Wheeling, W. Va. – After inclement weather rolled through Wheeling, West Virginia over the weekend, the Wheeling University Baseball team is now set for back-to-back games to start the week. It begins with games three and four of their four game series with Fairmont State on Monday, April 24th, at noon and follows with a nine-inning non-conference affair with Seton Hill on Tuesday, April 25th, at 3 PM. After two big wins in the series opener, the Cardinals find themselves in second place in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division heading down the stretch.

In the series opener with Fairmont State, it was the Cardinals offense that led the way as the team picked up a doubleheader sweep. In both games, the Cardinals fell behind early and battled their way back into the game to earn the victory. In game one, the Cardinals fell behind 3-0 before getting on the board in the bottom of the second. They would score at least a run in four of the six offensive innings and battled back to pick up an 11-6 win to start the day. In game two, the deficit was bigger, as the Flacons put up six runs in the top of the second to take a 6-0 lead. It took a little longer for the Cardinals to battle back in this one, but three home runs, including a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game. The Cardinals were able to hold on to win 7-6 and even their conference record.

Leading the way for the Cardinal's 18 run outburst in the doubleheader was Jacob Murray, who combined to go 3-6 with two home runs and two RBI. In the first game, Murray finished 1-3 and scored two of his team's 11 runs in the first game of the day. However, his biggest game was in game two, when he hit two home runs and drove in three total runs to help his team clinch the come from behind 7-6 win. The home runs were Murray's 6th and 7th on the season as he sits second on the team with his seven home runs. Murray is climbing the Cardinal's all-time hit and RBI list and has a sho to write his name in the Wheeling record books. He is 13 RBI away from the all-time RBI record in program history and is 28 hits away from the all-time hit record. Both are still very much attainable with 12 games left in the regular season and the playoffs looming.

One record that was broken on Friday, was the single season home run record. It was broken by Braden Killens, who hit his ninth home run of the year in game one of the doubleheader. Killens has been on fire as of late, hitting .538 (14-26) with four home runs and 16 RBI in his last eight games. A long with breaking the single-season home run record, Killens is also very close to the single-season RBI record, needing just six more RBI to break the record of 47 RBI, set by former Cardinal Chris Iazzetta last season. It was also a big day for sophomore Spencer Craig, who came up in a big spot for the Cardinals with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. It was a two-run deficit and he lifted a two-run shot to tie the game at 6-6. It was Craig's third home run of the year and it was one of the biggest shots in what has been a career year for the sophomore.

With the two wins, the Cardinals currently sit in second place in the MEC North Division at 11-11 in conference play. They sit a game ahead of both West Liberty and Notre Dame College, who each sit at 10-12, and five games back of Frostburg State for the top spot, who sit at 16-8. With 10 more conference games ahead of them, the Cardinals still very much control their own destiny heading towards the tournament. With the race still being so close heading into the final week of the regular season, there is still a lot of work to do as the Cardinals are looking to return to the MEC Tournament for the first time since the 2021 season.

The Matchup

Fairmont State: The Cardinals and Falcons will be wrapping up their four-game series with the 54tu and 55th matchups all time, with Fairmont State leading the series at 32-21. With the first two wins on Friday, Wheeling improved their record to 13-16 at home against the Falcons and have won three of the past five games against Fairmont State. The Cardinals took the first two games of the series by scores of 11-6 and 7-6 to start the year. Jacob Murray led the way going 3-6 with two home runs and three RBI between the two games.

Seton Hill: The Cardinals and Griffins are meeting for just the second time in program history, with Seton Hill winning the first matchup. This will be the first time that the two have met in Wheeling, with their most recent meeting coming back on April 24th, 2010. It was a game that Seton Hill would win 5-0 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania as the Cardinals look to even up the all-time series. Wheeling is looking to score runs for the first time against Seton Hill in this year's matchup.

The Details

First pitch for Monday's series finale doubleheader against Fairmont State is scheduled for 12 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.