Wheeling, W. Va. – After a weekend that saw the team go 1-3 against West Virginia Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins, the Wheeling University Baseball team (7-12, 2-6) are looking to right the ship as they close out March. On Thursday, the team hosts their first midweek game of the season as they welcome Bluefield State to the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. The Cardinals are looking to get the bats going and get back in the win column before heading on the road to continue Mountain East Conference (MEC) play this week.
Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up their MEC weekend play with a split against Davis & Elkins. Game one was dominated by the pitching staff as the Cardinals got their first complete game shutout of the season. However, they faced stiff competition from the Senators, with the Cardinals mustering just two hits of their own over seven innings. In the end, Wheeling would come away with a 1-0 win, and would look to split the weekend in the game two effort. This time, the Senators came out early and the Cardinals were unable to respond, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth being their only answer. Davis & Elkins would go on to win 11-2, bringing the Cardinal's weekend record to 1-3 across the four-game stretch.
Starting pitching led the way throughout the weekend, but none was stronger than Sebastian Khan in the team's lone win of the weekend. Khan would throw his first career complete game, giving up just two hits while not walking a batter and striking out seven. Of his seven innings, five of them were of the 1-2-3 variety, with Khan giving up just a pair of singles over that time. Only one of those two singles left the infield as he put together the best performance of his career so far. It was Khan's first win of the 2025 season and dropped his season ERA to 0.75 over 12.0 innings of work. After working a full season as a reliever a season ago, Khan is making the transition into a starting role during his senior year and has yet to allow an earned run in his new starting role.
While the offense had its struggles, it was senior Spencer Craig who gave them a spark as the weekend went on. With the Cardinals looking for offense in game two, it was Craig who lifted a two-run home run, his first of the season, to get the Cardinals on the board. Craig has been the Cardinal's most productive hitter this season, leading the team with 13 RBI after hitting his first home run of the season. He also sits third on the team with a .286 batting average through 56 at-bats as he looks to continue being an offensive leader for the team. When the Cardinals needed a stopper in game two, it was Mason Fenwick who came out of the bullpen and got the job done. He would throw 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out a batter to keep the Senators at bay.
With five more games remaining on their March schedule, the Wheeling Baseball team is looking to gain some momentum heading into April. Their strength has been their starting pitching, with each of their top three starters holding a 4.05 ERA or less through two starts this season. As a pitching staff, the Cardinals hold the third lowest ERA in the conference, sitting at 6.14, while surrendering the third fewest earned runs with 98 through 19 games. On the flip side, the offense has been held to a .235 team batting average through that same 19 game stretch, sitting ninth in the conference. As the Cardinals head into their final crossover weekend against Concord and Glenville State, Head Coach Ryan Lewicki is looking for his hitters to gain some more confidence as they try and help support the solid starting pitching the team has gotten so far this season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and the Bulldogs will be meeting for the 10th time in program history, with the all-time series begin tied at five wins each. The two teams have split the meetings all-time at home, while the Cardinals lead the road series with a record of 3-2. It has been a high scoring series overall for the two teams, with Wheeling averaging 7.3 runs per game in the all-time series.
Their last meeting came in a doubleheader on March 3rd, 2024, with the teams splitting the two games with Bluefield State winning game one 7-6 and the Cardinals bouncing back for a 17-6 win in game two. In game one, former Cardinal Braden Killens led the way, going 3-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored, while Spencer Craig went 2-4 with a pair of RBI. In game two, Nicholas Ancelet led the way, going 2-5 with three RBI and two runs scored in the effort.
The Details
First pitch for Thursday afternoon's game is scheduled for 3 PM at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
