Wheeling, W. Va. – After flying down south for their annual Spring Training trip, the Wheeling University Softball team (2-12, 0-0) is back North for their final stretch before Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Cardinals will hit the road for their final preseason non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday when they take on Walsh at 2 PM. The Cardinals are looking to get in the win column before they continue their road trip this weekend in their MEC North opener.
The Cardinals are coming off a Spring Training trip to Melbourne, Florida that saw them go 2-8 across ten games in the sunshine State. It was a hot start to the trip, with the Cardinals splitting each of their first two doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday. The Cardinals would pick up their first win of the season with a 7-1 victory over Davenport, and followed that up with a 6-2 win over Roosevelt on Monday. With confidence on their side, the Cardinals rolled into their final day of the first half, but would fall to Saginaw Valley and Walsh to move to 2-4 through six games. After taking the day off on Wednesday, the Cardinals returned to action on Thursday for their lone road game of the trip at Flagler College. They would fall in doubleheader action, and dropped their final doubleheader to finish 2-8 on the trip.
One of the consistent presences at the plate for the Cardinals throughout the week was Amber Morgan in the number three spot of the batting order. Morgan got a hit in seven of the eight games during the week, going 18-34 (.529) during the week while racking up a double, two triples, four RBI, and eight runs scored across the eight games. She was able to finish out the week with a bang, putting together her best performance in the team's 6-5 loss to Felician. She would finish the day 4-4 with two runs scored, two triples, and one RBI in the effort. Entering play on Wednesday, Morgan has the highest average in the MEC, sitting at .540, while holding the conference's fourth highest on-base percentage at .680 through 16 games played. Morgan looks to continue to lead this young offense as they continue through their non-conference run.
In the circle, it has been Kaylin Shields who has made her presence felt, pitching to a 5.32 ERA over six appearances, five starts. She made her season debut during the spring trip and burst onto the scene, throwing a complete game effort allowing just one run against Davenport. The Freshman has throw two complete games over her first six appearances, and has only walked seven batters in 26.1 innings of work. On the final day of the spring trip, Brooklyn Sanders was the offensive leader, combining for five RBI while being a part of six of the Cardinal's nine runs between the two games. Sanders looks to continue her success in the designated player role as the Cardinals head towards their conference schedule.
With one more regional doubleheader left before they head to MEC play, the Cardinals will have one more chance to gain momentum before that stretch. Walsh was one of the teams that Wheeling saw on their spring trip, falling to the Cavaliers 6-1. The Cardinals were picked as the #4 team in the MEC North Division in the annual preseason poll and are looking to climb back into the MEC Tournament field for the first time since the 2018 season when they made it all the way to the MEC Championship game. With a young team that is starting to hit their stride at the end of the spring trip, the Cardinals look to continue their growth as they end their preseason non-conference schedule.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Cavaliers are meeting for the 10th and 11th time in program history on Wednesday, with Walsh leading the all-time series at 7-2. However, it will be just the second trip the program has made to North Canton, Ohio, where they are 0-2 compared to a 1-1 mark at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. The Cardinals split the season series with Walsh a season ago, in what has been a low scoring series overall with the Cardinals averaging 2.78 runs per game.
Wednesday will be the second time the two teams have met this season, with Walsh picking up a 6-1 win at the Space Coast Complex in Melbourne, Florida. It would be Amber Morgan leading the way for the Cardinals, finishing 2-4 with an RBI, while Denise Carillo added a multi-hit game going 2-3. Kearstin Monday would lead the pitching staff, coming on in relief to throw 4.0 innings allowing three runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out three.
The Details
First pitch for Wednesday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 PM inside the Walsh Softball Complex in North Canton, OH. Stay tuned to wucardinals.com for live coverage throughout the day.
