WEST CHESTER, Pa.- As April enters its final days, the West Chester University baseball (31-10, 13-7) is entering its final weeks with a number of important games still to be played. West Chester will play four of these all-important games this weekend as the Golden Rams renew their rivalry against the 10
th-ranked Millersville University Marauders (31-6, 17-3). West Chester will host the Marauders in a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. before visiting Millersville on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
West Chester vs Millersville
Series Details:
Game 1 & 2: at West Chester; Friday, April 25 I 1/3:30 P.M.
Game 3 & 4: at Millersville; Saturday, April 16 I 4/6:30 P.M.
Friday Links: Live Stats I
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Saturday Links: Live Stats I
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Tickets
Series: 96-56 (6-4 in last 10)
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VILLE Links: NEWS I
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Last Time Out
West Chester remained unbeaten at home last week with a doubleheader sweep of Bloomsburg as the Golden Rams took three of four from the Huskies after splitting the doubleheader in Bloomsburg on Saturday.
Sean Szestowicki was as hot as anyone on the team last weekend, batting .462 with three extra-base hits, including two home runs for eight RBI and five runs scored.
Jake Welsch and
Austin Stalker also batted north of .400 against Bloomsburg, batting .467 and .417 with seven and five hits each.
Nick Noga and
Ryan DeHaven were exceptional for West Chester last weekend, as Noga earned a win in relief with four shutout innings, which saw him allow just two hits and one walk while striking out three and posting a .143 batting average against.
Ryan DeHaven turned in a big complete game effort on Saturday as he allowed just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven in the game four victory. DeHaven held the Huskies to a .130 batting average against, which was the best of anyone on the staff who pitched three or more innings.
Flock Talk
Sean Szestowicki has caught fire at the plate in recent weeks and is now first on the team in most offensive categories with a .371 batting average and 52 hits, including 16 extra-base hits (10 doubles, two triples, four home runs) along with 36 RBI and a .557 slugging percentage.
Casey Vaughan is batting .325 with 41 hits and a team-best 41 runs scored, while also leading the team in doubles with 11. Vaughan also has four triples on the year, which is second only to
Anthony Boccio and his five on the season.
Austin Stalker leads the team in home runs with five and is third in batting average, batting .323 on the season with a .969 OPS, thanks to a .532 slugging percentage.
On the mound,
Julian Costa is 8-2 on the year with a 3.62 ERA and a .235 opponents' batting average, while striking out 49 in 49.2 innings of work with three complete games, including his no-hitter.
Kyle Lazer continues to lead the team in strikeouts with 55 as he has a record of 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA and a .250 opponents' batting average in 49.1 innings of work.
Nick Noga is 5-2 on the year with a 5.80 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 40.1 innings of work, including a complete-game shutout earlier this season.
Ryan DeHaven has had moments of brilliance in the starting rotation this year, entering the weekend 3-0 on the year with a 3.06 ERA and a .233 opponents' batting average with 29 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work.
Patrick Taney remains an excellent bullpen arm for West Chester, striking out 21 in 16.2 innings of work over 14 appearances. Taney has a .120 batting average against but a 1.56 WHIP and a 2.70 ERA as he has issued a staff-worst 20 walks this season.
It's Good to be Home
West Chester is a perfect 15-0 at home this season, outscoring teams 104-32 in games at Serpico Stadium. As a team, West Chester is batting .422 at home while opponents bat just .204 in games on South Campus.
Caleb Strawhecker is one of the best hitters on the team in games on South Campus, batting .370 with 10 hits and 10 RBI with two doubles and two home runs.
Julian Costa is a perfect 4-0 at home this season with a 2.76 ERA, while
Nick Noga is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 16 strikeouts in a staff-best 19.2 innings of work in games at Serpico.
Rank and File
West Chester climbed to 19
th in both the ABCA and NCBWA Division II Baseball rankings this week. Millersville remained 10
th in both the ABCA and NCBWA Division II rankings.
Time to Go
West Chester enters the weekend at 31-10 overall and 13-7 in league play after taking three of four from Bloomsburg last weekend. The Golden Rams are a comfortable third in the PSAC East standings, meaning that a spot in the PSAC Tournament during the second week in May is nearly guaranteed, however, the Golden Rams do still have an outside chance at a PSAC East Regular Season title with sweeps down the stretch and a little bit of help from around the league.
Series History
Winners of six of the last 10, including a big sweep last May, West Chester retains a 96-56 lead in the all-time series against Millersville. West Chester completed the four-game regular season series sweep in thrilling fashion a year ago, winning both games at home via walk-off before completing the sweep with 5-2 and 8-6 wins at the Marauders on May 3.
Scouting Millersville
Winners of seven in a row after a sweep of Kutztown, which saw the Marauders outscore the Golden Bears 26-6, including a pair of shutouts (6-0 & 10-0), No. 10 Millersville (31-6, 17-3) enters the weekend in the drivers seat for the PSAC East Regular Season crown. Of course, Millersville has arguably its two most challenging foes left on the schedule as the Marauders will face the Golden Rams this weekend before wrapping up the season with East Stroudsburg next week.
Batting .387 (48-for-124) with 41 RBI and 42 runs scored, Bren Taylor heads into the weekend just four hits shy of breaking the PSAC career hits record. Sam Morris and Jeff Sabater are close behind, batting .359 and .339 on the year with 46 and 41 hits, respectively. Matthew Williams leads the team in home runs with 11, along with 43 RBI and eight doubles, posting a .321 batting average and a 1.066 OPS, while also scoring 35 runs. Sabater leads the team in runs scored with 43 as he is also an impressive 32-for-34 on stolen base attempts.
Connor Blantz, Garet Blankenbiller, and Connor Cook have been consistent weekend starters throughout the year for Millersville, going 4-1, 6-1, and 7-1 with ERAs of 3.67, 3.92, and 4.50 and batting averages of .212, .227, and .249, respectively. Blantz has a staff-best 77 strikeouts in 49.0 innings of work, while Cook and Blankenbiller have fanned 49 and 46 in 48 and 41.1 innings. Gavin Lill and Evan Rishell have shared closer duties, picking up four saves each with ERAs of 3.07 and 3.42 and opponent batting averages of .218 and .276 on the season.
Up Next
West Chester will host the Marauders in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at 1/3:30 p.m. before visiting the Marauders for a doubleheader on Saturday at 4/6:30 p.m. Following this, West Chester will conclude its regular season next Thursday and Friday against Mansfield, while Millersville will wrap up its regular season against East Stroudsburg.
