Wheeling, W. Va. – As they do every season, Wheeling University Head Baseball Coach Ryan Lewicki sets up a tough non-conference schedule as his team prepares for Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Cardinals (7-4, 0-0) prepare for their final non-conference series before the start of MEC play on Saturday when they head to Salem University for a three-game series. The Cardinals look for their third series victory of the season before they dive headfirst into their conference schedule.

Last time out, the Cardinals made a five-game trip to North Carolina where they played three games against Carolina University and two against Mid-Atlantic Christian University. The finale of the weekend came against Carolina University in a game that Wheeling was able to hold on and win 7-6. After the Bruins scored the first run of the game in the first inning, the Cardinals came back with three runs between the second and third innings and took a 3-1 lead. Carolina U would add two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 3-3 game, but the Cardinals put three more up in the top of the fifth and got a much-needed insurance run in the top of the ninth to make it 7-3. The Bruins put up three runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it a 7-6 game before the Cardinals closed it out to get their seventh victory of the season.

On the offensive side, it was a big weekend for Thomas Kegerreis, who played in four of the five games and picked up at least one hit in all four of those games. He went 6-14 (.429) across the four games with two home runs and five RBI to lead the team in both run production categories. His biggest game of the weekend came in that series finale when he drove in three of his team's seven runs, including a two-run home run to take the team lead in home runs. Christian Boyles also had himself a weekend, hitting .454 (5-11) with four RBI across the three games he played. His best game came in the first game against Mid-Atlantic Christian University, where he went 2-4 with a double and two RBI to help lead his team to a 6-2 victory.

On the mound, all the talk surrounded reigning MEC Pitcher of the Week Kody McCarley, who set the tone for the weekend with a complete game shutout. The right-hander scattered just three hits and walked three while striking out 13 batters in the opener against Carolina University. His 13 strikeouts were the most for a Cardinals pitcher since the 2010 season when Noah Mull accomplished the feat during his senior season. The Cardinals also got a strong showing from Kenny Jinks in the first game against MACU. Jinks turned in his best start in a Cardinals uniform, allowing two runs, one earned on five hits while walking four and striking out 12. Both will be big parts of the Cardinals rotation this year as they look to compete in the MEC this season.

With this final non-conference series, the Cardinals will get one more chance to clean things up before they head into conference play. The conference schedule doesn't get much easier for Wheeling as their first weekend sees them taking on the top team in the MEC South from the preseason poll, followed by the number three team. With the pitching staff showing promise with a 6.80 ERA and the offense doing its part with a team average of .249, the Cardinals are looking to secure their third weekend series win of the season over the first four weeks.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Tigers will be meeting for the 15th time in program history, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 9-5. This will be the seventh time that the two teams have met in Salem, West Virginia, and the Cardinals also lead the series there with a record of 5-2. The Cardinals enter play this weekend having won five straight games against Salem, and would love to add three more wins to their schedule this weekend.

In their most recent meeting, it was the Cardinal's offense that led the way with Wheeling picking up a 16-6 win as part of a PSAC/MEC Crossover weekend. Former Cardinal Riley Cameron led the way, going 3-5 with a home run and three RBI while former Cardinal Connor Watt and Anthony May would each drive in three runs on the day. Former Cardinal Logan Pillars got the start and went 6.0 innings allowing three runs while walking two and striking out five to earn the win.

The Details

Day one of the three-game series will be a doubleheader on Saturday, March 11th, with first pitch scheduled for 12 and 2:30 PM. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.