CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) – Fresh off a series sweep of Southern Illinois over the weekend, the UIC baseball team (19-10, 5-4 MVC) heads back on the road this week, beginning with a mid-week contest at Northwestern (10-18, 0-6 B1G) Tuesday afternoon.
 
FLAMES FACTS

• The Flames earned their first MVC series sweep of the season and third all-time over the weekend, as UIC topped SIU at Curtis Granderson Stadium. With the three wins, the Flames jumped five spots in The Valley standings, all the way to third.
• Zane Zielinski continues to rank among the best in the MVC offensively, cracking the top 10 in batting average (.368), slugging percentage (.632), and doubles (10).
• Flames closer Reece Lawler ranks second in The Valley with six saves after shutting the door in the series opener against SIU Friday. Lawler also closed the door in a non-save situation to help secure the sweep on Saturday.
• The Flames rank fourth in The Valley in team batting average at .291, and fourth in team ERA at 5.51.

 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• Northwestern enters the week on the heels of being swept by Penn State over the weekend in University Park, Penn.
• Bennett Markinson has shown tremendous improvement in his junior season, leading the Wildcats offensively with a .330 season batting average.
• The Wildcats are strong defensively, ranking third in the Big Ten in fielding percentage at .975.

 
Tuesday night's game can be seen on Big Ten Network + with a paid subscription, or heard free of charge on the Flames Network with the voice of the Flames Jonathan Hood, alongside AJ Schraffenberger. Live stats will also be available courtesy of Northwestern athletics.
 
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).