West Chester vs Jefferson
Game Details: March 25 I 3:00 P.M.
Location: Serpico Stadium (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: 41-8-1 (since 1996)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Jefferson Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester bounced back from a doubleheader sweep at East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of its own on Sunday, erasing a deficit in both games to earn a 5-3 victory in game one and a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
In the first game, Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) seemed to get better as the day went on, and the junior earned his fifth win of the year with a complete-game victory. Lazer allowed three runs (one earned)on six hits while walking one and striking out four. Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) delivered a big two-run home run to right-center in the second inning, which tied the game at 2-2 and ignited the Golden Ram faithful. West Chester snuck out to a 3-2 lead after a fielder’s choice by Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) before the Warriors tied the game at 3-3 in the third inning. Ben Bolhouse (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) answered with an RBI single in the fourth and Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) drove in an insurance run in the sixth with a fielder’s choice, which plated Mark Elliott (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) to stretch the lead to 5-3.
In game two, West Chester trailed by three heading into the home half of the fifth before scoring four runs on three hits, including a two-RBI single by Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) and RBI singles by Strawhecker and Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove). Patrick Taney (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) earned the win in relief, allowing just one run on one hit while walking three and striking out a pair in 2.2 innings of work. Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) pitched in his second game of the week, needing just 21 pitches to a six-out save.
Flock Talk
Bolhouse moved into first on the team in batting average at .377 (23-for-61) on the year with 23 RBI and 15 runs scored. Spencer is batting .347 (26-for-75) with 19 runs and 17 RBI, while Szestowicki is third, batting .342 (26-for-76) with seven extra-base hits and 21 runs scored, along with 18 RBI. Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), is batting .324 (22-for-68) while scoring a team-best 24 runs, thanks in part to five doubles and a pair of triples.
On the mound, Lazer and Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) were the first two Golden Ram pitchers to five wins on the year last week as Lazer improved to 5-0 with a complete-game victory on Sunday, while Costa earned a win in relief on Tuesday before suffering his first loss on Saturday at East Stroudsburg. Lazer shows a 0.93 ERA and a .214 batting average against in a staff-best 29.0 innings while striking out 31, which is tied with Costa for the most on the staff. Costa saw his ERA rise to 3.21 last week, although opponents still bat just .200 against him with 20 hits in 100 at-bats. Taney earned his first win of the season in relief on Sunday. Taney shows a 0.93 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP and a .143 batting average against, allowing just four hits and one run in 9.2 innings of work against 13 walks and 11 strikeouts.
It’s an Honor
Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) became the fourth different Golden Ram pitcher to earn PSAC East Pitcher of the Week honors this week after a great inning start against Molloy and a six-out save on Sunday. West Chester has won the Pitcher of the Week award each of the last four weeks. Julian Costa was honored first, followed by Kyle Lazer, Nick Noga, and DeHaven.
With a Win
With a win on Tuesday, West Chester will add another non-league game to its schedule as the team would head to Citizen’s Bank Park on April 8 for a matchup against Wilmington, who earned its spot in the Classic with a 7-6 victory over Chestnut Hill on the road on Saturday afternoon.
Bill Giles History
First introduced in 2001 in honor of former Phillies chairman and honorary NL President William (Bill) Yale Giles. West Chester has won the title each of the last two seasons and 14 times since its inception in 2003. Jefferson has won the Championship three times (2001, 2002, and 2014), while Wilmington Is a four-time Champion, with its most recent win coming in 2019 following a victory in 2018 as well.
Home Cooking
After sweeping a doubleheader on Sunday to pick up an important split vs East Stroudsburg, West Chester is now a perfect 8-0 at home this season, outscoring teams 58-16 through those eight games.
Rank and File
West Chester rose to seventh in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) polls released last week. A new ABCA poll is due to be released on Tuesday afternoon, while a new NCBWA poll will drop on Wednesday.
Power Surge
West Chester has outscored opponents 174-83 so far this season, including a 58-16 lead through its first eight home games of the season.
Series History
West Chester is 41-8-1 against Jefferson since 1996, including wins in each of the last 14 meetings. West Chester and Jefferson met in the Bill Giles Championship for the second year in a row last year, and West Chester downed its CACC foes by a 9-5 final after scoring five runs in the top of the 10th after Jefferson had tied the game at 4-4 in tie eighth to erase a late-two run deficit.
Scouting Jefferson
Jefferson enters play well-rested after not playing since a March 18 split vs Caldwell, which saw the Rams start the doubleheader with a 19-6 victory before dropping the nightcap by a 4-3 final for its first CACC loss of the season.
In game one, Jefferson scored 19 runs on 18 hits, including a 3-for-5 effort from Jay Kalieta, who drove in three runs and scored three more, along with a 2-for-5, four RBI effort from Joshua Lopez. Tyler Sickles was excellent for the Rams, tossing six strong innings, allowing just five runs on five hits, walking six, and striking out nine.
In the nightcap, Jefferson fell to Caldwell on a walk-off single as Albert Bobadilla was saddled with the loss despite a strong effort in relief, which saw him allow just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out two in 3.1 innings of work.
Javon Hernandez leads the team offensively, batting .421 (32-for-76) with 11 extra-base hits, including seven doubles, one triple, and three home runs, while driving in 22 runs and scoring 26 more. Justin Egner is second on the team, batting .360 (18-for-50) with 22 runs scored and 14 stolen bases on the season.
On the mound, Danny Kerr is a staff-best 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA, two complete games, and 26.0 innings of work. Kerr has struck out 27 while holding opponents to a .210 batting average, while Tyler Behm has struck out a staff-best 31, posting a record of 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Bobadilla, who suffered his first loss of the year last week, is 3-1 with a 2.49 era and a .122 batting average against in 25.1 innings of work. Bobadilla has fanned 28 on the year while allowing just 11 hits, although he has yielded a staff-worst 16 walks.
