West Chester vs Wilmington
Game Details: April 8 I 1 P.M.
Location: Citizen’s Bank Park (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Series: 30-20-1 (W5)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
WILMU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester was back in action at Shippensburg over the weekend, splitting the series with the Raiders after taking game two on Friday afternoon by a 5-2 final and game one on Saturday by a 7-4 final with 5-4 and 8-5 setbacks in games one and four. Julian Costa turned in the best outing of a Golden Ram starter on the weekend, tossing a complete game in the nightcap on Friday. He allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk, striking out a pair. Nick Noga also earned a win on the weekend with a four-inning effort, during which he allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out six. West Chester was able to rest its bullpen on Friday as Costa earned the complete-game win in the nightcap after Lazer pitched a complete game in the opening game, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out four in his first loss of the season.
Offensively, Avery Spencer and Anthony Boccio were hot this weekend batting .600 (6-for-10; three RBI) and .500 (7-for-14, five RBI, three runs, one double, two triples), respectively Despite the split over half of the West Chester lineup (5-of-9) batted north of .300 this weekend, including John Dunion who batted .375 with a home run on Friday.
Flock Talk
Sean Szestowicki and Avery Spencer remain first and second on the team offensively, batting .360 and .359, respectively, on the year with 40 and 37 hits, along with 30 and 24 runs scored, and 25 and 24 RBI. Casey Vaughan is third on the squad, batting .333 with a team-best 36 runs scored, while Austin Stalker and Ben Bolhouse are tied for the team lead in RBI with 27 each, batting .309 and .308, respectively. Stalker and Dunion lead the team in home runs with four each, accounting for eight of 16 home runs on the season.
In the middle of a busy stretch of baseball and the hunt for a PSAC East crown, West Chester will likely staff its game at Citizen’s Bank on Wednesday as the Golden Ram pitchers hold teams to a 3.86 ERA and a .247 batting average with 117 runs (100 earned) on 215 hits in 233.00 innings of work with 236 strikeouts. Lazer and Costa remain first and second on the team in a host of categories, entering the week at 6-1 and 7-1 with ERAs of 1.80 and 2.41, along with opponent batting averages of .221 and .197. Lazer has a staff-best 42 strikeouts in 40 innings of work, including two complete games, while Costa has struck out 41 with three complete games under his belt.
Rank and File
West Chester rose to 10th in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) rankings last week, marking the start of its seven-game winning streak.
Back at the Bank
West Chester returns to Citizens Bank Park once again on Tuesday afternoon in search of its fourth consecutive Bill Giles Invitational crown, having defeated Jefferson in each of the previous two seasons and Wilmington in 2022. A season ago, West Chester needed extra innings to earn a 9-5 win over Jefferson after defeating the Rams by a 5-2 final in April 2023. The last time West Chester faced Wilmington at Citizens Bank Park was in April 2022, when the Golden Rams prevailed by a 10-8 final in 12 innings, halting Wilmington’s two-year run as Giles Champions.
Hot Streak
West Chester is 10-2 in its last 12 games, with its first losses during that span coming over the weekend at Shippensburg as the Golden Rams split a pair of doubleheaders against the Raiders.
Series History
West Chester holds a 30-20-1 lead in the all-time series vs Wilmington, including wins in each of the last five meetings.
Last Time They Met
West Chester and Wilmington met in West Chester earlier this season, with the Golden Rams taking the game by a 9-1 final behind an excellent six-inning gem from Ryan DeHaven and a 3-for-5 day at the plate by Avery Spencer, which included a double, a two-RBI single, and a pair of runs scored. West Chester scored a run in the first, second, and third innings to take a 3-0 lead, then extended the lead to five in the fifth and ninth innings after a four-run seventh inning.
Scouting Wilmington
Wilmington (18-11) enters play after sweeping a high-scoring doubleheader at Post on April 1, winning game one by a 19-14 final before taking the nightcap 14-12 in seven innings to conclude a long day of baseball. This doubleheader sweep halted a three-game losing streak for the Rams, which saw the team drop three straight to Jefferson to end March, including 10-2, 13-2, and 16-2 setbacks to the Rams.
Brandon Grygo remains one of the top bats for Wilmington this season, batting .387 with 43 hits, 33 runs scored, and 24 RBI, including 18 extra-base hits, registering 10 doubles, four triples, and four home runs. Kory Pritchard is close behind, batting an excellent .377 on the year with 26 hits and 14 runs scored to help bolster the Wildcat offense.
On the mound, Xavier Cortez is 4-1 on the year with a .237 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings of work, while Scott Borgmann is 2-2 in nine appearances (six starts) with a 3.81 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 26.0 innings of work. Grygo is also 2-2 on the team with a 5.66 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work while posting a 1.89 WHIP.
