The Youngstown State softball team hosts Horizon League leader UIC in an important three-game series at the YSU Softball Field, April 12-13. First pitch on Saturday is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday's first pitch is set for Noon.

Last Time Out
The Penguins split a doubleheader against Saint Francis (Pa.) on April 9. Youngstown State dropped the first game, 6-3, but rebounded to take game two, 4-3. Freshman Darcella Blakey went 3-for-3 with a triple and freshman Maria Lacatena hit her first career home run to lead the Penguins to the win. Senior Casey Crozier pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts to pick up her 11th of the season.

Against Akron
The Penguins also split a doubleheader at Akron on April 8. After dropping game one, 8-2, Youngstown State knocked off the Zips, 8-7, in the night cap. Leading, 7-2, in the sixth, the Penguins gave up five runs to let the Zips tie the game at 7-7. In the top of the seventh, senior Haley Knight's RBI-fielder's choice scored Kayla Haslett with the go-ahead run. Haslett and freshman Sarah Dowd each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

About UIC
UIC enters the weekend with an overall record of 10-15 and 4-1 mark in Horizon League play. The Flames are coming off a split against North Dakota on April 8, falling, 11-10, and picking up a 10-2 victory. Senior Jacki Fletcher leads the Flames with a .458 batting average while Natalie Hernandez posts a .446 average and a team-best six home runs. Brigit Boyle leads the pitching staff with a 5-5 record. The Flames, though, have a 5.19 team earned-run average.

The UIC Series
In the previous 44 contests, UIC has been victorious 32 times, including taking two out of three last season. The Flames and Penguins split a doubleheader on day one. The Flames won, 5-1, while the Penguins won in eight innings, 6-5. The Flames won the rubber match, 3-2.

Brian Campbell Nearing 400th Career Victory
Head Coach Brian Campbell 395 wins, needs just fiveto reach 400 for his career. His career mark is 395-296-2 in 14 years. His six-year record at YSU is 110-168-1. The Penguins have also won 88 games since the start of the 2011 season.

Super K
Junior Kayla Haslett has become a spark in the Penguins' offense. Over the last 11 games which she has batted, Haslett is batting .407 (11-for-27) with five runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and eight runs batted in. She is also slugging .741 with a 1.198 OPS during that span.

The Crozier 500
Senior pitcher Casey Crozier is Youngstown State's career strikeout leader with 491. She needs just nine more to become the first pitcher in school history to post 500 strikeouts in a career. Crozier, who has 122 strikeouts this season, leads the Horizon League in strikeouts and innings pitched with 109.2 Her 122 strikeouts also rank fifth on the YSU single-season chart. She needs six more to pass herself for fourth place with 127 in 2012.