Wheeling, W. Va. – After a big mid-week game that saw them score 18 runs, the Wheeling University Baseball team (20-16, 9-11) heads back to Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Play on Friday. They continue their battle with four teams for the final two spots as they host one of those teams when they open a four-game set with Fairmont State. The Cardinals offense has found it's groove lately, scoring six or more runs in three of its last five games as they look to keep that streak rolling.

Last time out, the Cardinals took on IUP in a mid-week matchup as the Cardinals put on a hit parade. They scored 18 runs in the contest while racking up 11 hits to get their 20th win of the season. Early in, it was the Crimson Hawks that gained the advantage as they scored five runs in the top of the second to take an early lead. Wheeling answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning and after two and a half, IUP extended their lead to 6-1. The Cardinals bats just kept coming and they took their first lead of the day with seven runs over the next two innings and just kept scoring. A six-run bottom of the seventh secured the victory as the Cardinals went on to win 18-8 and picked up a big region win as they chase not only towards the conference championship but towards an NCAA Regional berth. 

Leading the way once again was sophomore Braden Killens, who finished the day 3-3 with two RBI and four runs scored. Over his last five games, Killens has driven in 13 runs and leads the team with 39 RBI on the year entering the weekend. Killens currently sits eight RBI away from the single season record of 47, set by former Cardinal Chris Iazzetta, and he has a chance to reach that mark this weekend with four games sitting ahead. Another record that is very much in reach is the single-season wins record as Kenny Jinks currently sits at 6-1. He needs just one more win to tie the single-season record of seven, set by former Cardinal Noah Mull in 2010. Both records have a chance to be broken this weekend against a tough Falcons team.

Another headline for this Cardinals team has been the work of their bullpen, and especially the back-end of that bullpen. The Cardinals used nine different pitchers in their win against IUP and of those nine pitchers, and six of those threw scoreless outings. Leading the way in that bullpen is closer Hunter Dyck, who has the second lowest ERA on the team at 1.54. In 23.1 innings pitched this season, Dyck has allowed just six runs total, with four of those being earned. Another Cardinal relievers who has flourished is graduate student Jake Rife. Rife is putting together a career year in 2023, and boasts the team's lowest ERA at 1.47. He is tied for the most appearances on the team this season with 10 and has thrown the second most innings in the bullpen at 17.1.

Entering the weekend, the MEC North is a jumbled mess of teams trying to make the MEC Tournament. Frostburg State leads the way with a record of 12-8 after the Cardinals and Bobcats split their weekend last weekend. Behind them are Wheeling, West Liberty, and Notre Dame College all tied at 9-11 in conference and Fairmont state sits right behind them with a record of 8-12 with three weekends to go. The top three teams in the division will head to Charleston for this year's tournament and the Cardinals are looking to make their first trip since the 2021 season. As it shapes up now, the Cardinals still have a chance to win the Division, but they will control their own destiny and are looking for wins heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 52nd through 56th time in program history on Friday, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 32-19. Wheeling has faired much better at home then they have on the road against the Falcons, with a record of 11-16. It correlates with the Cardinals better record at home this season, sitting at 7-3. The Cardinals look to bounce back against Fairmont State, having lost five of the past six against the Falcons.

In their 2022 season series, the Cardinals lost three of the four games in Fairmont State. In the second doubleheader of the series, Fairmont State came away with a pair of victories at 12-4 and 6-2. Former Cardinal Riley Cameron led the way in game one, going 1-2 with two RBI and Pete Toula led the way in game two going 1-3 with two RBI.

The Details

First Pitch for Friday's series opening doubleheader is scheduled for 2 PM at the J.B. Chambers I-470 complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.