Wheeling, W. Va. – With two weeks to go in the regular season, the race is on for teams to qualify for the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Baseball Tournament. On Friday, the Wheeling University Baseball team (31-11, 16-4) will begin the final push for a spot when they open a four-game series against Point Park at EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania. The Cardinals ride into the weekend on a five-weekend winning streak, and look to get out to a hot start against the MEC's top pitching team entering the weekend.
The Cardinals are coming off their first midweek win of the season when they took down Davis & Elkins in a non-conference game on Wednesday. After the Senators jumped on the board for an early run, the Cardinals were quick to respond with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. They opened up the scoreboard with a three-spot in the bottom of the second, taking a 4-1 lead, and their pitching staff would take control the rest of the way. In total, seven pitchers combined to allow just one run in the nine-inning affair, with six of those seven pitchers throwing scoreless outings. In the middle innings, the Cardinals were able to run away with the game, scoring a combined five runs between the fifth and seventh innings. The Cardinals would see a total of 22 players take the field in the contest, as they picked up their first midweek win of the season, 9-1.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was designated hitter Luke Meyer, who finished 1-4 with a home run and three RBI in the winning effort. He would help get the Cardinals going with a sacrifice fly as part of their three-run bottom of the second, but his big blow would come in the bottom of the fifth when he stepped in with one out and nobody on. He would lift a solo home run over the right field wall, and the Cardinals would get out to a 5-1 lead. The redshirt freshman would account for a third of his team's offense and continued what has been a strong few weeks for the DH. Over his last nine games, Meyer is hitting .290 (9-31) with two home runs, three doubles, and 10 RBI. It helped raise his season average to .357, putting him second on the team, while he leads the team with seven home runs and is second with 34 RBI.
In a series that will be defined by pitching, the Cardinals will be relying on their top two pitchers to get things started on Friday. Up first will be Sebastian Khan, who enters the weekend with the MEC's lowest ERA at 1.84. The senior is coming off one of his best starts of the season last time out against Fairmont State, when he went 6.1 innings, allowing just one run while walking two and striking out six. Khan would enter the bottom of the seventh with a no-hitter intact before allowing a one-out single to break the feat. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any start this season, and looks to keep the success going. Following behind him a week ago was Mason Fenwick, who turned in his best start of his career. The senior would throw 6.1 innings, allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out four. He set new career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts as he continues to be a utility pitcher for the Cardinals this season.
With the first two games of the four-game series set for Friday, both teams will be looking to take an advantage early in the weekend. It will be a battle of the top two pitching staffs in the conference, with Point Park entering with a 4.12 team ERA to lead the conference, with Wheeling sitting right behind them at 4.41. What separates the two programs is the offense, with Wheeling sitting as the top hitting team with a .310 average this season. The Cardinals will also be looking to become the first team in the conference to lock up their spot in the 2026 MEC Tournament. They enter the weekend with a magic number of three, meaning any combination of three Cardinal wins or three losses by West Liberty will clinch the Cardinals' first MEC Tournament berth since the 2024 season. Wheeling has already made history this season, setting the program's single-season win record, and they look to add to that history as the season moves on.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the ninth time in program history when they open their series on Friday, with Point Park leading the all-time series at 6-2. However, this will be the first time that Wheeling is hosting the series, with the first eight games of the series being played on the road. The Cardinals are looking to break a six-game losing streak that dates back to the 2010 season, with the Cardinals averaging 4.10 runs per game in the all-time series.
The last meeting between the two teams came on April 28, 2025, with Point Park sweeping the day by scores of 6-5 and 4-0. In game one, Sebastian Khan would throw 6.0 innings, allowing four runs in what was a 4-0 Cardinal loss. In game two, Chris Sauer would lead the way, finishing 2-4 with a home run, a pair of runs scored, and an RBI, while former Cardinal Christian Boyles went 1-3 with an RBI.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's series-opening doubleheader is scheduled for 5 PM inside EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
