Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2025 Baseball season wrapped up as the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced their annual academic awards. This season, over 750 programs were honored with the release of the ABCA/Sports Attack Team Academic Excellence Award. The Wheeling University Baseball team was among those honorees, earning the award for the fifth straight season dating back to 2021. 

"We are glad that our guys continue to set the standard in the classroom here at Wheeling," said Wheeling University Head Baseball Coach Ryan Lewicki. "Our team GPA this past season was the highest it has ever been during my tenure at 3.53. I am extremely proud of the hard work and consistency our guys showed in both the semesters in the classroom. We hope to continue on this stretch of achieving this award for our 6th straight season next spring." 

The ABCA/Sports Attack Team Academic Award recognizes ABCA member teams from all levels of high school and collegiate baseball. In order to earn the ABCA/Sports Attack Team Academic Award a team must first be nominated by their Head Coach, who must be an ABCA member. The team must them have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2024-2025 season. This year, the ABCA recognized over 750 programs, including over 440 at the college level, for their outstanding academic achievement. The 2025 season marks the fourth straight season that the Cardinals have won the Team Academic Excellence Award as Head Coach Ryan Lewicki has promoted excellence both on the diamond and in the classroom.  

On the field, the Cardinals are coming off a growing year in which they saw over 20 new players on the roster, including seven in the starting lineup. They would finish the year 14-33 overall, including a 5-22 mark in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Cardinals were led by a strong starting pitching staff that saw three of their starters have ERA's in the mid 4.00's. Leading the charge was 2025 Honorable Mention All-MEC starting pitcher Sebastian Khan, who finished with a 4.17 ERA over 41.0 innings while striking out 43 batters and walking 17. The pitching staff as a whole would sit seventh in the conference with a team ERA of 6.78, while striking out the fifth most batters in the conference. The offense was led by 2025 Honorable Mention All-MEC outfielder Brett Johnson, who hit a team-best .305 with one home run and 15 RBI across 131 at-bats. 

The Cardinals were one of seven teams across the MEC to win the honor, joining Davis & Elkins, Frostburg State, Point Park, the University of Charleston, West Liberty, and West Virginia Wesleyan in winning the honors. The Cardinals have started a tradition of excellence in the classroom, winning the award for the fifth straight season. The 2025 campaign saw their highest team GPA under Lewicki's watch as they look to keep their academic success going into the future. 

The Wheeling University Baseball team now heads into the offseason as they prepare to come back strong in 2026.