Wheeling, W. Va. - With the regular season coming down to its final week, the Wheeling University Baseball team (13-31, 4-20) gets ready for the annual "The Battle for Wheeling" as they kick-off their four-game series with rival West Liberty. The two teams will battle for the annual Inner City Rivalry cup, when they kick-off their four-game series on Friday in primetime with first pitch scheduled for 7 PM. Before the game, the Cardinals will honor nine seniors who have helped the program grow over their four years with the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are coming off an offensive display in their final midweek matchup with Bethany on Wednesday. The Cardinal bats broke out early and often, scoring at least one run in six of the seven inning of play on the day. Wheeling got things started with two runs in the first and added three in the second as they built an early 5-0 lead. As that lead continued to grow, Bethany would get their first run in the bottom of the fourth, but Wheeling had already built up a commanding 8-1 advantage. Their biggest offensive output would come in the top of the sixth, when the Cardinals put four runs on the board to get the to their offensive run total of 13 on the day. Bethany would continue to battle, putting up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Cardinal's lead was more than enough as they went on to win by the final score of 13-3.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Keaton Ference, who finished 3-5 with a home run and three RBI on the day. He was the one who kickstarted the offense, hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first that got the Cardinals out to a 2-0 advantage. It was Ference's third three-hit game of the season, with the three RBI falling just one short of his career high. Ference has been a regular in the #3 hole for the Cardinals this season and currently leads the team with five home runs and 22 RBI. It is the second time in the last three games that Ference has put together a multi-hit effort as he continues to grow at the plate. He looks to keep up that success this weekend as he wraps up his junior season at the plate.
Wednesday also saw the return of the Cardinal's top starting pitcher from the 2023 season, Kody McCarley. The graduate student took the mound for the first time since March 14th, 2025, after missing time due to an injury, and put together his best start of the season. He lasted 4.0 innings allowing a run on two hits while walking three and striking out five. It lowered his season ERA to 4.15 and was a big return to the mound for one of the Cardinal's top arms from a season ago. Rounding out the effort was a career-best performance from his battery mate Seth Floyd. Floyd finished a career-best 3-5 with a double and two RBI, while also scoring three runs. He would be a major part of the Cardinal's four run top of the sixth that broke the game open, hitting a two-RBI double that extended the score to 10-1.
As they open their final Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division series of the season, the Cardinals will have a little extra juice as they battle their rivals. Last season, the Cardinals were able to retain the Inner City Rivalry Cup, going 2-2 against the Hilltoppers to bring the cup home for the second straight season. Along with rivalry night, the Cardinals will also be honoring nine seniors who will be playing in their final home games. Christian Boyles, Dylan Maltby, Ethan Wendell, Seth Floyd, Wes Landis, Elijah Stark, Matt Sanfilippo, Spencer Craig, and Damian Tarin will all be honored before the gam ahead of Saturday's graduation. All nine have made a big impact during their time with the Cardinals, leading the team to the MEC Tournament twice during their four seasons and helping the program build overall. The Cardinals will look to honor them with a pair of wins and end the season on a high note.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 64th and 65th times in program history on Friday night, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 32-31. The road team has had more success in the all-time series, with the Cardinals going 13-14 at home compared to an 18-17 mark when they travel to the Hilltop. The Cardinals have averaged 4.7 runs per game in the all-time series, but in the past six games, the winner has had to score at least five runs to win the game.
Their last meeting would come on May 5th, 2024, in a doubleheader that was split, with Wheeling winning game one 8-3 and West Liberty taking game two 10-1. In the winning effort, Wheeling was led by former Cardinal Braden Killens, who finished 2-3 with two home runs and five RBI, while Spencer Craig added a 2-4 effort with an RBI. In game two, Nicolas Ancelet led the way, going 3-3 while former Cardinal Malkolm Barrett threw a scoreless inning to wrap up the day.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 7 PM at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the action live by clicking HEREhttps://mountaineast.tv/wheeling/ or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
