Wheeling, W. Va. - After taking a break from the Atlantic Regional schedule, the Wheeling University Baseball team (8-3, 0-0) gets back to Regional play this weekend at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia. They play the first two games of their four-game set when they take on Bluefield State with first pitch at 3 PM. After dropping their last Atlantic Region weekend against Mansfield, the Cardinals are looking to get back on track and build off their best 11-game start in program history.
The Cardinals closed out their February schedule a week ago, when they traveled down to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on Carolina University. It was a weekend defined by offense, with Wheeling scoring a combined 46 runs between the three games. Game one was a close affair through the first four innings, with Wheeling holding a 2-1 advantage. However, the Cardinals would score eight runs over the final three innings to secure a 10-4 win, and carried that momentum into the rest of the weekend. They would round out the day with a 16-6 win in the second game, that saw the Cardinals rack up 13 hits. They would play a nine-inning game in the finale, and the Cardinals put together their best offensive performance of the weekend. They would put 20 runs on 17 hits in that final game, and earned their first weekend sweep of the season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was the reigning Mountain East Conference (MEC) and National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Hitter of the Week Luke Meyer. Meyer served as the team's Designated Hitter throughout the weekend, and finish 8-12 (.667) with a double, a triple, a home run, and six RBI in the effort. He saved his best effort for the final game, where he finished 4-5 with a double, a home run, and three RBI. The big blow came in the top of the seventh inning, when he launched a solo home run that made it an 11-6 Cardinal lead. The effort raised Meyer's season batting average to a team-best .452, and he leads the Cardinals with 14 RBI and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. He looks to continue to be an offensive force for the Cardinals in the two spot.
Wheeling's bullpen battled throughout the weekend, throwing 9.0 innings combined over the final two games of the series. During that span, the group allowed six runs and kept the Cardinals ahead in both games. In game two, it would be Mason Fenwick that got the win, throwing 1.1 innings allowing a run on one hit while walking one and striking out two. In the finale, the win would go to Kyle Binder, who logged 1.1 scoreless innings allowing a hit. Game one was commanded by Sebastian Khan, who continued his strong start to the season. He would throw 6.0 innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six. It took his season ERA to 2.28 across 23.2 innings of work, while striking out 30 batters. He currently leads the conference with 30 strikeouts this season and looks to continue to be the ace for the Cardinals.
As they head into their third week of Atlantic Regional play, the Cardinals have split each of their first two regional weekends. They currently hold a 3-3 record in the region, and are looking to get back on the winning side of things against Bluefield State. It will be the Cardinal's final weekend at GoMart Ballpark before they change their home venue to EQT Ballpark in Washington, Pennsylvania. The Cardinals have a chance to make history this weekend with a pair of wins on Friday. If the Cardinals can sweep the opening doubleheader, they will get off to the best start in program history, which was last set during the 2022 season. It will also be their final weekend series before the start of MEC play, and the Cardinals look to gain momentum before the MEC South portion of their schedule.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Big Blue are meeting for the 11th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 6-5. The Cardinals hold the advantage both on the road and at home, going 2-1 in three home meetings with Bluefield State compared to a 3-2 record when they are on the road. The Cardinals are averaging 7.73 runs per game in the all-time series and are 3-1 in the past four meetings between the two teams.
The most recent meeting came back on March 27th, 2025, in a game that Wheeling would win 12-5. Former Cardinal Michael Norton led the way, going 2-3 with a double and two RBI in the effort. Former Cardinal Nicholas Ancelet finished right behind him, going 2-4 with a triple and two RBI, while former Cardinal Christian Boyles added a 3-5 effort at the top of the lineup with an RBI. Brock Elliott got the start for the Cardinals, throwing 3.0 innings allowing just one unearned run.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 3 PM inside GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia. You can follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
