Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Softball team (1-3), (0-0) opened their season last weekend, playing four games in "The Highlands Classic". The Cardinals would fall in the first three games to UINDY (16-0), IUP (5-3), and Findlay (7-2), but picked up their first win of the season against Lake Erie College by a score of 9-3. The Cardinals touched down in Florida yesterday, and they are excited to get back onto the field, play the sport they love, and hopefully pick up some wins in the process.
Mackenzie Burns has started her 2026 campaign on fire. The freshman out of Pinckney, Michigan is batting .583, placing her fifth in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Burns has accumulated seven hits, two doubles, and four RBIs across the opening four games the Cardinals played during "The Highlands Classic". Seeing her with such a hot start this early in the season is promising, so she and the Cardinals are hoping she can continue this level of play.
KeKe Warrix is another player that is getting off to a good start this season. She has a top 25 batting average in the league at .385 and has put up a respectable three runs, five hits, a triple, and two RBIs. In the four games she has played in, she has filled the role as the starting shortstop for the Cardinals, and has yet to disappoint, recording a fielding percentage of just under 90% and has 11 putouts along with 10 assists. Nine of those putouts and four assists came against Lake Erie on the 22nd.
The Matchups
The Cardinals will have the chance to enjoy the sunshine down in Florida this week, but they have a full schedule, playing eight non-conference games in a span of five days.
First, they will matchup against Eckerd College on March 3rd at 1pm and 3pm. The Tritons and Cardinals have never played one another before, so tomorrow will be the first and second meeting between the two programs since it will be a double header. Eckerd started their season back on January 31st and has already amassed a 10-4 record and a 6-0 conference record and is currently riding a seven-game winning streak.
Next, Wheeling is set to take on Slippery Rock University at 2:15pm and then Dominican University of New York at 4:30pm on Wednesday, March 4th. Slippery Rock will be the first game of the day on Wednesday. The Rock have a 4-0 series lead over Wheeling dating back to 2021, including a nine-inning 15-14 shootout win in the last meeting against the Cardinals. Ava Kresak and Grace Mummery each recorded three runs. Warrix and Kresak laid down three hits, and Warrix had three RBIs in the loss. The Rock are 3-1 to start the season.
The Cardinals and Chargers will be game two on Wednesday. The two have met twice with both games dating back to February 25th, 2018. The Cardinals lost game one 6-3, but did much better in game two, winning 7-1. Dominican started their season on February 28th in Florida but has not been able to get in the win column yet as they are 0-4.
The Cardinals will rest on Thursday but get right back into action on Friday against the University of Sioux Falls for game one at 12pm and Seton Hill University at 2:15pm for game two. The first game on Friday will pin Wheeling against the University of Sioux Falls. The Cardinals and Cougars will meet for the first time in program history. USF is 2-8 as of now and are on a four-game losing streak.
Seton Hill has an 11-3 all-time record against Wheeling dating back to 2012. The last time the Cardinals earned a win against the Griffins was back in 2020. The last time the two programs met was on February 20th, 2024, when Seton Hill came out on top 18-7 in five innings. As of this release, the Griffins are 3-3.
Lastly, Wheeling wraps up its Florida trip with a double header against Florida Southern College on Saturday, March 7th. Game one is set at 1pm and game two will be played right after, at 3pm. The Mocs and Cardinals have met just twice in program history as Florida Southern won both games back on February 27th, 2018. As of now, the Mocs are 1-10 this season having started the season on January 31st.
The Details
Below are the links to follow the Wheeling University Softball team during their 2026 Spring Break trip to Florida. Please note that some streams will require payment to watch and will be denoted by "($)".
3-3 Game One: Eckerd vs Wheeling (1pm)
Stream HERE
Live Stats HERE
3-3 Game Two: Eckerd vs Wheeling (3pm)
Stream HERE
Live Stats HERE
3-4 Game Three: Slippery Rock vs Wheeling (2:15pm)
Stream ($) HERE
3-4 Game Four: Dominican (NY) vs Wheeling (4:30pm)
Stream ($) HERE
3-6 Game Five: USF vs Wheeling (12pm)
Stream ($) HERE
3-6 Game Six: Seton Hill vs Wheeling (2:15pm)
Stream ($) HERE
3-7 Game Seven: Florida Southern vs Wheeling (1pm)
Stream HERE
Live Stats HERE
3-7 Game Eight: Florida Southern vs Wheeling (3pm)
Stream HERE
Live Stats HERE
