CARBONDALE, Ill. – The No. 11 UIC softball team is set to open the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship against No. 6 Southern Illinois Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.  

MATCH UP BREAKDOWN 

• The two teams did not play one another in conference play. This is the first time that the Flames and Salukis are set to battle it out on the diamond since 2021. 

• Southern Illinois leads the overall series, 8-5. The Flames last victory against the Salukis came back in 2011. 

• Four Southern Illinois batters are batting above .300 entering postseason play; junior Elizabeth Warrick (.383), sophomore Emma Austin (.366), freshman Jackie Lis (.351) and junior Rylie Hamilton (.346). 

• Junior Madi Eberle has made 36 appearances in the circle this season, pitching 152.1 innings for the Salukis. She has 15 wins on the season with 77 strikeouts to her name.  

A STRONG FINISH  

• The Flames finished MVC play winning seven of their last ten conference games. 

• UIC swept Evansville and earned the series win against Drake last weekend.  

• The Flames also had conference wins against Bradley and Valparaiso.  

ALANNAH'S HOT STREAK 

• Senior Alannah Cran finished regular season play on an 11-game hitting streak.  

• Cran's collected 19 hits since April 21.  

• The senior's had six multi-hit games over her 11-game hitting streak.  

• Her last multi-hit game came in UIC's 5-4 win against Drake this past Saturday, going 2-for-4.  

• Cran leads the Flames in batting average (.317), hits (33) and is second in runs (12) this season.  

MIRANDA IN THE CIRCLE 

• Junior Miranda Gomez contributed two wins in the circle for the Flames last week.  

• In a relief appearance against Butler on May 3, Gomez pitched 4.0 innings, striking out one batter and walking another.  

• In Game Two of the doubleheader against Drake this past Saturday, Gomez nearly threw a complete game, throwing 6.1 innings with three strikeouts. 

STAY UP TO DATE 

• Every game at the 2023 MVC Softball Championship will be available to stream on ESPN+.   

• Fans are encouraged to follow along on UIC softball's social media accounts throughout the tournament.  

• For more information, go to UIC softball's 2023 MVC Softball Championship Fan Central page.