The Flames on defense
On any typical night in Chicago, the Willis Tower glows magnificently, but this past Tuesday a field in the foreground of the tower’s presence glowed brighter. The UIC Flames (6-14) took on the Northwestern Wildcats (6-18) at Les Miller Field in UIC’s first game against a Big 10 opponent this season. From the beginning of the game, Northwestern seemed to have complete control, scoring one run in the first inning and loading the bases twice. The game soon turned around and the Flames began to light up the scoreboard finishing with a 6-1 victory over their Big 10 opponent.
Entering the 2010 season, the Flames had the 9th toughest schedule among all Division 1 teams. Despite junior Matt Serna’s team-high batting average this season and senior Chris Rutta who before the game on Tuesday ranked 2nd in the Horizon League for homeruns and 3rd in hitting percentage, the Flames were for the most part unable to capitalize on their talent. The Flames struggled early this season by starting on a three game losing streak to Le Moyne College and Canisius College. The run margin they lost by was significantly high and over their next twelve games, they would only be victorious in two of them.
Steve McGuiggan, outfielder for the Flames, said, “We began this season trying to find our identity and had to face a lot of struggles. That is something UIC baseball is not used to. UIC Baseball has become a program that is expected to win.”
Although the season didn’t start how the team planned it to, there were some sparks of encouragement. Infielder/outfielder Matt Serna was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the period of February 14-21 while outfielder Chris Rutta received that same recognition for the week of March 7-14. Just recently, Steve McGuiggan received the same recognition for the week of March 21-28. In a span of only 19 games, these three players helped keep the team encouraged and motivated by winning these prestigious awards.
The Flames did not remain in their early season slump for long. Recently they have begun to burst forth with energy by winning the last four of five games which includes a victory over Notre Dame and the recent victory over Northwestern. The Flames have been victorious in this streak by putting up impressive numbers and scoring runs when they had to.
What can be attributed to this sudden change of pace? I asked sophomore catcher Nathan Orf and with laughter in his voice he said, “Coach had a big talk with us and we turned our game around.” Player Steve McGuiggan also gave light as to why this change in pace has occurred, “After our Notre Dame win, we seemed to start to gel together as a team. Younger guys are gaining experience and older players are stepping up as leaders. Tuesday’s game was another reminder of how far we’ve come.”
Steve McGuiggan at the plate
Approaching the 50th match-up between the two teams, the Wildcats led in victories over the Flames (34-14-1) obviously placing the burden for a victory on UIC. As the city loomed in the background with all its lights and grandeur, at least for UIC not much was shining forth from the field. By the end of the first inning, the Wildcats already scored their first run and seemed to be in much control until the Flames scored their first run in the 3rd inning.
The Flames glowed brighter as the night progressed with Steve McGuiggan’s homerun in the 5th to bring home two runs and brighter still with freshman Joe Betcher’s homerun in the 6th, bringing home two runs. In the 8th inning the Flames scored their last run. The end result is a 6-1 victory for UIC.
The reason for this victory and motivation for future games can be explained by how player Nathan Orf puts it, “If we have energy we’re going to win a lot of games.” As the team broke from their after game huddle, the players looked excited about the victory. I overheard Head Coach Mike Dee talking with someone as the players packed up their things and the look on his face added to the fact that these recent wins are a sweet thing.
The UIC Flames (6-14, 2-1 Horizon League) face their Horizon League opponent, Youngstown State, this weekend in Ohio for a three game set. The Flames have their next home game on April 9th at 7:05pm CST against Horizon League foe Butler. The Northwestern Wildcats have their next home game against Big 10 opponent Ohio State on April 2nd at 3:00pm.
Article by staff writer:
Ryan Nangle
College Sports | Second City College Sports 