Wheeling, W. Va. - During the 2026 season, the Wheeling University Baseball team enjoyed unprecedented success on the field, setting the program single-season win record and earning their second Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division Championship. However, the winning tradition continued in the classroom, with the announcement of the American Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award. For the fourth season in a row, the Cardinal Baseball program was honored, posting a 3.55 team GPA during the 2025-2026 academic year.
"Success on the field is great, but we always preach to our guys that success in the classroom comes first and foremost," said Wheeling University Head Baseball Coach Ryan Lewicki. "I am proud of the guys for the work they put into their academics this season, and that success has translated into this academic honor."
In order to be named an ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award winner, a team must be a high school or college baseball program whose head coach is a current member of the ABCA. The team then must post a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2025-2026 academic year. This year, the award was handed out to nearly 500 college programs and more than 320 high school programs across the country. The ABCA has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA Team Academic Award is presented by Sports Attack, a family-owned and operated company that designs, scrutinizes, analyzes, and engineers their products.
The 2025-2026 season marks the fourth year in a row that the Cardinals have earned the Team Academic Excellence Award. Their 3.55 cumulative team GPA marks the highest in program history, as the team continues their success in the classroom. On the field, the Cardinals put together their best season in program history, going 36-16 overall and 21-7 in conference play to claim the #1 seed in the MEC North Division. The team success was coupled with individual success, with six different Cardinals earning All-MEC honors during the year. Leading the group was MEC Hitter of the Year Edward Mateo and MEC Pitcher of the Year Sebastian Khan, while head coach Ryan Lewicki was named the MEC Coach of the Year.
Wheeling was one of five teams across the MEC to be honored with the Team Academic Excellence Award. They were joined by MEC North Division rivals Frostburg State, West Liberty, and Point Park, as well as The University of Charleston from the MEC South Division. Each of the five MEC teams that earned ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award honors also qualified for the 2026 MEC Baseball Tournament.
The Wheeling University Baseball team continues their offseason push as they prepare to continue their success both on and off the field in 2027.
