ridgeport, W. Va. - On Monday, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released its annual Baseball preseason poll ranking the north and south divisions. The Wheeling University Baseball team was picked as the favorite to win the MEC North Division this season, after claiming the conference title last season finishing 27-14. It was a big year for the Cardinals, as they broke the school record for wins in a season, but the expectations are still higher than ever entering 2022.
Wheeling returns most of their key players from last season, with six of the eight All-MEC award winners from last season returning. The group is highlighted by 2022 National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) Preseason All-Region Award winners Jacob Murray and Chris Iazzetta. They are joined by a group of 18 returning position players and 10 returning pitchers who are looking to continue to move the program forward and compete for a spot in the NCAA National Tournament.
On the offensive side of the ball, Wheeling is returning three of their top offensive players from last season in Murray, Iazzetta, and Cameron Riley. All three players had a batting average over .300 last season and Iazzetta and Riley tied for the team lead with seven home runs apiece. On the mound, Wheeling brings back their top starter Logan Pillars and reliever Kyle Dalton and Brendan Moran. Pillars logged the most innings for the Cardinals last season, throwing 57.0 innings of work going 4-4 with a 6.00 ERA.
After having their seasons limited the last two seasons due to COVID-19 protocols, the Wheeling University Baseball team is excited to return to a full 50 game schedule in 2022. Of those 50 games, 41 come against in-region opponents as the Cardinals try to climb the ladder on the national stage and get into the National Tournament for the first time in program history. They kick off their season with a slate of non-conference games in Florida, North Carolina, and West Virginia throughout the month of February. They play their conference opener on March 19th when they host Concord at J.B. Chambers Sports Complex.
Wheeling earned the #1 spot in the North Division thanks to eight first place votes, and Concord was picked to win the South Division with seven first place votes. Behind Wheeling in the North Division were West Liberty (45) and Fairmont State (63 (1)). The rest of the MEC Baseball Preseason Poll looks like this:
North Division:
1. Wheeling
2. West Liberty
3. Fairmont State
4. Frostburg State
5. Notre Dame
6. Alderson Broaddus
South Division
1. Concord
2. West Virginia State
3. Charleston
4. Glenville State
5. Davis & Elkins
6. West Virginia Wesleyan
The Wheeling University Baseball team kicks off their season on Thursday, February 3rd, when they head down to Florida to take on Palm Beach Atlantic University. First pitch is scheduled for 6 PM.
