Wheeling, W. Va. - After wrapping up Mountain East Conference (MEC) south play this past weekend, the Wheeling University Baseball team (14-11, 5-8) turns their attention to MEC North Division play and the stretch run. They begin their preparations on Tuesday when they host Walsh in a nine-inning non-conference game at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex at 3 PM. It will be the Cardinal's first nine-inning affair since the beginning of March as they look to get some momentum before divisional play.

Last time out, the Cardinals earned their first split of the 2023 season when they headed to Glenville, West Virginia to take on the Pioneers. In game one, the Cardinals got a strong pitching performance and jumped on the Pioneers early. They scored two of their five runs in the first inning of the game and added on in both the third and  fifth innings to build a 5-3 lead before going on to win 5-4. In the second game, the Cardinals bats just couldn't get going and the Pioneers were poised to bounce back. Wheeling fell 10-0 to wrap up the day and finished the weekend 1-3 against Concord and Glenville State.

Leading the way at the plate for the Cardinals over the past week has been third baseman Braden Killens. Over his last six games Killens has been on a tear, hitting .538 (7-13) with a double, a triple, three home runs, and 11 RBI. He drove in his 11th run in the opening game against Glenville State and was not in the lineup for the second game. Killens has been a big boost to the middle of the Cardinals lineup this season and leads the team with five home runs and 23 RBI. Killens looks to keep his momentum going as the team prepares for Divisional Play.

On the mound, the Cardinals got a strong effort from Kenny Jinks, who moved to 4-1 on the season with a big performance in game one. He didn't allow his first hit of the game until the third inning and was charged with just three runs over 5.0 innings of work. It was the second straight quality start for the right-hander as he continues to become a dominant second starter for the team. Hunter Dyck was scored upon coming out of the bullpen, but picked up his third save of the season. Dyck did give up one earned run in the bottom of the seventh, but was able to help his team hold on for the win.

The Cardinals enter MEC North Division Play sitting in a tie for second with rival West Liberty at 5-7 in MEC play. They are a game back of Division Leading Frostburg State and hold just a one game lead over their weekend opponent Notre Dame College. No team in the MEC Nort has a conference record over .500 entering the weekend and the Cardinals are looking to change that with this upcoming four-game set. Before they can focus on that, they look ahead to the first of four mid-week non-conference affairs as they try to get some momentum on their side.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Cavaliers will be meeting for the first time in program history when the two teams meet on Tuesday afternoon. Walsh enters play on Tuesday with a 13-11 record overall and a 9-2 record in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play. Wheeling will be welcoming the Cavaliers to the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex for the first meeting in this series as they look to start the all-time series off with a bang.

The Details

First pitch for Tuesday's nine-inning affair is scheduled for 3 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.