Wheeling, W. Va. - On Tuesday, the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Released their 2022 NCAA Division II Pre-Season Poll, and the Wheeling University Baseball team cracked the top 40 for the first time in program history. The Cardinals came in at number 38 in the nation after setting the single season win record for the program by going 27-14 and 22-9 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play and look to continue to build on that success with many key pieces returning from last season.
Wheeling finished ahead of Franklin Pierce (#39) and Cal St. Monterey Bay (#40) and were one of three Mountain east Conference teams to make the list. Last season, Wheeling won the MEC North Division by four games over West Liberty and had the third best record in the conference. They made it to the MEC Tournament but lost both of their games to Concord (15-1) and West Virginia State (6-3), ending their season.
Despite the early playoffs exit, Wheeling named eight players to the All-MEC Postseason Honors list, including five All-MEC First Team selections. Of those eight Postseason honorees, five are set to return this season to lead the team on their journey back to the MEC playoffs. All five will look to provide leadership for their teams and build off the success they had last season.
On the offensive side of the ball, junior Riley Cameron returns behind the plate and brings some power to the Cardinals lineup. He tied for the team lead with seven home runs in 2021, while hitting an impressive .333 and driving in 30 RBI in 39 games played. He tied with fellow All-MEC honoree Chris Iazetta with seven home runs but led Wheeling with 38 RBI while hitting .305. Rounding out the offensive returners is sophomore infielder Jacob Murray, who has the highest batting average of any returning players at .365.
On the mound, Wheeling loses former Cardinal Albert Baez, but brings back junior Jared Nadia and senior Logan Pillars. Nadia had a breakout season last year for the Cardinals, going 5-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 11 games, 10 starts. He allowed the fourth fewest earned runs for the Cardinals last season and returns looking to be a leader for the staff. Pillars was Wheeling's leader in strikeouts with 43 and led the team with 57 innings of work. He will look to be a workhorse for the team again in 2022, while serving as a leader for the pitching staff.
The Wheeling University Baseball team kicks off the 2022 season with a trip to Florida for a stretch of three games. They open their season when they take on Palm Beach Atlantic University on February 3rd, 2022.
