CHICAGO – The UIC baseball team is set to close out its four-game road trip this week with a Tuesday night contest at Northern Illinois. The Flames will then return home to Curtis Granderson Stadium to begin their longest home-stand of the season, an eight-game stint beginning this weekend by hosting Bradley for a three-game set.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS

• The Huskies enter the week winning just two of their last 10 contests, sporting a 7-30 overall record and a 4-13 mark in the Mid-American Conference.
• Tuesday afternoon's contest will serve as the end of a home-and-home series with the Flames, as UIC beat NIU 6-3 at Curtis Granderson Stadium back on April 4.
• While NIU averages just over five runs scored per game, its pitching staff has kept them out of games at times, surrendering just over 10 runs per game on average.

 
SCOUTING BRADLEY

• The Braves enter competition this week with a 12-23 overall mark, and a 4-11 record in Missouri Valley Conference play. Bradley will host Illinois for a Tuesday night mid-week contest before traveling to Chicago for the three-game set over the weekend.
• UIC and Bradley enter the weekend in a virtual tie for the eighth and final spot in the standings in the MVC, with both teams looking to secure their place in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at the end of May.
• Most recently, the Braves took one out of three games in a series against Illinois State, who also now holds a 4-11 conference mark to join the tie in eighth place.
• Logan Delgado, the Braves' junior catcher, holds the current lead in the MVC in terms of batting average, boasting a .383 mark.
• The Braves pitching staff ranks first in the conference in saves with nine but falls near the bottom of the heap in almost every other pitching statistic.

 
FLAMES FACTS

• UIC enters the week with a 16-19 overall record, as well as a 4-11 mark in its first season in the Missouri Valley. Most recently, the Flames salvaged a Sunday victory over Valparaiso to go 1-2 in the series.
• The Flames have gotten the job done defensively this season, ranking 35^th in all of NCAA Division I baseball in fielding percentage. UIC also is the third ranked team in the nation when it comes to double plays turned per game.
• The dynamic duo of Charlie Szykowny (.326) and Carson Roberts (.323) have paced the top of the Flames lineup throughout the year, combining for almost a quarter of UIC's runs scored on the year.
• Freshman pitcher Brandon Bak has stepped into the spotlight on the mound this year, leading the Flames in ERA, as well as innings pitched.

 
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS

• Friday's series opener against Bradley will be "Vs. Cancer Night" at Curtis Granderson Stadium, with free "Vs. Cancer" t-shirts being given out to the first 150 fans in attendance.
• Saturday afternoon's game will be the second "Bark in the Park" game of the season, as all dogs in attendance will receive a free UIC branded bandana and dog treats. PUPS Pet Club will be in attendance as well, offering free "Paw-casso" peanut butter paintings.

 
Tuesday night's game at Northern Illinois is available to audio stream for no charge via the Flames Network. Friday's game will be radio only as well, with Saturday and Sunday's contests being broadcasted on ESPN+.