Wheeling, W. Va. - With weather shifting their weekend set, the Wheeling University Baseball team (8-17, 2-10) is set to open their weekend series on Friday as they head to EQT Park. It will be their lone non-conference weekend series of the season as they welcome Salem in for a four-game weekend set, with the first two games being played Friday at 1 PM. Wheeling is looking for a bounce back after dropping their last five games as they prepare for their run in MEC North Division play over the final four weeks of the season.
Last time out, the Cardinals would take EQT Park as the visiting team as they battled California University of Pennsylvania for the second time this season. It was another offensive battle, with the teams combining to score 25 runs, and it was the Cardinals who jumped on the Vulcans early. Wheeling would score two runs in the top of the first, followed by three in the top of the second as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead. However, the #9 ranked Vulcans would add seven runs over the next three innings and a two run top of the fourth would keep the game tied at 7-7. The Cardinals would kept it close, trailing by one heading into the bottom of the eighth, but a six-run inning put the game out of reach. Wheeling would add two more in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late as the Cardinals fell 15-10.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Keaton Ferrence, who finished 3-5 with a home run, double, and four RBI, while finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Ference was a big part of the Cardinal's early success, hitting an RBI single to start the scoring in the first and adding a three-run home run in the second to put Wheeling out to their 5-0 lead. It was a continuation of a hot string of success for Ference over his past six games. During that stretch, Ference is hitting .350 (7-20) with three home runs, a double, and seven RBI out of the #3 spot. Ference has raised his season batting average to .263, putting him fourth among eligible players this season. He looks to continue to be a big run producer for the Cardinals as they look to get the offense going down the stretch.
It was also a big day at the plate for Spencer Craig, who continues to hit the ball well out of the #2 spot. He holds the highest batting average on the team, hitting .321 through 25 games played and has four multi-hit games over his last five games. Against CAL-U, Craig would go 2-3 with an RBI and three runs scored, helping as part of the two runs in the first. During that five-game stretch, Craig is hitting .471 (8-17) with three RBI as he continues his tear at the plate. Heading into the weekend series, the Cardinals will rely on their starting pitching and it has been Jaden Wilcox leading the way. He leads the staff with a 4.13 ERA over 32.2 innings of work, and has thrown back-to-back complete games in his last two starts. He looks to give the Cardinals a chance for their first weekend win since the opening weekend at EQT Park.
As they head into their series against Salem, the Cardinals are looking to build some momentum as they head towards their MEC North Division stretch. The Cardinals currently hold the #5 spot in the MEC North Division, and are sitting five games back of West Liberty for #4 in the division. With the top three teams in each division making the MEC Tournament, Wheeling will have some work to do as they head into their MEC North schedule. However, they still control their fate with all four MEC North Division teams sitting ahead of them and they look to take advantage and battle back through their divisional schedule.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers will be meeting for the 22nd and 23rd times in program history on Friday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 13-8. It has been a closer series when the two teams meet at home, with the Cardinals holding a 6-5 record compared to a 7-3 record when they go on the road. It has been a high scoring series for the Cardinals, with the team averaging 6.9 runs per game, and they have scored 3+ runs in each of the last four meetings.
The last meeting came on April 28th, 2024 in a doubleheader that was split, with Wheeling taking game one 4-2, followed by a 12-11 Salem win in game two. In game one, the Cardinals were led by Christian Boyles, who went 3-3, while former Cardinal Nicholas Martinez allowed two runs over 5.1 innings. In game two, it was former Cardinal Tyler Livingston leading the way going 1-2 with a home run, a run scored, and four RBI, while Nicolas Ancelet went 1-3 with an RBI.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 1 PM inside EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
