Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the 2026 season, the Wheeling University Baseball team (35-13, 20-6) have been taking the season one weekend at a time. With the final weekend set to wrap up, the Cardinals are not only looking for their seventh weekend win over the past eight weeks, but they have a shot at claiming their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) North title since the 2021 season.
The series kicked off with a primetime senior night doubleheader on Friday on a night that had it all at EQT Park. In game one, the offense would get out to a fast start, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first, and putting up 14 total runs in the contest. However, it was the pitching that would be the story of the night, with three different Cardinals combining to throw the first no-hitter in program history. The Cardinals allowed just three total base runners on the day, two via a walk and two via an error, as Wheeling took the 14-0 victory. In game two, both offenses were going, trading the first eight runs of the game over the first three innings. In the top of the fifth, West Liberty would open things up with a three-run home run to make it 7-4, but the Cardinals were not ready to go away. They tied things up in the bottom of the seventh, and a walk-off sacrifice fly would give the Cardinals the sweep of the day and the 8-7 game two victory.
Leading the way in the No-Hitter for the Cardinals was Sebastian Khan, who also made some individual history along the way. The senior would turn in another strong outing in his final stint before the MEC Tournament, throwing 4.1 innings while allowing just one walk and four strikeouts. He kept the Hilltopper bats at bat, allowing just two base runners during his stint, one coming via a walk and the other coming via a Cardinal error. He would pick up the win in the effort, which helped him set the program's single-season win record, notching his MEC leading ninth win of the season. He sits at or near the top of every statistical pitching category in the conference, leading all eligible pitchers with a 2.32 ERA over his 66.0 innings of work. He has also struck out the second most batters (71) while working the third most innings in the conference this season.
While the pitching was going their thing, the hitters were swinging the bats well, led by senior Nicholas Schulz. His biggest hit of the night would come in the bottom of the second when he stepped in with the bases loaded and one out. He would rip a double down the left field line, clearing the bases and opening up the score to 9-0 in favor of the Cardinals. It would go down as his only hit of the day, with the first baseman finishing 1-5 with that double, but he drove in just under half of his team's offense in game one. In game two, the hero would be Caid Heflin, who did not record a hit in the game but drove in two runs. After hitting a sacrifice fly in the top of the first to get things going, he would come to the plate in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and one out looking to put the ball in play. He lifted a high fly ball deep to left, and Keaton Ference would come home to score to give the Cardinals the 8-7 walk-off win.
As they enter the final two games of the regular season, the Cardinals have a lot to play for to wrap up the regular season. They currently hold a one-game lead over Frostburg State for the top spot in the MEC North, but hold the tie breaker over the Bobcats after taking three of four earlier this season. With that in mind, the Cardinals need to win just one of the two games in the doubleheader to guarantee themselves the MEC North Championship. It would be their first division title since the 2021 season, and would give them the #1 seed heading into the 2026 MEC Tournament. However, if the Cardinals are able to sweep the Hilltoppers they will not only guarantee themselves an MEC North Championship, but also the outright MEC regular season championship as well. If they capture the overall conference championship, it will be their first in program history, and put momentum on their side heading into the postseason.
The Details
First pitch for game three of the four-game series is scheduled for 1 PM inside Kovalick Field on the campus of West Liberty University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
