Wheeling, W. Va. – After dropping the first two games of the weekend in Cary, North Carolina, the Wheeling University Baseball team came back with a big win in their weekend finale against St. Thomas Aquinas. It was their work on the mound that led the way, and they were rewarded for their efforts as the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their weekly Players of the Week presented by The Healthplan. Wheeling Baseball’s Jaden Wilcox was named the MEC Baseball Pitcher of the Week after leading the Cardinals to an 11-4 win in their weekend finale.
Wilcox got the call in the Cardinal’s final game of the season, making his second start in a Wheeling uniform. He gave the Cardinals just what they needed, working 6.0 innings while allowing no runs on just two hits, walking two batters and striking out six for his first win of the season. It was the longest outing by any Cardinal starter this season, and Wilcox would allow just one extra base hit throughout his outing. He would throw two 1-2-3 innings on the day, and allowed just three men to reach second base throughout the afternoon. He ended his afternoon strong, striking out three of the final six hitters he faced, including his final batter to strand a runner at second with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
With the outing, Wilcox now had the lowest ERA of any of the Cardinal starters, sitting at 3.60 through 10.0 innings of work. He leads the team with 12 strikeouts this season and has allowed the fewest hits of any starter, with seven, while opponents are hitting just .189 against him across two starts. Wilcox has made an impact in his first season with the Cardinals, giving the team three reliable starters at the top of the rotation. As they continue through non-conference play and get ready for the upcoming MEC schedule, Wilcox looks to continue his success to help lead the Cardinals to their goal of their first NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament appearance.
Wilcox is the second Cardinal to earn Conference Player of the Week honors this week, bringing the Wheeling Athletic Department’s Season Total to 40 Players of the Week. It is the first Player of the Week honor for the Wheeling Baseball team this season, after the team won two awards a season ago. Wilcox joins Wheeling University Men’s Lacrosse player Gabriel Hennin, who won GMAC Men’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week honors, to round out this week’s honorees.
The Wheeling University Baseball team returns to action on Saturday, March 8th, when they hit the road to face Lake Erie with first pitch at 2 PM.
