Wheeling, W. Va. - Mountain East Conference (MEC) play is in full swing for the Wheeling University Softball team (4-22, 0-4) and they hit the road for their first full MEC weekend of 2024. Wheeling starts things on Saturday, March 23rd, when they head to Charleston with first pitch at 2 PM, and follow that up with a trip to West Virginia State on Sunday, March 24th, with first pitch at noon. The Cardinals are looking for the elusive first conference win of the 2024 season as they continue down the road to the MEC Tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals drove the short distance up the hilltop for the first meeting of "The Battle for Wheeling" in 2024 against West Liberty. The first game of the day saw the Hilltoppers take an early lead, scoring five runs in the first two innings before the Cardinals began to battle back. They put up two runs in the top of the third and entered the final inning training 8-2. The Cardinals did not go down without a fight, scoring two more in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough as they fell to West Liberty 8-4. In the second game of the day, Cardinal's pitching kept West Liberty off the board through two innings before they got going. Wheeling threatened a few times, even getting a runner in scoring position in the top of the 7th, but it wouldn't be enough as they fell 6-0.
The Cardinals were led on the day by outfielder Makie Paxson, who finished a combined 3-5 with a double and two runs scored. After a hot stretch in non-conference play to start the year, the junior has found her stride as the conference games have begun. Over the first four MEC games of the season, Paxson is hitting .444 (4-9) with a double and two runs scored. She currently holds the fourth highest batting average on the team at .297, while sitting third in hits (19), fourth in total bases (23), and fifth in on-base percentage (.408) through the first 24 games. She looks to continue to turnover the lineup at the bottom of the order and set up the top of the order for success.
Senior Cassie Feyh also continued her also continued her success at the plate, driving in one of her team's four runs in the first game against West Liberty. She has moved up to ffth in the MEC with a .443 batting average this season and sits sixth with her 21 RBI. She has been a consistent presence in the Cardinal lineup and looks to lead the team through the weekend. Freshman Chyla Miller also had her biggest doubleheader of the season, getting a pair of starts against the Hilltoppers. She finished 2-7 with two singles as she moved her season average to .200 and her on-base percentage to .231. The freshman looks to continue to take advantage of her opportunities down the MEC stretch run.
As they head into their second full weekend of conference play, the Cardinals will get their first taste of the MEC South Division. It will be a good test for the team as they take on the MEC South leading University of Charleston to start things and follow it up with the #5 team in the Division in West Virginia State on Sunday. The Cardinals find themselves right in the middle of the pack in terms of offense, sitting eighth in the league in batting average (.265) while seventh in RBI (89) and sixth in home runs (11). The Cardinal's offense looks to lead the team into their first full MEC weekend on the road as they look to get back in the win column.
The Matchups
Charleston: The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the 25th and 26th times in program history on Saturday to start the weekend. Charleston holds the all-time series lead at 19-5 in the previous 24 meetings, including a 9-2 record against the Cardinals when they are the home team. Wheeling will be looking for their first win against Charleston since April 14th, 2021 as Charleston has taken seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Last season, the University of Charleston would sweep the season series between the two teams at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex, winning game one 11-0 before taking game two 18-11. The Cardinals were led on the day by Jenna Hollerich, who finished 5-4 with one run 4-5 with seven RBI in the second game of the day. Brooke Slomkowski added a 2-3 effort with a pair of RBI, while Madison George added a 2-4 effort with a run scored and an RBI.
West Virginia State: The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets are meeting for the 26th and 27th times on Sunday in program history. West Virginia State leads the all-time series with a record of 18-7, and the Cardinals will be looking for their first ever win when playing in Institute, West Virginia. The Cardinals got back in the win column against the Yellow Jackets last time out, sweeping the season series during the 2023 season.
The Cardinals were able to get a 10-1 win in the first game of the day, followed by a 9-6 win in the finale to complete the sweep. In game one, the Cardinals were led by Maddie Munoz, who finished 2-4 with three RBI, while Madison George added a 3-3 day with two RBI of her own. In the second game, it was Anna Florczak who took the lead, finishing 3-4 with a double and a pair of RBI while Natalie Stoner went 2-4 with two RBI.
The Details
First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 PM inside the University of Charleston Softball field on the campus of the University of Charleston. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
