Wheeling, W. Va. – Heading into the 2024 season, there was a lot of change for the Wheeling University Softball team. They had a mix of strong veterans, with 11 seniors, and fresh new talent looking to make an impact. They finished with their best record since the 2022 season, going 10-44 overall and 4-24 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play as they look to grow into the future.
The year started with a bang, as the team took on Hillsdale College and, after dropping game one 6-4, got their first win of the season with a 9-2 victory in game two. It was the first win career win for Head Coach Mallory Chapman and got the Cardinals their earliest win in a season since winning their opener back in 2022. They would then face a tough in-region non-conference schedule, battling the likes of IUP, Seton Hill, and the University of Indianapolis over their next eight games. They would pick up a pair of wins against Ursuline College to move to 3-8 before heading in their spring break trip. They would head down to Virginia and Tennessee during the trip, getting the chance to see some schools they haven't seen before. They returned home for two non-conference doubleheaders with Ohio Dominican and Salem, and entered the conference portion of their schedule sitting at 4-17.
It wasn't the start the team wanted to conference play, as they dropped their first 12 conference games. Their first conference win came against Glenville State on April 7th, and it started a string of success for the team as they rounded out the year. That win sparked a string of three straight series splits as the Cardinals took games from Glenville State, Concord, Walsh, and West Virginia Wesleyan. One of their biggest wins of the season would come on April 17th, when they walked off in game one against West Liberty for a 5-4 win, capped off by a walk-off single from Grace Mummery. Their final win of the year would come in the team's final game as they beat Salem 6-3 to get to their 10th win of the season, the first time reaching that mark since 2022.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was senior Cassie Feyh, who had a breakout season at the plate. The senior would hold a team-best batting average of .316, finishing with two home runs and 28 RBI. She was also one of three different Cardinals to reach the 100 hit mark in her career, with Maddie Munoz and Anna Florczak also reaching the 100 career hits plateau. Sitting behind Feyh was fellow senior Makie Paxson, who made a strong late push to finish out her season. She finished second on the team, hitting .271, while setting career highs in home runs, two, and driving in 28 RBI. Paxson really turned it on in the month of April, and was a big part of the Cardinal's string of series splits from April 7th to April 14th. Along with the veteran presence, the Cardinals also welcomed in some new faces that made an immediate impact.
Leading the group of newcomers was freshman Madison Kay, who started things with a bang hitting three of her team-leading five home runs over the first five games of the season. The freshman would finish with a .246 batting average, while leading the team with five home runs and sitting tied for second with 16 RBI. She handled her duties as the everyday starting first baseman and provided one of the biggest hits of the year with her game-tying home run in the extra inning affair. In the circle, it was another newcomer who was leading the way as Ryleigh Peters would be a workhorse. Of her 28 pitching appearances, 18 were complete game efforts as she went 5-17 with a team-low 8.24 ERA. She would work 137.2 innings of work, striking out 61 batters as she looks to continue to grow and mature in the circle.
The Wheeling University Softball team now heads into the off-season as they look to continue their growth on the field for 2025.
