Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Baseball team (3-9, 0-0) gets set for their final non-conference series before the start of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Thursday when they open a three-game set with Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). The Cardinals got their offense going last week when they scored a combined 36 runs in three games down in Salem, W. Va., and they look to keep that success going in their final tune-up before conference play.

Last weekend, the team took on Alderson Broaddus, Salem University, a Mercyhurst, going 2-1 in those three games. They opened the weekend scoring 20 runs against a divisional opponent in Alderson Broaddus as they took advantage of several Battlers' miscues. They advanced on wild pitches and drew bases-loaded walks to account for six of their runs in a 20-10 victory. They kept it going on Saturday, this time using their muscle to crack out a 16-6 win over the Tigers. Wheeling hit six home runs in the game, including two three-run bombs, to account for all 1 of their runs. The Cardinals finished the weekend against regional ranked Mercyhurst and ended up falling 19-3 to move to 3-9 on the season.

One guy who had a great weekend was catcher/designated hitter Riley Cameron. Cameron's biggest effort came in the game against Salem when he hit two of Wheeling's six home runs and drove in three RBI while going a perfect 3-3 at the plate. With the effort, Cameron now has a team-best .344 batting average and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. Cameron has been a consistent force in the middle of the Cardinals lineup and has sparked the team as of late. Setting up Cameron in that the top of the order has been Blake Vandiver, who has a .915 OPS and a healthy .492 on-base percentage. He scored a team-high three runs in the effort against Salem and was on base in three of his five at-bats that day.

On the mound, senior Logan Pillars and Hayden Wilcox each turned in strong outings for the Cardinals pitching staff. Pillars took the mound against Salem and threw six strong innings of work, his longest start of the season so far. He gave up two runs early in the outing but was able to blank the Tigers up until the sixth inning. He picked up his second win of the season in what was a bounce-back effort for the senior pitcher. In the first game of the weekend, Wilcox faced Alderson Broaddus and although he didn't go nearly as deep as Pillars did, he made up for it with quality work on the mound. He lasted three innings against the Battlers allowing just one run before giving way to the bullpen. Both pitchers helped to rebound a staff that had its share of struggles early in the season.

In this final non-conference series before MEC play, the Cardinals will be looking to clean a few things up before they make the push back to the MEC playoffs. The pitching staff has gotten better and better each time they take the mound, and the offense has shown an ability to score a lot of runs. They will look to work on tandem down the stretch as Wheeling looks to pile on the wins. They are looking for their first win against a PSAC school this season, and IUP offers another chance to battle a ranked opponent. With the NCAA tournament still the ultimate goal for season's end, it is a chance for the team to raise their standing in the region and show they can hold their own against top opponents.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Crimson Hawks are meeting for just the second time in team history, and the second time in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The previous meeting between the two teams was an offensive affair with the teams combining to score 35 runs. However, it was the Cardinals that came out on top, thanks to a 10-run top of the third inning as they held on for the win.

The offensive leader for the Cardinals in that game was Cameron, who went 3-5 with a team's best three RBI and a double. In total, five Cardinals finished with multi-hit games in the offensive shootout. Wheeling's offense looks to bring just as much firepower this time as they try to keep their perfect record against IUP.

The Details

First Pitch for Thursday's opener of the three-game series is scheduled for 2 pm. You can follow along with the action through Live Stats by clicking HERE.