GREEN BAY, Wis. – After splitting a doubleheader with St. Thomas earlier this week, the Green Bay softball team will return to Horizon League play when they head to the Windy City to take on UIC in a three-game series.

SERIES INFORMATION
Who: Green Bay (14-15, 6-3 HL) vs. UIC (6-20, 3-7 HL)
When: April 9-10, 2022
First pitch: April 9, 1:00 p.m. (Game 1) | April 9, 3:00 p.m. (Game 2) | April 10, 1:00 p.m. (Game 3)
Where: Flames Field – Chicago, Ill.
Watch: Game 1 | Game 2
Follow the action: Live Stats
 
CURRENT HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS

LAST TIME OUT
On Wednesday, the Phoenix split a doubleheader with the St. Thomas Tommies, winning game one in dramatic fashion before dropping game two. In the opener, St. Thomas jumped out to an early 3-0, but the Phoenix would answer quickly, scoring two runs apiece in the first and second innings to take a 4-3 lead. Senior Sam Soley's two-run blast gave GB a 4-3 lead that would hold until the seventh inning. Sarah Hudson, who finished 2-for-3 in the opening game, launched a three-run homer that gave the lead back to St. Thomas in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Sam Saloun ended the game with a two-RBI single to right.
 
In game two, the St. Thomas offense exploded for 13 runs. Green Bay attempted a comeback, crawling back into the game when Alicia Peters launched her team-leading eighth home run to cut the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth. St. Thomas would score seven more runs between the fifth and sixth innings, pulling away for the 13-3 win.

SERIES HISTORY
UIC has gotten the best of Green Bay in the all-time series, owning a 71-25 record against the Phoenix. Last season, the GB took three of four against the Flames at King Park. Prior to that, UIC was on a nine-game win streak against GB.

SCOUTING REPORT
Maica Ingles and Tara McElligott are UIC's top two hitters and are both in the top 11 in batting average in the HL. Ingles, who has started all 26 games, has recorded 27 hits in 80 at-bats. She's reaching base at a clip of .411, and has knocked in five runs. McElligott is hitting .324, but even more impressive is her OPS, which stands at 1.128 through 68 at-bats. The senior is reaching base at a clip of .452. She's launched six home runs and driven in 16 runs. Christina Toniolo is the Flames' ace, posting a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts. She's recorded the seventh-most innings in the HL (81.0) and has held opponents to a .229 average.

As a team, UIC hits .236, good for fifth in the Horizon League. They don't steal many bases, swiping just 10 in 17 attempts. Defensively, the Flames have a fielding percentage of .950, committing 41 errors, slightly more than Green Bay's 38. 

HONORS FROM THE HORIZON
Green Bay sophomore Jadin Justman was perhaps the hottest bat last weekend in the series win over Detroit Mercy. The Phoenix second baseman hit .556 with three runs, a double, two home runs, and four RBIs. Justman racked up 12 total bases on the weekend, with three extra-base hits. In Green Bay's second win over the Titans, Justman led the charge, finishing 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs. Across the three-game series, she slashed .556/.566/1.333.

HEY BATTER BATTER
Green Bay has been swinging the bats well this season, having four batters hitting over .300 (minimum 55 at-bats). Among that quad, a trio of players has cranked out a total of 18 home runs and tallied 53 RBIs. Tiffany Giese, one of two players who has started all 29 games for the Phoenix, has the third-highest OPS on the team (minimum 86 at-bats) at .922. The senior leadoff hitter is also second on the squad in on-base percentage (46.9-percent).

WELCOME TO THE (SAM) SHOW

Sam Saloun and Sam Soley stole the show on April 6 against St. Thomas when GB walked off the Tommies in game one of their doubleheader. Saloun first got Green Bay on the board with a two-run shot to left field. An inning later, Soley notched a two-run blast to left, giving the Phoenix a 4-3 lead. In the seventh inning, down 6-4, Soley smacked a double to right-center. Four batters later, with two outs, Saloun ripped a single up the middle, scoring the winning two runs. As two of GB's three primary catchers, Saloun and Soley have combined for a .278 batting average and 320 on-base percentage.

PRESEASON #HLSB POLL
The Horizon League released the 2022 preseason poll on Feb. 10.
 
2022 #HLSB Preseason Poll
Pl.       Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.         Oakland – 82 (2)
2.         Youngstown State – 81 (5)
3.         UIC – 74 (2)
4.         RMU – 62
5.         Green Bay – 49
6.         Northern Kentucky – 39
7.         IUPUI – 32
8.         Detroit Mercy – 29
9.         Cleveland State – 25
10.       Purdue Fort Wayne – 22
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
Fans are encouraged to follow Phoenix softball all season long. Select games will air live on ESPN+ and in the ESPN app. Each stream will be archived in the ESPN app after its conclusion. Fans can also follow the action in real-time with live stats. Be sure to check greenbayphoenix.com for additional information.
 
###

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Softball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenixSB and @GBPhoenix 

Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics on Facebook.

---GreenBayPhoenix.com---