Wheeling, W. Va. - The 2025 season saw the Wheeling University Softball team make a late push that helped secure them their first spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Softball Championships since the 2018 season. Heading into the 2026 season, many of the leaders from last year's team return, and all have their sites on returning to the conference championship stage in 2026. The Cardinals showed they could compete with the top teams in the conference, and are looking to take that next step with a more experienced roster.
The 2025 schedule began with a greuling non-conference schedule that challenged them against some of the top teams in the region. The Cardinals would end up going 3-15 during the eight-game stretch, but ended things on a high note with a split against Walsh. However, the momentum did not carry into their MEC schedule, as they went 1-9 over their first 10 conference games. The Cardinals would need a spark, and got one with their first sweep of the year against Frostburg State. The Cardinals would go 6-10 down the stretch, and set themselves up with a chance to clinch a playoff spot with at least a split of their final doubleheader against Point Park. They would do just that, winning the first game 13-1 and clinching the #4 seed in the tournament. They would battle to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of #1 Glenville State in the first round, and dropped another close contest in the second game to Davis & Elkins to end their season.
They key to the Cardinals late season success was the strength of their pitching staff, led by sophomore Kaylin Shields. Shields would miss the early part of the season due to injury, but once she toed the circle she was dominant throughout the season. She would throw in 155.0 innings for the Cardinals during the season, pitching to a 4.20 ERA while walking 65 and striking out 108. As the games got bigger, Shields got even more dominant, and was a powerhouse in the 2025 MEC Tournament. In the two games for the Cardinals, the sophomore combined to throw 12.0 innings allowing just two earned runs on nine hits, while walking five and striking out eight. She returns to lead this year's pitching staff and looks to pace the Cardinals throughout the year.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals return a strong table setter to the top of their lineup in the form of Ava Kresak. The sophomore would finish her first season hitting .306 with 14 RBI across 173 at-bats, while sitting third on the team with eight stolen bases on the season. She ended the season riding a six-game hitting streak that saw her go 8-20 (.400) with a double and three RBI during the stretch. With the Cardinals not having Amber Morgan in the lineup throughout the season due to injury, Wheeling will be relying on Kresak to get herself on base, and use her speed to come around to score for her teammates.
Joining the returning group will be a group of 11 newcomers, who will be looking to make an immediate impact. One of the newcomers is a name that Cardinal fans will be familiar with, as junior Ryleigh Peters returns to Wheeling. She was the Cardinals top starting pitcher in 2024, finishing with an 8.24 ERA across 137.2 innings of work while walking 69 and striking out 61. She returns to Wheeling after pitching for Northeastern State University last season, where she had a 7.00 ERA across 19.0 innings of work. Working with the pitchers will be a veteran presence behind the plate in sophomore transfer Eden Troxel, who comes to Wheeling after playing two seasons at Iowa Western Community College. She would earn the Reiver Team Spirit Award, and would help guide the Reiver's pitching staff that featured three different pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs.
As 2026 begins, the Cardinals will start things off with "The Highlands Classic" a three-day tournament hosted jointly by Wheeling and West Liberty University's The Cardinals will get the chance to battle three in-region opponents, while welcoming in the University of Indianapolis as the fourth opponent. It will lead the Cardinals right into their annual spring trip down to Florida, challenging them before they begin the conference stretch. They will wrap up their non-conference schedule at the MEC/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover March 14th and 15th, before diving into their conference slate. It will be an identical schedule to the 2025 slate, just flip flopped, with the Cardinals opening MEC play at home against Point Park March 21st.
After that opening weekend, the Cardinals will be road warriors throughout the end of March, playing each of their next five doubleheaders away from the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. They close out March with a non-conference doubleheader at home against Edinboro, but hit the road again for the opening weekend of April at Fairmont State and Frostburg State. After being on the road so much in the beginning, Wheeling benefits from playing at home to round out the season, with three of their final five doubleheaders being played on their home field. It all leads up to the 2026 MEC Softball Tournament, where the Cardinals will look to be big players in 2026.
The Wheeling University Softball team opens the 2026 season on Friday, February 20th, when they take on The University of Indianapolis in the first game of The Highlands Classic at 12:30 PM.
