HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team travels to UIC this weekend for a Horizon League series. The series begins on Friday, April 12 at 4:05 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. CT. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET/12:05 p.m. CT.
 
Northern Kentucky vs. UIC
Friday, April 12 – Chicago, Ill. – 4:05 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. CT – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday, April 13 – Chicago, Ill. – 1:05 p.m. ET/12:05 p.m. CT – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday, April 13 – Chicago, Ill. – 4:05 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. CT- ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
 
SERIES HISTORY
UIC leads the series 13-3. The Flames went 5-1 a year ago against the Norse.
 
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE NORSE
NKU is 8-24 on the season and 6-6 in the Horizon League. Last weekend, the Norse won two out of three games against Wright State, but NKU fell to No. 12 Louisville and Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
 
The Norse are currently scheduled to play 19-straight road games beginning this weekend. Will Haueter leads the team with a .289 batting average with six doubles and three home runs. He also has 15 RBI and 18 runs. Haueter ranks fourth at NKU in career doubles (52), sixth in career hits (218), and eighth in career at bats (674). Griffin Doersching leads the team with six home runs and 22 RBI.
 
SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Will Haueter was named one of 10 finalists for the 2019 baseball Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
During his time at NKU, Haueter has volunteered his time with a number of organizations including the Children's Hospital, Down Syndrome Association, American Cancer Society, Team Impact, Read Across America, and the Disabled American Veterans.


Haueter graduated last spring with a degree in finance, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in the process. He was selected as the U.S. Bank/Haile School of Business Most Outstanding Student in Finance. In addition, he was named the recipient of NKU's prestigious Regents Award, which is given to one senior student from the university who has demonstrated professionalism and leadership within the university's community and who has an emphasis on continuation of graduate-level work. The award is sponsored by the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents.
 
Haueter was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team, as selected by CoSIDA. He also earned Horizon League All-Academic Team honors and was named the 2018 Horizon League Male Spring Scholar-Athlete. Currently, Haueter is working on his master's degree in integrative studies at NKU, and he has a 4.0 GPA.
 
In addition to his success in the classroom, Haueter was named to the All-Horizon League First Team last season. He hit for a .360 average in 2018, which ranked first in the Horizon League. He was second in the league in doubles (19), on-base percentage (.451), and slugging percentage (.600).
 
HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Bacon was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, and Joe Martin earned Horizon League Pitcher of the week honors on Monday, March 18.
 
Bacon went 6-of-11 (.545) at the plate from March 15-17 with a home run, six RBI, and three runs scored. In the 13-5 victory over Youngstown State, Bacon batted 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. One of his hits in the game was a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
He followed that performance with another 3-for-4 outing in the 7-6 win over the Penguins on Saturday, March 16. Bacon scored a run and had two RBI in the contest to help NKU get the victory. Bacon leads the team with a .315 average this season.
 
Joe Martin helped the Norse get two out of their three wins against Youngstown State. In the 13-5 win on March 15, Martin pitched 3.0 scoreless innings and picked up a save. He didn't allow a hit or walk to the 10 batters he faced, and he also struck out four hitters.
 
On Saturday, March 16, Martin earned the win on the mound in NKU's 7-6 victory. He threw 2.0 innings, giving up an unearned run and two hits. He also struck out three batters.
 
SCOUTING UIC
The Flames enter the contest with a 13-13 overall record and are first place in the Horizon League with a 7-4 record. UIC went 1-2 last weekend against Youngstown State, and picked up a 15-10 win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday. Ryan Hampe leads the team with a .413 batting average with 16 RBI and 12 runs scored. Scott Ota has a .340 average, and he has the top mark on the team in runs (25), RBI (25), doubles (7), and home runs (9). Matt Bottcher is also having a good year, as he is batting at a .324 clip with 20 runs, five RBI, three doubles, and a triple.
 
On the mound, NKU is likely to see Jacob Key, Joey Fredrickson, and Patrick Martin. Key is 4-4 on the year, but sports a 2.57 ERA. He has 45 strikeouts in 56.0 innings pitched. Fredrickson is 3-4 this season with a 4.27 ERA, and Martin in 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA.
 
HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS
Entering this weekend, UIC is at the top of the Horizon League with a 7-4 record. Wright State sits a half game back at 7-5, while NKU and Oakland are a game back of the Raiders. Milwaukee and Youngstown State round out the league standings.
 
Team               League Record           Overall Record
UIC                   7-4                               13-13
Wright State     7-5                                22-11
Oakland           6-6                                8-21
NKU                 6-6                                8-24
Milwaukee        5-6                               16-13
YSU                  4-8                               8-25
 
 
BOBBY FONG AWARD
The NKU baseball team was named the recipient of the Horizon League's Bobby Fong Award in 2018. The award encompasses the league's values of integrity, respect and stewardship and is presented to one current Horizon League student-athlete or team. The award is named for the late Dr. Bobby Fong, a former Butler University president who served on the Horizon League Board of Directors from 2001-2011. The NKU baseball team has historically been the leader of the athletic department in the area of community service and impact. The team participates in a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas.
 
UP NEXT
The Norse will play at Youngstown State in Horizon League action from April 18-20. The series begins on Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m.