Northwestern University Athletics
NU Faces Crosstown Rival UIC in Midweek Clash
4/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Northwestern (9-24, 3-6 B1G) vs. UIC (16-13-1, 11-4 Horizon) |
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| Date | Time | Wednesday, April 15 | 6 p.m. |
| Location | Curtis Granderson Stadium | Chicago, Ill. |
| Media | Watch: ESPN3 Live Stats: |
| Notes | Northwestern | UIC |
| Social | @NUCatsBaseball | @NU_SportsLIVE |
SCOUTING UIC
· The Flames took two-of-three from Milwaukee this past weekend to remain on top of the Horizon League standings.
· UIC's 11-4 conference record serves as the team's best league start since the 2008 campaign.
· The Flames have won 10 of their last 12 contests and have outscored their opponents by a margin of 73-28, which includes three shutout victories.
· UIC's bullpen owns an ERA of 2.27 with an opponent batting average of .239.
· Sophomore Cody Bohanek leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage with marks of .350 and .472, respectively.
· As a team, the Flames rank 26th in the country with an on-base percentage of .392.
· The Flames will face NIU on Tuesday before hosting the Wildcats.
LAST TIME OUT vs. UIC
Northwestern slowed one of the nation's leading offenses and put up some prodigious power of its own to topple the UIC Flames on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. With the win, Northwestern snapped UIC's eight-game winning streak which had been tied for the fifth longest in the nation entering the week. It was NU's fourth consecutive win over its crosstown rivals.
NEXT UP FOR THE WILDCATS
Northwestern will continue its Big Ten slate when it heads to Iowa City for a three-game set against No. 24 Iowa, beginning Friday, April 17. All games will be broadcast live on BTN2GO. The Hawkeyes own a 130-100 advantage in the overall series and have won six of the last 10 meetings. Iowa is currently tied for first in the league.
WRECK `EM RUCHIM
Fifth-year senior Kyle Ruchim leads the Wildcats with a .352 batting average and has hit five of NU's 11 home runs for a season best. The outfielder also leads the squad in RBI (21), runs (21) and slugging percentage (.600) to sit second in the Big Ten. This season, the senior tallied his 100th-career run against Ball State on March 6 and his 200th-career hit at Chicago State (March 31). Ruchim has reached based in 20-consecutive games, for the longest Northwestern run since Trevor Stevens reach based in 28- straight games in 2011, and owns an eight-game hitting streak.
ROAD WARRIORS
Northwestern has not had a home game yet this season and will play 37 road games before heading home to Rocky Miller Park. The `Cats home opener is slated for Tuesday, April 21, against Milwaukee. NU is 7-16 in true road games this year.
DOUBLING UP
Fifth-year senior Scott Heelan, who is hitting .328 with a nine-game hitting streak this spring, leads the Big Ten in doubles with 14, while outfielder Kyle Ruchim and junior Zach Jones sit third with 12 doubles apiece. The Wildcats also lead the conference in doubles with 78, averaging 2.36 doubles per game to sit 10th in the country.
ZACH ATTACK
Junior first baseman Zach Jones has played a critical role in the Wildcat's offense this year. The Glenview, Ill., native is hitting .331 and has tallied 16 runs on a team-best 45 hits along with 20 RBI and 13 doubles. On March 20, Jones tied a school record for hits in a single game when tallied seven against UNLV. The junior has reached base in 15-consecutive games and holds an eight-game hitting streak.
HOT BATS
Northwestern ranks among the Big Ten top six in multiple offensive categories including first in doubles (78), second in at bats (1246), third in hits (346), fourth in total bases (465) and sixth in batting average (.278). On Sunday, March 29, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten series with a commanding 19-7 win over Minnesota. The 19 runs scored were the most by NU since 2006 when the squad edged past Illinois in a 19-18 slugfest. The Wildcats have registered double-digit hits in seven of their last eight games. Through Big Ten play, Northwestern is hitting .285 to sit third in the league.
MILESTONE MAGS'
Senior Brandon Magallones recorded his 200th-career strikeout in a 19-7 win over Minnesota (March 29). The right-handed pitcher earned the win after pitching five innings and fanning five batters. Magallones needs just one more K to crack Northwestern all-time top 10 for career strikeouts.
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