Wheeling, W. Va. - Heading into their opening weekend of play, Wheeling University Head Baseball Coach Ryan Lewicki noted pitching as the key to the team's success. The Cardinals got several strong starts on the mound, with seven pitchers having a sub 4.50 ERA, and kicked the year off with a 2-1 start. They look to continue to build on that success this weekend when they head to the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar, West Virginia, to take on Bluefield State in doubleheader action on Friday at noon and 3 PM (9-innings), followed by a single 9-inning game on Saturday at noon.

In their opening weekend set, the team traveled to Wild Things Park in nearby Washington, Pennsylvania as they battled teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). The weekend began with a game against Lake Erie college where the Cardinals bats broke out, leading the way in a 12-3 win. On Sunday, they would wrap up their series with games against Lake Erie and Atlantic Region powerhouse California University of Pennsylvania (CAL-U). The Cardinals would go to extra innings in their game against the Storm, securing a 6-4 win in 10-innings, and came back to drop the finale to the Vulcans 15-5. Overall, the Cardinals offense scored a combined 14 runs across the three games, and the pitching held opponents to four runs or less in two of the three games.

After appearing in just nine games off the bench for the Cardinals during his freshman campaign in 2022, sophomore Spencer Craig had a breakout weekend to start 2023. The first baseman combined to hit .557 (5-9) across the three-game stretch with his first collegiate home run and three RBI. The home run came in the final game of the weekend, when he pinch hit in the top of the sixth and sent the ball flying over the left field wall. He added two other multi-hit efforts to the weekend, going 2-4 against both Lock Haven and Lake Erie, to close out the weekend. A few new faces to the lineup also made their presence felt as Christian Boyles and Braden Killens each making an impact. Boyles leads the team with five RBI in the early going, while going 4-10 (.400) at the plate while Killens hit .273 across the weekend, while driving in two. Kobe Hill rounded out the top offensive performers, delivering the game winning hit against Lake Erie, and hitting .250 with three RBI on the weekend.
On the mound, the Cardinals got a pair of strong starts from two guys they will be relying on in the rotation throughout 2023.

Senior Dominic Parker-McDonald picked up where he left off in 2022, throwing 6.0 innings of three-run ball in the second game against Lake Erie College. He allowed all three runs in the third inning of that game and threw zeroes on the board the rest of the way. Transfer Kody McCarley would get the start in game one, and while he didn't go as long as Parker-McDonald, was still solid allowing two earned runs over 4.1 innings of work against Lock Haven. The Cardinals bullpen also had strong showings throughout the weekend, with Jared Naida, Kyle Dalton, Jake Rife, and Malkolm Barret each throwing scoreless innings of work.

As the Cardinals continue through their non-conference schedule, they look to continue pursuing their goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament. Despite the new faces, Lewicki has said that this group has bought into that goal and are working towards getting back to the tournament for the first time since the program restarted during the 2005 season. The Cardinals continue to face a heavy dose of in-region competition, including this weekend set against Bluefield State as they try to make their way into the Atlantic Regional Rankings heading into March.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Bulldogs are meeting for the fifth, sixth, and seventh times in program history this weekend with the all-time series sitting tied at 2-2. However, this will be the first meeting between the two teams in 11 seasons, with their last meeting coming on April 25th, 2012. The two teams have never met at a neutral site, and have split the two doubleheaders, one played in Wheeling and the other played in Bluefield, West Virginia.

In their last meeting, the teams split the two games in Wheeling, West Virginia, with Wheeling winning the first game 3-2 before the Bulldogs came back to win the second game 12-6. Former Cardinal Patrick Ammar led the way, combining to go 5-7 with three RBI between the two contests. Former Cardinal Robby Davia led the pitching staff with a strong outing in game one that saw him go 5.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out five.

The Details

First pitch for game one of Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for noon at the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar, West Virginia. Follow along with wucardinals.com all day for coverage and a complete recap of the doubleheader action.