Wheeling, W. Va. - The 2025 season did not go the way that the Wheeling University Baseball team wanted it to go, and 2026 offers a chance for the team to bounce back on the diamond. On Tuesday, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their annual Baseball Preseason Poll, ranking the 11 conference teams in both the North and South Divisions as voted on by the conference's head coaches. The Cardinals took the #5 spot in the MEC North Division Poll, earning a total of 16 points, and they look to defy that preseason ranking and get back to the MEC Tournament.
The 2025 season featured a lot of turnover on the roster, and early on they hit their stride out of the gate. They would take three of four games from Pitt-Johnstown in their opening weekend, and ended the preseason non-conference stretch sitting at 5-5. However, as they opened their conference slate, they would drop three of four in their opening weekend against West Virginia State and the University of Charleston, with a 15-run outburst in game one against the Yellow Jackets being the highlight. That would be a foreshadowing for the rest of the MEC South schedule, with Wheeling going 2-10 over their 12 games in the division. As they went into divisional play, the Cardinals would have one split weekend, going 2-2 against Fairmont State, but ended the conference stretch at 5-22 to end the season.
The Cardinals will be taking on another new look during the 2026 season, with an incoming class of 23 transfer and freshman players looking to make an immediate impact. With four of their eight position players returning this season, there will be plenty of opportunity for the new talent to step in and contribute right from the get-go. Of the returning athletes, Brett Johnson will take a leadership role in the outfield, after earning All-MEC Honorable Mention honors a season ago. He was the only player eligible for the conference batting title to hit over .300, hitting .305, while stealing eight bases on 13 attempts. On the mound, the Cardinal rotation will return two of their weekend starters from a season ago, led by All-MEC Honorable Mention Starting Pitcher Sebastian Khan. Khan pitched to a 4.17 ERA over 41.0 innings a year ago, and looks to once again anchor the starting rotation.
Leading the way in the 2026 MEC North Preseason Poll is Frostburg State, earning eight first place votes and 47 total points from the coaches. The defending MEC Champions Point Park earned three first place votes, 41 total points, and MEC runners-up Fairmont State would earn 32 points to round out the top three. In the South Division, The University of Charleston takes the top spot with eight first place votes and 56 total points. Concord received two first place votes and 49 points, while West Virginia State earned the final first place vote and 45 total points. The full 2026 MEC Baseball Preseason Poll results are listed below:
MEC North
1. Frostburg State - (8) 47
2. Point Park - (3) 41
3. Fairmont State - 32
4. West Liberty - 20
5. Wheeling - 16
MEC South
1. Charleston - (8) 56
2. Concord - (2) 49
3. West Virginia State - (1) 45
4. Glenville State - 30
5. West Virginia Wesleyan - 21
6. Davis & Elkins - 20
The Wheeling University Baseball team opens their season on Friday, February 6th, when they travel to Bluftton, South Carolina to take on USC Beaufort at 6 PM.
