CHICAGO – UIC softball's freshman utility player Ari O'Connell has earned Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Freshman of the Week honors, announced by the conference on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. CT. O'Connell earns the Flames' second conference accolade of the year after Sam Tourtillott won Newcomer of the Week during the week of March 3^rd.

The Roselle, Ill. native helped lead the Flames to two victories over the weekend as she went 4-for-8 with one run, six RBI, a triple, a homer, a 1.125 SLG%, and a .556 OB%. In game one of the series, O'Connell hit her team leading fifth home run of the year to center field, leading the Flames to a 6-2 victory over the Bulldogs. 

Appearing in 29 games this season, O'Connell sits with a .260 AVG. She leads the team in homers (five), is tied for second in triples (one) and is in second in RBI (21) . 

The Flames will be back in action Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. CT when they take on the DePaul Blue Demons in non-conference play on the road. 

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