Wheeling, W. Va. - After winning their fourth straight weekend against Frostburg State, the Wheeling University Baseball team (27-9, 13-3) is riding high into April. The program is on pace to set the single-season win record, and made some history of their own on Monday with the release of the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Regional Rankings. The team jumped two spots in the Week 10Â rankings to #8, earning their highest Atlantic Regional ranking in program history.
After taking three out of four from Salem University a week earlier, the Cardinals opened Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Divisional play against Frostburg State. IT was a battle of the top two teams in the conference, and pitching would dominate the weekend. Game one saw the two best arms in the conference battle it out, with Sebastian Khan going against Zach Dodson. The Bobcats would get on the board early, but a late rally lifted the Cardinals to a 4-3 win to start the weekend. In game two, the Bobcats would get out to another early lead and this time Wheeling was unable to catch-up and they fell 4-1 to even the series at a game a piece.
As the teams headed into day two, Pitching would continue to be a recipe for success, with the two teams combining for nine runs between the two games. Game one would see Wheeling jump out to a 3-0 lead, and they were able to hold it off a Bobcat comeback to win 3-2. Game four would see Wheeling pull off the come from behind victory, taking a 3-2 win to wrap up the weekend. It was the fourth straight weekend win for the Cardinals as they leapfrogged Frostburg State in the early going to grab the top spot in the North Division with three weeks to play in the regular season.
In a weekend dominated by pitching, the Cardinals were led by their game three starter Dom Carlson, who turned in the top start of the weekend in game three. He would work into the seventh inning, throwing 6.1 innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while walking one and striking out three. He worked his way around some traffic early, stranding five runners on base through the first four innings. He followed it up with 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth before rounding out his day. In game one, Khan would deliver the lone complete-game effort of the weekend, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing three runs on four hits while walking three and striking out nine. The Cardinal's starting rotation has been the leader for the team this season, with three of the four starters holding sub 3.20 ERA's for the season.
On the offensive end, it was a clutch weekend for Luke Meyer, who finished 4-9 (.444) with a pair of doubles and five RBI on the weekend. Day two would be his strongest effort, as he picked up the game-winning hit in both games. In game one, he stepped up with two outs in the bottom of the third and delivered a two-RBI double that put Wheeling ahead 3-0 before they went on to win by the final score of 3-2. In game two, his big moment came in the bottom of the sixth, with two outs as he came to the plate with runners at second and third. He would shoot an RBI double up the middle, bringing home both runners and giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. For his efforts, Meyer earned the MEC's Hitter of the Week honor for the second time this season, as he pushed the Cardinals to the weekend win.
With Wheeling jumping two spots in this weekend's poll, the Cardinals have now earned their highest ranking in the region in program history. They remain one of two MEC teams ranked in the NCBWA, sitting just two spots behind Frostburg State for the #6 spot. Seton Hill claimed the top spot in week 10, holding a 29-7 record, while West Chester took second and East Stroudsburg and Millersville tied for the #3 spot. The Cardinals have now been ranked four weeks in a row and look to continue building their ranking through the final three divisional series of the season.
The Wheeling University Baseball team returns to action on Saturday, April 18th, when they travel to Fairmont State with first pitch at 1 PM.
