WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The West Liberty University softball team returns home on Wednesday to kick off a six-game homestand, beginning with a doubleheader against Wheeling University at 3 and 5 p.m. at the Hilltopper Softball Complex.

The Hilltoppers enter the homestand with a 19-18 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Cardinals are 6-32 overall and 3-11 in the MEC. 

This will be the second series of the season between the two rivals. West Liberty swept the previous doubleheader at Lisa's Field on March 25, winning by scores of 8-0 and 19-7. The Black and Gold have won 10 of the last 12 matchups and hold a 25-20 edge in the all-time series.

West Liberty comes into the matchup with a .277 team batting average, good for seventh in the MEC. Wheeling ranks ninth with a .263 average. In the circle, the Hilltoppers boast a 3.93 ERA, fifth-best in the league, while the Cardinals sit 10th with a 6.10 ERA.

Individually, Sydney Johnson leads West Liberty with a .377 batting average, ranking 11th in the conference. Wheeling counters with Amber Morgan, the MEC's top hitter, who enters the series with a blistering .477 average.

Kadence Pettit leads the Hilltopper pitching staff with a 3.25 ERA (10th in the MEC), followed closely by Madison Angus at 3.73 (11th). Wheeling's top pitcher, Kaylin Shields, holds a 5.07 ERA, ranking 21st in the conference.