Wheeling, W. Va. - Over their first 15 games of the season, the Wheeling University Baseball team (11-4, 0-0) have gone down south to battle through their non-conference weekend. On Saturday, the team comes back north to EQT Ballpark in Washington, Pennsylvania as they kick off the Mountain East Conference (MEC) portion of their schedule. They start things off against the MEC South, opening against the University of Charleston on Saturday at 1 & 4 PM and West Virginia State Sunday at 1 & 4 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals ended up taking three of four from Bluefield State in their final non-conference weekend for their second Atlantic Regional weekend win of the season. It would be a split weekend, with the two teams starting their four-game set with two on Friday and wrapping things up with two on Sunday. The series started off with a bang as the Cardinals pitchers shutout Bluefield State in the opener to pick up an 8-0 win. However, the Big Blue came right back and earned a 5-4 victory in game two that had the series split at one game apiece. It would bring up a crucial game three to start Sunday, and Bluefield State had the early advantage. Â Bluefield State held a 6-4 lead late in the game, but the offense exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn an 8-6 win. That offense would carry into the fourth game, where the Cardinals earned a 13-3 win to earn the weekend win over Bluefield State.
A key turning point for the weekend came on the mound when Brock Elliott came out in the top of the seventh. He would get the final three outs, retiring the side in order, and then came back out to start game two. He would deliver one of the best starts of the weekend, throwing 4.0 innings allowing just one hit while striking out three. He would end up facing the minimum through those four innings, with the only runner he allowed to reach base being caught stealing to end the top of the second. He finished his night with three 1-2-3 innings to give the Cardinals the boost they needed to earn the weekend win. In total, the senior pitched 5.0 innings allowing just one hit while striking out four batters. He is one of just three Cardinal pitchers to hold a 0.00 ERA heading into conference play, and is the only one of those pitchers to log more than 2.0 innings on the season.
Another big part of the Cardinal success on day two was senior Nicholas Schulz, who finished 3-5 with a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored on the day. Schulz hit his first Wheeling home run as part of a three-run top of the third inning that gave the Cardinals an early lead. He sent the ball over the left field wall, and the Cardinals were out to a 3-0 lead early on. In the second game, it was an RBI single that got the Cardinals on the board and rounded out a strong weekend. One of the other positives during the weekend was the work of the Cardinal bullpen, who took the mound in all four games. The bullpen combined to log nine innings during the weekend, allowing seven runs, and they kept the Cardinals in the game. Leading the group was junior Lamont Akins, who logged 1.1 scoreless across two outings, allowing just one hit and striking out a batter.
As they kick-off their MEC schedule, the Cardinals will battle through three weeks of MEC South play, starting things with a bang against Charleston and West Virginia State. After not winning a single weekend in MEC South play a season ago, the Cardinals are looking to turn things around and stack up weekend wins before heading to MEC North play. So far this season, the Cardinals are 4-1 in weekend wins, with their only weekend loss of the season so far coming against Mansfield University back on February 20th and 21st. Head Coach Ryan Lewicki and his team have the goal of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, and to do that the team will have to stack weekend wins in regional play. They have received votes in two of the first four National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) weekend polls, and look to get in the conversation this weekend.
The Match-ups
Charleston: The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 45th and 46th times in program history on Saturday, with Charleston leading the series at 28-16. Wheeling has played better at home against the Golden Eagles, going 7-9, but are looking to break a 15-game losing streak at the hands of Charleston, dating back to the 2018 season. Charleston has swept the season series in each of the last six years, including picking up 9-8 and 3-0 wins last time out on March 14th, 2025. Former Cardinal Nic Ancelet led the way in game one, going 1-3 with two RBI, while former Cardinal Dylan Maltby added a 1-2 effort in game two.
West Virginia State: The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets are meeting for the 42nd and 43rd time in program history, with West Virginia State leading the all-time series at 29-12. Wheeling holds a 3-5 record when they host the Yellow Jackets, while scoring an average of 4.12 runs per game. West Virginia State has had the Cardinal's number lately, with Wheeling going 1-5 in the last six meetings, with the teams splitting the season series last year on March 15th. Game one was a 15-2 Cardinal win, led by a 3-4 effort with four RBI from former Cardinal Cade Lacy, while West Virginia State earned a 5-4 game two win after 5.0 shutout innings from former Cardinal Jaden Wilcox.
The Details
First pitch for Saturday's weekend opener against the University of Charleston is scheduled for 1 PM inside EQT Ballpark in Washington, PA. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
