West Chester vs Queens
Series Details: March 14 Doubleheader 1/3:30 P.M. I March 15 Doubleheader 12/2:30 P.M.
Location: Serpico Stadium (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 1-0
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Queens Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester won its home opener in dominant fashion on Wednesday afternoon, storming to a 9-1 victory over Wilmington. Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) was excellent on the mound, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing just four hits and one walk, while striking out five to improve to 2-0 on the season. Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) was 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored, while Jake Welsch (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. West Chester scored a run in each of the first three innings and two in the fifth to lead 5-0 after five innings before exploding for four runs in the seventh to break the game open and hold a commanding 9-0 lead heading into the eighth. Wilmington scratched a run across in the top of the eighth, but this was all the Golden Rams allowed, coasting to a 9-1 victory over its non-league guests.
Flock Talk
On the mound, Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) and Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) have emerged as two premiere starting arms for West Chester this season as they are both 3-0 with ERAs sub-1.00. Lazer shows a 0.53 ERA with a .217 batting average against him and a team-best 23 strikeouts in 17 innings of work. Costa already has two complete games to his name this season, including his no-hitter against STAC, which earned him NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honors. Costa shows a 0.95 ERA and a WHIP of 0.53, while also posting a .127 batting average against with 22 strikeouts in 19 innings of work. Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) has been excellent out of the ‘pen for West Chester early this season, logging 6.2 scoreless innings in relief over the course of five appearances. Taney has allowed just two hits but has yielded nine walks, while striking out eight to post a WHIP of 1.65 and .105 batting average against to start his Golden Ram career.
Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) is first on the team in batting average at .388 (19-for-49) on the year with four doubles, two triples, and one home run to his credit. West Chester has five of its nine “everyday” starters through the first 13 games batting north of .300 on the year. Ben Bolhouse (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) is batting .361 on the year, while Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) leads the team in runs scored with 15, batting .370 on the year, while also driving in eight runs. Austin Stalker (Wyncombe, Pa./Council Rock North) is just behind him, batting a solid .306 with a team-best 14 RBI, including three home runs, which is tied with John Dunion (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) for first on the team. Welsch is second on the team in batting average at .373 (19-for-51) on the season with a team-best five doubles along with a home run and a triple for seven extra-base hits on the year. Welsch has also scored 12 runs and driven in 10 more.
We Are Honored
Lazer earned PSAC East Pitcher of the Week honors for his 14 strikeouts in the game one victory over Mercy last Saturday. This marks the second week in a row in which West Chester has earned PSAC East Pitcher of the Week plaudits, as Julian Costa was honored in this same manner a week ago after throwing a no-hitter against St. Thomas Aquinas in Cary, North Carolina.
Home Sweet Home
Wednesday was the Golden Rams' first home game of the season and was the first of an eight-game homestand, which includes the four-game set vs Queens this weekend, a single nine inning game vs Molloy on Tuesday, and a doubleheader vs East Stroudsburg next Friday afternoon at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
Power Surge
West Chester has outscored its opponents 117-45 since opening the season on February 22 vs Charleston. West Chester opened its season outscoring Charleston 34-10 in Virginia before outscoring teams in North Carolina by a 37-11 margin and teams in New York (Pace & Mercy last weekend) by a 37-23 margin. West Chester opened its home slate with a 9-1 victory over Wilmington on Wednesday.
Rank and File
West Chester remained seventh in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll released on Tuesday morning. The Golden Rams also climbed back to 10th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
Series History
West Chester has faced Queens only once in its history, a 9-0 victory over the Knights in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at the outset of the 2009 season.
Scouting Queens
Queens (5-7) enters play on Friday following a 9-2 loss to Goldey Beacom on Wednesday afternoon to fall to 2-2 in its last four games dating back to a 13-12 win over Franklin Pierce on March 1. Tied 1-1 after four innings, Queens surrendered a three-spot in the fifth, three more in the eighth, and two more in the ninth to watch a close game slip away in the 9-2 setback. Robert Nunez (0-2) got the start and was a tough-luck loser, allowing three unearned runs on four hits in 4.1 innings of work as the first of six pitchers used by the Knights in the non-league tilt. Hits were at a premium for Queens in this game as they recorded only seven, with Robert Jacobsen being the only one to record a multi-hit game as he was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in the loss.
Michael Vilardi and Jacobsen are first and second on the team offensively, batting .378 (17-for-45) and .368 (14-for-38), respectively. Jacobsen leads the team in extra-base hits with eight, including two home runs, for a team-best 10 RBI on the season. Penn Sealey is batting .273 (12-for-44) on the year but leads the team in runs scored with 13 through the first 12 games.
On the mound, it has been pitcher by committee early this season to some extent for Queens as the Knights have used a host of arms, but no one pitcher has thrown over 10.1 innings through 12 games. Nick Kozerski has thrown the most innings of anyone on the squad, 10.1 in five appearances, and is 2-1 with an 11.32 ERA and a .395 batting average against. Reynaldo Angeles and Severino Napolitano Jr. are two of the top arms for Queens early this season at 1-0 on the year with 0.00 and 2.89 ERAs and opponent batting averages below .200 (.182 and .097) through 6.2 and 9.1 innings. Caleb Cassie is one of only a handful of pitchers who have thrown 10 innings this year (one of four) as he shows a record of 0-1 in two starts with a 4.50 ERA and a .143 batting average against with 20 strikeouts. Cassie’s downfall has been the home run ball, as three of the five hits he has allowed have been home runs.
