Wheeling, W. Va. – As the calendar turns to April, the Wheeling University Baseball team (21-7, 10-2) is preparing for their run through the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division. Before it begins, the team will compete in their final non-conference series finale against Salem on Friday, April 3rd, and Saturday, April 4th. It is a series with big Atlantic Region ramifications, with both teams battling for the final spots in the top 10 of the Atlantic Region.
The Cardinals are coming off a midweek match-up with California University of Pennsylvania, in a battle between the #5 and #10 teams in the conference. Things started out strong for the Vulcans, who scored six runs over the first two innings to take a 6-0 lead into the third inning. The Cardinals would get their first run in the top of the fourth, and the bullpen was able to steady the ship, throwing up zeros in the third fourth and sixth innings. However, strung in there was a one-run bottom of the fifth and a five-run bottom of the seventh that made it a 12-1 game. Wheeling had one more push left in them in the top of the eighth inning. Wheeling would strike for five runs in the inning, and brought the score back to 12-6. However, that is as close as the Cardinals would get, as they fell 12-6 to take their seventh loss of the season.
Leading the Cardinals offense as of late has been senior outfielder Gavin Millians, who was named the MEC Hitter of the Week two weeks ago. The Cardinals outfielder would finish the day 1-2 at the plate and, although his RBI streak came to an end, his hitting streak continued, moving to 12 straight games. The streak dates back to March 8th, with Millians picking up five multi hit days along the way. Prior to Tuesday's midweek, the senior was riding a nine-game RBI streak, where Millians would drive in at least two runs five times during the stretch. The streak propelled him to the top of the Cardinal leaderboards in RBI, driving in 27 during the year, while he sits third on the team with a .375 batting average while rounding out his stat line with a pair of home runs.
Leading the effort against CAL-U was Jalen Raysor, who had one at-bat in the top of the eighth, but made the most out of his opportunity. He would step in with the bases loaded, and promptly cleared them with a double down the left field line that brought home three runs. It brought his RBI total to five on the season and raised his batting average to .235 on the season. Raysor has made the most of his opportunities when he has received them this season, and looks to continue to be a strong role player. On the pitching side, it was Logan Stalbird that came out of the bullpen to settle things down and keep the Cardinals in the game. Stalbird entered in the bottom of the third and would deliver a pair of scoreless innings, allowing three hits. Stalbird has made five appearances this season, and has out together five straight scoreless outings since giving up five runs in their opener.
As they head into Friday's series opener, the Cardinals and Tigers are battling for the last spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Regional Top 10. For the second week in a row, the Cardinals found themselves in the #10 spot in the week right addition of the poll, receiving 13 points from the voting board. Sitting right behind them in the receiving votes category was Salem, who received seven votes from the voting board. Salem has received votes for the regional top 10 in each of the past three weeks and has been looking to jump into the top 10. It will also be the Cardinal's final warm-up before MEC North Play, and the Cardinals currently sit with the second best record in the conference at 10-2. Wheeling was one of two MEC teams to be ranked in this week's poll, and looks to continue their on-field improvement ahead of Divisional play.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 25th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 14-11. Wheeling has played better on the road in the all-time series, going 7-3 on the road, compared to a 7-8 record when they host Salem. The Cardinals offense has led the way in the series, averaging 6.36 runs per game, and has scored at least four runs in two of the last four meetings between the two teams.
Their last meeting came on April 7th, 2025, when the two teams split a doubleheader, falling 6-2 in game one before picking up an 8-3 win in the nightcap. The Cardinals were led in game one by Keaton Ference, who finished 1-3 with a home run and an RBI in the effort. Ference continued that success into game two, finishing 2-3 with a triple and a pair of RBI, backing up a big day on the mound for former Cardinal Jaden Wilcox, who gave up three runs over 5.0 innings while walking two and striking out five.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's Opener is scheduled for 1 PM inside Frank Lorie Field in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
