At a point this season the Cardinals were battling to stay over the .500 mark. Now they are fiercely fighting for a postseason spot.

The Cardinals currently sit at 81-66 and second in the National League Wild Card. A couple months ago it would not be fathomable that they would be in this position. They were struggling to stay above .500 and now they are right up there with some of the best teams in the league vying for a playoff spot

“The turnaround has been exciting to see. Didn’t even expect to have a positive record some September,” junior Connor Price said.

The Cardinals have a 78 percent chance to make the playoffs. It would be the first time since 2015 that St. Louis has made it to October. They fell just short in 2016, playing meaningful baseball through the last day of the season, but last year the team was out of contention before they even played their last series.

“As of now I see them making the playoffs. That could change though. Baseball is very unpredictable, especially once it gets to late September,” freshman Austin Utrecht said,

Some of the team’s success could be attributed to new skipper Mike Shildt. Since he was named the manager after Matheny’s firing, the team has performed much better. Whether that has to do with Matheny or the Cards just needing a new leader is still up for debate.

“I think Matheny was the issue. He lost the respect of the players,” junior Blake Ebner said.