Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the first four weeks of the season the Cardinals have been taking on a tough non-conference schedule as they prepare for the rigors of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Wheeling University Baseball team (5-3, 0-0) takes on their final non-conference weekend before the start of MEC play when they head down to Wilson, North Carolina. They kick-off the weekend with doubleheader action on Friday against Clarion and Glenville State, before wrapping up the weekend with single games against both teams on Saturday and Sunday.
The Cardinals are coming off their second straight winning weekend as they headed down to Bluefield State. The Cardinals battled with the Big Blue through the first two games of the series, with both being decided by two runs or fewer. The Cardinals would take the opener in a 5-3 win on Saturday and followed with a 6-7 extra-inning loss in game two to even the series. It would come down to the final game of the weekend, and it was the Cardinal's offense that broke free. They put up 17 runs and had seven extra base hits on the day. They picked up the weekend win for the second weekend in a row and move to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Atlantic Region play.
It was a big weekend for the Cardinal's offense, as they combined to score 28 runs across the three games, and they were led by outfielder Scott Kondroik. Kondroik played in two of the three games for the Cardinals and finished 5-8 with two home runs, five runs scored, and four RBI. With the effort, he upped his season average to .444 and is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. During that run, the junior has hit .545 with three home runs and nine RBI as he has proven himself as a run producer. He currently sits second on the team in home runs and RBI and looks to continue to be a strong run producer for the team as they head into conference play.
Along with Kondroik's success, Braden Killens continued his tear, adding two home runs and six RBI across the three-game set. Killens sits with five home runs already over the first eight games and is almost halfway to his record setting home run total from a season ago. His five home runs and 14 RBI leads the MEC this season while he also sits top 10 in batting average. The Cardinals have been the top offensive unit in the MEC, hitting .316 with 20 home runs and 93 RBI across the first eight games of the season. With a veteran pitching staff behind them, the Cardinals look to continue putting up runs to give their pitchers a chance to win some ball games.
During the final weekend of non-conference play, the Cardinals will get a small preview of MEC play, while also taking on one of the top teams in the region. On Friday, they will play the first two games of the weekend and get to see Glenville State as a preview of what they will face in conference as they look to get off to a good start. The team has won two of their first three weekend to start the year, and Head Coach Ryan Lewicki is looking for his team to win as many weekend's down the stretch as they look to make it to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament for the first time in program history.
The Matchups
Clarion: The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the fourth time in program history this weekend, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 2-1. Wheeling has had success on the road in the all-time series, winning the lone road meeting between the two teams. It has been a high scoring affair, with the Cardinal's averaging 12.67 runs per game in the series and, last time these two teams met, the Cardinals would put up 19 runs in a 19-2 victory back on April 11th, 2023.
Glenville State: The Cardinals and Pioneers continue their rivalry as the two MEC opponents are meeting for the 27th time in program history. The Cardinals lead that all-time series with a record of 15-11 and have won three of the last five meetings between the two teams, but fell in their most recent meeting 10-0. Leading the way for the Cardinals was former Cardinal Kobe Hill, who finished 2-3 while former Cardinals Sonny Peluchette, Pete Toula, Jacob Murray, and Christian Boyles all finished with hits.
The Details
First Pitch for game one of Friday's doubleheader between Wheeling and Clarion is scheduled for 10:30 AM. Stay tuned to wucardinals.com all day long for full coverage and a complete recap at the end of the day.
