Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Softball team (7-21), (2-6) are fresh off a doubleheader split against West Virginia State where they totaled 11 runs in both games and are now set to meet up with two Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents who have already proven themselves as postseason contenders in the North Division: the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons and the Frostburg State Bobcats. The Cardinals hope to
The team last saw action on Sunday on the road against West Virginia State. The Cardinals opened game one with the first two runs of the game in the top of the second. However, the Yellow Jackets went on to score six unanswered runs across the following three innings. Wheeling got two back before the game ended in a 6-4 loss, but they would make up for it in game two. After going down 3-1, Wheeling brought home three runs in the top of the fifth to take a one-run lead, but State scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead at 5-4. Then, Taylor Walsh homered in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. The Cardinals scored two runs in the eighth, and the defense held strong to pick up a 7-5 win in game two.
The Cardinals had two separate standout players in each game: Mikaela Holp and Mackenzie Burns. Holp went a perfect 3-3 at the plate and tacked on a run in game one, marking her best at-bat of her career. The Miamisburg, OH native has been a pleasant surprise in centerfield this season and has helped the defense out tremendously, recording nine catches, eight putouts, an assist, and a 1.000 fielding percentage in both games against State. In the second game, Burns put on an efficient display in the batter's box, going 4-5 while bringing in three RBIs and crossing the plate herself once. Like Holp, Burns' effort at the plate set a new career-high for the freshman. Burns leads the team with a .387 batting average, 29 hits, seven doubles, 14 RBIs, and has drawn 18 walks so far this season.
Tasiana Taufahema and Taylor Walsh each recorded their first home runs of the season in the West Virginia State series. Taufahema sent a ball flying to right field to score the first two runs of game one for the Cardinals and Walsh's homer in game two set the Cardinals up for the win in extra innings. While neither player has appeared in more than 20 games, they have proven that they can bring a needed pop at the plate when the team needs it the most.
In the circle, Ryleigh Peters earned her first win of the season in game two versus the Yellow Jackets. The junior pitched all eight innings and recorded three strikeouts. Despite Kaylin Shields not picking up the win in game one, she still performed well. Shields recorded five strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched, bringing her total to 76 strikeouts this season, which places her fifth in the MEC.
The Matchups
The Fairmont State Fighting Falcons are one of the best teams in the conference as a whole with an 18-6 record and boast an 8-0 league record, good enough for first place in the North Division. The Falcons are riding an impressive 10-game win streak thanks in part to the .459 batting average of senior infielder Breonna Marietta and the .418 average of sophomore Emma Paul. Fairmont has an elite pitching staff, headlined by junior Delaney Haller, who is sporting a 2.14 ERA. The Falcons last matched up against Point Park on the road that saw Fairmont dominate game one in five innings with a 9-1 win and a 4-1 win in game two.
The Falcons are 31-14 against the Cardinals dating back to 2012 and have won the last 12 matchups. The last time the two programs met was on April 17th, 2025, when Fairmont squeaked out a 7-6 win in game one and a 1-0 victory in game two.
Frostburg State is another squad who is one of the best teams in the conference. They are second in the North Division with a 17-4, 6-2 record. The Bobcats are currently on a two-game win streak after notching a total of 29 runs against Point Park on March 29th, 13-1 in game one and 16-2 in game two. FSU is led by senior pitcher Ally Myers, who is batting .411 and is sixth among all MEC hitters, right under Wheeling's Burns. Izabella Donaldson, who is also a pitcher, sits right underneath her with a .405 batting average, and they have seven home runs between the two of them. In the circle, Donaldson leads the team with a 1.49 ERA, a conference high. Myers has only pitched in six games, so behind Donaldson is freshman Izzy Dietrich, who has a 2.35 ERA and is also a top 10 pitcher in the league.
The Bobcats are 17-3 against the Cardinals since 2021 and last met up on April 18th, 2025. Wheeling had won the previous three meetings, including a 2-0 win on that day, but the Bobcats earned a 6-5 win in game two to break the skid.
The Details
The Wheeling University Softball team will be on the road for the next two days before the Easter break to take on the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons tomorrow, April 3rd at 1pm and 3pm. They will then travel to meet the Frostburg State Bobcats on Saturday, April 4th at 12pm and 2pm. Links for the stream and LiveStats will be available below.
Fairmont vs Wheeling Game One @1pm
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Fairmont vs Wheeling Game Two @3pm
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Frostburg vs Wheeling Game one @12pm
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Frostburg vs Wheeling Game Two @2pm
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