Full Poll
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Division II Baseball Preseason Top-25 poll on Wednesday afternoon, and West Chester (35-17) was listed among the teams receiving votes for entry into the top-25 as the first pitch of the 2026 season draws near.
Tampa is the unanimous preseason number one in Division II baseball with 20 first-place votes after also being ranked atop the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll released on Tuesday. Central Missouri, Texas Tyler, Northwest Nazarene, and Catawba round out the top five.
West Chester is one of four teams from the Atlantic Region to appear in the top-25 and is also one of four from the PSAC, as defending Atlantic Regional Champion East Stroudsburg is seventh, followed by fellow perennial powers Seton Hill and Millersville in 20
th and 22
nd, respectively.
This is just the latest preseason recognition for sixth-year head coach
Mike LaRosa's squad, as the Golden Rams were also ranked 30th in the ABCA Preseason Top-30 and fourth in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Preseason Poll, both of which were released earlier this week.
West Chester heads into 2026 after going 35-17 overall a year ago and 17-11 in league action, which led the 2024 PSAC Champion Golden Rams back to the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments in 2025. West Chester took three of four to end the regular season against Mansfield before falling to California in the PSAC Tournament by a 7-4 final ahead of a pair of NCAA Tournament losses to Fairmont State (11-4) and East Stroudsburg (6-1).
West Chester returns several pieces from that 2025 squad, including a pair of top bats in
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) and
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), who batted .327 and .325 with seven and five home runs, respectively, in their first seasons as Golden Rams last Spring. Strawhecker earned PSAC East Rookie of the Year honors after driving in 31 runs and scoring 30 more, while also doing an excellent job behind the plate throughout his first season of collegiate baseball.
On the mound, West Chester also returns many of its arms from 2025, led by
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview), who pitched to a record of 8-3 with a 4.60 ERA and three complete games, including a no-hitter early last Spring in Cary, North Carolina. This effort led to Costa earning PSAC, NCBWA Atlantic Region, and NCBWA Division II Pitcher of the Week honors as he became the first Golden Rams since Nicholas Frank in 1947 to throw a no-hitter.
West Chester will open its 2026 campaign on February 21 with a doubleheader against Saint Anslem in Fairfax, Virginia, beginning at 12 p.m. A full preview of the 2026 Golden Rams will be available ahead of the team's opening weekend in Virginia later in February.
