Nashville, Tenn., at the Music City Classic. UIC will play doubleheaders on both days, squaring off with host Lipscomb on March 9 and fellow MVC member Belmont in a non-conference twinbill the next afternoon.
 
The Flames begin year two in The Valley on the road March 15-17 with a three-game set at Murray State, meeting the Racers for the first time since 2018. UIC comes back to Chicagoland three days later for a single non-conference game at reigning Big Ten champion Northwestern.
 
UIC returns to Flames Field for its home-opening series March 22-24 against defending 2023 MVC Tournament champion Southern Illinois. The Flames then head back on the road for another three-game series at Evansville (March 29-31).
 
Following an April 3 non-conference doubleheader at Northern Illinois, UIC returns home for two of its next three MVC series against Illinois State (April 5-7) and Indiana State (April 12-14). In between, the Flames will make the short drive to Valparaiso for the first two games of their conference series on April 9-10.
 
UIC will have a trip to 2023 MVC regular-season champion Northern Iowa slated for April 19-21, followed by a final non-conference game on April 24 at Notre Dame.
 
The Flames cap off the regular season with four home games — a three-game set with Drake (April 26-28) and a single matchup with Valparaiso (April 30) — and a road series at Bradley (May 3-5).
 
The 2024 MVC Softball Championship will take place May 8-11 at Illinois State's Marian Kneer Softball Stadium in Normal, Ill.
 
UIC returns a four-player pitching rotation this season, led by graduate student Christina Toniolo (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South), who tossed 168.2 innings in the circle last spring. In the batter's box, graduate student Alannah Cran (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) closed the year on a 12-game hitting streak and led the Flames with .318 batting average. Curylo returns for her eighth season at the helm for the Flames and added legendary former pitcher Nancy Evans (who helped Arizona to six national titles as a player and coach) to her coaching staff during the offseason.
 
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Softball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_softball and @uicflames).