TAMPA BAY, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2024) – The UIC softball team heads to the Sunshine State this weekend to compete in USF's Fonseca Memorial Tournament Thursday through Saturday. Live stats will be available for every game of the tournament. The only game to be streamed will be Thursday's contest against the Bulls, with a scheduled first pitch of 3:02 p.m. (CT).
UIC at THE FONSECA MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT AT USF
Where: USF Softball Stadium (Tampa Bay, Fla.)
When: Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 15-17
Tickets: TicketMaster.com
Click for the Tournament Central here
Click for live stats here

SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 15
vs. Boston College (11:30 a.m. CT)
vs. USF (3:02 p.m. CT) – ESPN+
Friday, Feb. 16
vs. Hofstra (8:00 a.m. CT)
vs. Purdue (10:30 a.m. CT)
Saturday, Feb. 17
vs. Hofstra (10:30 a.m. CT)

SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE

• This will be the fourth time the Flames are set to take on the Eagles. Boston College won the last meeting in 2009 at the Loyola Marymount Invitational in Los Angeles, Calif.
• The Flames hold an overall 2-1 series lead on the Eagles.
• The Eagles opened their season at Florida Gulf Coast University's Tournament, going 4-1 this past weekend. Junior Hannah Slike had a strong showing, batting .316 with six hits, including a homerun and four RBI over the weekend.

SCOUTING USF

• This will be the 18^th meeting between UIC and host USF, and the second consecutive season the two programs will face-off. Last year at USF Softball Stadium, the Bulls edged the Flames 7-3. Graduate student Carlee Jo Clark (Carol Stream, Ill./Southern Illinois) went one-for-three in the game with a double down the line for two RBI.
• The Bulls hold a 10-7 overall series lead against the Flames.
• USF went 4-2 in the USF-Rawlings Invitational last weekend, which included a nine-inning victory over MVC member Illinois State.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA

• This will be the first time since 2009 UIC and Hofstra will face off against each other, and just the sixth time in program history. The Flames are aiming to win their first game against the Pride since 2002, when they beat Hofstra 7-3 to open USF's Speedline Invitational.
• The Pride are coming off a 29-27 2023 campaign, in which they reached the NCAA Regional round. Hofstra lost to Cal and eventual 2023 Women's College World Series Champion Oklahoma in the Norman Regional.

SCOUTING PURDUE

• This will be the first time the Boilermakers and the Flames have clashed on the diamond since 2002 when UIC collected back-to-back victories in a double-header at Flames Field.
• The Boilermakers are coming off a 3-2 showing at Georgia's Red and Black Showcase, with a pair of wins against South Dakota and a win against fellow MVC member Murray State.

LAST WEEKEND: EASTON CLASSIC

• The Flames opened the 2024 season at the Cal State Fullerton's Easton Classic, going 0-5 over the first tournament of the year.
• Junior Jojo Santiago (Channahon, Ill./ Joliet Catholic Academy) collected three hits in eight at-bats for the Flames, boasting a team-leading .375 batting average. She also stole a base and collected three total bases, while leading the team in sacrifice hits with two.
• Five Flames finished the tournament with multiple hits, with senior Larisa Villa (La Habra, Calif./La Habra) and junior Grace Fleming (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) currently tied for the team lead with four hits.
• In their first weekend of their collegiate career, freshmen Siena Stickney (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capo Valley) and Cameran Rios (Effingham, Ill./St.  Anthony) each collected their first collegiate hits.
• The four pitchers that entered the circle for the Flames throughout the Easton Classic earned a collective 14 strikeouts, with graduate student Christina Toniolo (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) recording a team-high six strikeouts.

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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).
 
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