West Chester at/vs Shippensburg
Series Details: April 4 at SHIP 1/3:30 P.M. April 5 at WCU 1/3:30 P.M.
Road Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Home Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 55-59 (Since 1990)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
SHIP Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester stretched its winning streak to eight in a row with a big four-run ninth inning on Wednesday night, which led the Golden Rams to a 6-2 victory over Molloy. John Dunion delivered the big blow in the ninth with a one-out double to drive home Jake Welsch and spark the four-run inning as the Golden Rams broke open a 2-2 game late. Ben Jones earned his second win of the year in relief, pitching three scoreless innings with two strikeouts on just 31 pitches. Despite needing a big ninth inning to emerge victorious, West Chester pounded out 11 hits on Wednesday night, led by two-hit days from Dunion, Casey Vaughan, and Caleb Strawhecker.
Flock Talk
At the plate, Sean Szestowicki, Casey Vaughan, and Caleb Strawhecker remain first and second on the team in batting average at .357 and .352 on the year. Vaughan leads the team in runs scored with 33, while Szestowicki and Strawhecker have combined to drive in 41 runs and score 41 more. Ben Bolhouse is first on the team in RBI with 25, while Austin Stalker is close behind with 25 thanks in part to his four home runs, which is best on the team.
On the mound, Lazer and Costa are tied for first on the team in wins at 6-0 and 6-1 with ERAs of 0.79 and 2.65, along with opponent batting averages below .200 (.193 and .185, respectively). Nick Noga and Ryan DeHaven complete the weekend rotation with records of 2-0 and 2-2 and ERAs of 3.33 and 7.36, respectively. Out of the bullpen, Danny Carr is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a .250 opponent batting average in five appearances with one start, while Patrick Taney has shown himself to be a great bullpen arm for West Chester going 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA and .133 opponents batting average in eight appearances (10.2 innings of work).
Rank and File
West Chester climbed to 10th in the latest ABCA and NCBWA National Polls this week after going a perfect 5-0 last week, including a four-game sweep of Kutztown.
Going Streaking
After dropping two games at East Stroudsburg on March 22, the West Chester University baseball team has caught fire once again, winning each of the last eight games, outscoring teams 54-21 during that stretch, including 11-0 and 12-2 victories over Kutztown over the weekend.
Home Cooking
West Chester is a perfect 11 at home this season, including a pair of wins over Kutztown last weekend. West Chester is outscoring teams 76-20 through 11 home games and 219-98 on the year.
Going to the Bank
After its series with Shippensburg concludes, West Chester will take its talents to the City of Brotherly Love to face Wilmington in the Bill Giles Championship game at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, April 8.
Series History
Since 1990, Shippensburg holds a slim 59-55 lead over West Chester after sweeping the season series a year ago and going 1-2 vs the Golden Rams in 2023. West Chester enters with a win in the last meeting after posting a 10-8 victory over the Raiders in the PSAC Tournament in Shippensburg last May.
Scouting SHIP
Shippensburg enters play 17-10 on the year and 4-4 in league play after dropping 3-of-4 to Millersville last weekend, with the lone win being a 12-10 victory at home last Saturday afternoon. Shippensburg is 12-5 at home this year and just 5-5 in games away from Fairchild Field.
AJ Wenrich and Gio Calamia lead the way offensively, batting .354 and .349 on the year with 25 and 20 runs scored and 19 and 24 RBI, respectively. Wenrich has a team-best seven home runs on the year, along with three doubles and a triple, while Calamia has five doubles, four triples, and four home runs. Calamia is also a team-best 12-for-12 on stolen base attempts this season.
On the mound, JT Weaver, Jaxon Dalena, and Cameron Goble have been the three consistent weekend starters for Shippensburg, posting records of 5-0, 3-3, and 2-3 on the year, with ERAs of 3.22, 3.35, and 5.79, respectively. Dalena holds opponents to a .216 batting average and has a staff-best 58 strikeouts in 43 innings of work, including one complete game on the season. Jack Robinson has emerged as a top closer for Shippensburg, boasting a record of 1-1, along with three saves and a 3.29 ERA, backed by a .208 batting average against, in 13.2 innings of work across 12 appearances. Robinson has struck out 13 in these appearances and allowed 11 walks along with 10 hits.
