Wheeling, W. Va. – With the Wheeling University Baseball team (26-19, 15-13) clinching a spot in the 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Baseball tournament, a big series to determine seeding is set up for "The Battle for Wheeling" this weekend. Before that, the Cardinals will hit the road for their final non-conference game on Wednesday, when they take on Salem in a game that was rescheduled from back on March 12th at 2 PM. A win would tie the single-season program wins record as the Cardinals look to keep it rolling late in the year.
Last time out, the Cardinals clinched their spot in the MEC tournament as they swept the second day of their series with Alderson Broaddus. They won the weekend, taking three out of four from the Battlers, and did it on the backs of a strong offensive attack that scored a combined 22 runs. In both games, the Cardinals got out to a big lead early, with their biggest coming in game one when they scored four first inning runs. Alderson Broaddus would battle back in the bottom of the fourth, but a four-spot in the top of the fifth was enough to seal the 10-8 win for the Cardinals. In game two, the Cardinals offense was sustaining early, scoring two in the first and at least one run up until the fifth inning to build a 10-0 lead. Alderson Broaddus would once again battle back, with five runs in the bottom of the fifth and four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals hung on to win 12-9.
Sophomore Braden Killens continued his strong season, driving in four runs in the second game of the doubleheader, while hitting his team-high 10th home run of the season. He finished the day 2-4 with a double, home run, and four RBI as he continues to hit the cover off the ball. He currently leads the team in home runs (10) and RBI (49), while sitting second on the team with a .345 batting average and sits fifth in the conference in home runs and third in RBI. Both marks are new single-season records for the Wheeling Baseball program, and he has picked up a hit in four of his last five games hitting out of the number three hole. He looks to continue his success at the plate as he and his team prepare for the upcoming MEC Tournament.
While they have had their share of ups and downs, the pitching staff has been one of the strongest parts of this playoff run. The Cardinal's pitching staff enters play Wednesday sporting the fifth lowest ERA in the conference (5.87) while striking out the fourth most batters in the conference (298). Dominic Parker-McDonald and Kody McCarley, who each started on Monday, got off to strong starts before allowing a big inning that would have them pulled. Behind them, the bullpen has been reliable all season, led by back-end arms Jake Rife and Hunter Dyck. Rife is sporting a 1.31 ERA entering play Monday over 20.2 innings of work. Hunter Dyck is closing in on the single season saves record, needing just one more to tie the mark, entering play with six saves. He has the most innings pitched of any Cardinal reliever, throwing 28.2 innings and looks to continue his reliability in the playoffs.
With five more regular season games remaining, the Cardinals have a chance to make history both in the regular season and in the playoffs. With a win on Wednesday, the Cardinals would tie the program's single season win record of 27, set back during the 2021 season. Once the playoffs begin, the Cardinals have another chance to make history as they search for their first MEC Tournament win since the team joined the MEC, and their first playoff win since the 2011 season. The baseball team is the sixth Wheeling University Athletic Program to appear in the MEC Tournament this season and look to run towards the program's first MEC title.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 17th time in program history, and the third time this season as they wrap up a three-game series that began in March. Wheeling has won the first two games of the series, sweeping a doubleheader earlier this year, and has a record of 7-2 when playing in Salem. The Cardinals offense has scored six or more runs in three of the last four meetings between the two teams and the Cardinals have not fallen to the Tigers since February 28th, 2019.
In the first two games of the series, the Cardinals picked up wins of 1-0 and 7-4 back on March 11th in Salem. In game one, Kody McCarley pitched a masterpiece, allowing just three hits and striking out seven in a complete game effort. Game two saw Kobe Hill lead the way, going 1-3 with three RBI, while Scott Kondroik added a 1-2 day with a double and two RBI against his former team.
The Details
First pitch for today's game is scheduled for 2 PM at the Frank Loria Memorial Field on the campus of Salem University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
