Wheeling, W. Va. - After opening the year in Atlantic Regional play, the Wheeling University Baseball team (0-2, 0-0) elects for warmer weather as they continue through their non-conference slate. They open a three-game weekend set with Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, when they play doubleheader action with first pitch scheduled for 2 PM. It will be the first two games of a three-game weekend set that will take a break on Saturday before playing the final game on Sunday to wrap up the weekend.

The Cardinals opened the season on Monday and Tuesday when they took on California University of Pennsylvania (CAL-U) in a weather shortened two-game series. The first game of the series saw the teams locked in back and forth action as the Cardinals took the early lead. They would lead all the way up until the bottom of the eighth, when a three-spot by the Vulcans would give them a 7-6 advantage. That would end up being the final score as the Cardinals fell and headed into game two, looking to bounce back. The Vulcans offense would continue to drive in runs in the second game and, despite a six-hit Cardinal attack, it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell 18-2 to drop the finale of the two-game series.

As he did last season, junior Braden Killens was once again off to a hot start, going a combined 3-8 (.375) between the two games with a home run and three RBI. All of his run production came in the first game, where he went 3-4 with a home run and three RBI, and was a big part of getting the Cardinals out to the early lead. Killens is coming off a season where he set both the single-season home run record and the single season RBI record as he continues to be a strong bat in the middle of the Cardinal's lineup. He looks to continue his success as the team continues through their early season non-conference stretch.

The Cardinals have also seen a spark early on at the top of the lineup with Aidan Willard matching Killens's mark at .375 to start the season. Willard drove in one run in each of the two games, putting together a two-hit effort in game one and added a 1-4 effort in the second game of the series. His RBI in the first game of the series would be the game-tying RBI early before the Cardinals took the lead on the following pitch. Josh Rush would round things out with a .375 average of his own across the two games, as the Cardinals 1, 2, and 3 hitters each had three hits across the three games. Rush would reach base on three singles and drove in a run of his own to round out the effort.

Of their 12-game non-conference stretch to start the year, this three-game weekend set is the only one that will see the team leave Atlantic Regional play. It will be the first of two trips down to warm weather climates, with a series in Wilson, North Carolina coming during the Spring Break weekend. With their main goal for the 2024 season being to not only make and win the Mountain East Conference (MEC) but to make the NCAA DII Tournament, the Cardinals will look for success inside the region to make themselves a prominent name on the Regional and National stage.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Blue Devils will be meeting for the first and second time in program history when they matchup on Friday afternoon. Through the first nine games of the 2024 season, Dillard sits at 2-7, with both wins on the season coming on their home field, where they are 2-3 this season. They competed in their first-ever season in 2023, and had a strong showing going 22-30 overall and 13-5 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) play. The Cardinals look to win their first win of the season as they open their first matchup with Dillard.

The Details

First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 3 PM in New Orleans, Louisiana. You can follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.