CHICAGO (April 25, 2024) – The UIC baseball team (25-12, 9-6 MVC) continues its season-long eight game home stand this weekend, as it welcomes MVC foe Valparaiso (12-26, 4-11 MVC) to Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon.
 
FLAMES FACTS

• The Flames got the best of Northern Illinois on Wednesday night, rallying back from down 4-1 to earn a 5-4 victory, thanks to a go-ahead two-RBI double from AJ Henkle (Huntley, Ill./McHenry County College).

 

Another ?? at AJ Henkle's two-RBI double in the seventh last night#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/ihVHp9bPaO

— UIC Baseball ???? (@UIC_Baseball) April 25, 2024

 

• UIC has been nearly unbeatable on its home turf this season at Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium, boasting a 14-2 record in the South Loop.
• The Flames offense has continued to be strong throughout the first three quarters of the season, as UIC leads the Missouri Valley Conference in team batting average at .306. There have been 21 games this year that the Flames have amassed double-digit hits as a team.
• Kendal Ewell (Calumet City, Ill./Kentucky) had another strong week after being named MVC Player of the Week on April 15, going 7-for-13 (.538) in three games for the Flames. In the series against the Racers, he drove in eight runs and scored five of his own. Ewell belted two home runs in a Saturday 13-9 win over the Racers. He followed that up with a walk-off, two-run home run in Sunday's series clinching mercy-rule victory. Ewell also reached on a walk, hit by pitch, and stole a base.
• UIC holds a 77-59 all-time record against Valparaiso, but only took one out of three games from the Beacons in Indiana during the 2023 season.

All three games of the weekend series can be seen live on ESPN+, and listened to free of charge on the Flames Network.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
For more information on UIC Athletics and UIC baseball, visit UICFlames.com. Fans can also follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Baseball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_baseball and @uicflames).