Wheeling, W. Va. - After a long off-season, the Wheeling University Softball team (0-0, 0-0) is ready to take the field as they kick off the 2023 season. They get things started with a tough non-conference schedule, which kicks off on Tuesday when they travel to Seton Hill for a doubleheader with the first game beginning at noon. The Cardinals look to continue their growth from last season and take that next step towards becoming a regular competitor in the Mountain East Conference (MEC).
The 2022 season was a year of growth for the Cardinals, with several of their players in either their freshman or sophomore seasons. Wheeling would battle a tough non-conference schedule once again and came out strong with a record of 7-8 as they entered MEC play. They would keep their success going with a split of their opening conference weekend games but hit a round patch through late March and into early April. Their next win wouldn't come until April 20th when they took down West Liberty. The Cardinals would earn two more series sweeps during the season and would finish the year with a record of 14-33, an overall mark of four wins better than the previous season, but a 6-25 record during the conference schedule.
The offense will once again look to be a driving force for the team with several veteran bats returning in the middle of the Cardinals order. Leading the way will be junior Brooke Slomkowski, who has the highest batting average among returning players. She hit .363 last season and was second among players on last year's squad. She finished third on the team with three home runs last season as well as 25 RBI. Fellow junior Anna Florczak had a breakout season in 2022, hitting a career-high five home runs and 12 RBI while hitting .245 that season. The Cardinals will look to provide run support for their pitchers in the circle.
While the Cardinals lost their top pitcher from the 2022 season, they return two of their top four pitchers in junior Jamie Anderson and sophomore Randi Holder. Anderson is the Cardinal's top returner, having pitched in 14 games and making nine starts for Wheeling last season. She pitched to a 6.79 ERA across 55.2 innings of work while walking 27 and striking out 14. Randi Holder also got her feet wet in the circle, throwing 52.2 innings while striking out 16 in the circle. Joining them will be a talented freshman pitcher from Martins Ferry in Maria Clark. She was named the OVAC Softball Player of the Year from Martins Ferry last year and looks to hit the ground running from day one.
As they get set to kick off the season, Wheeling begins what will once again be a tough non-conference stretch to start the year. They open the year with three straight regional series, including doubleheaders against Seton Hill, Salem, and IUP in their first six games of the year. After facing UINDY on March 3rd in their home opener, the team will be back down in Florida for the 2023 edition of The Spring Games. They will be facing some of the top teams in the region and look to gel and mesh together as they head towards conference play.
The Matchup
The Griffins and Cardinals are meeting for the 10th and 11th time in program history on Tuesday, with Seton Hill leading the all-time series with a record of 6-3. The Cardinals are 1-3 when they head to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, but have shown offensive success averaging just over five runs per game in those nine matchups. The two teams have split the past four meetings and are meeting for the first time since the 2021 season.
During that 2021 season, Seton Hill would sweep the doubleheader between the two teams, winning the first game 5-0 and following it up with a 12-0 win. Former Cardinal Reagan Smith registered a hit in both games to lead the way, while former Cardinal Autumn Oehlstrom had a strong showing in game one, going 1-2.
The Details
First pitch for Tuesday afternoon's game is scheduled for 12 PM at the Seton Hill Softball Complex on the campus of Seton Hill University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
