WEST CHESTER, Pa.- On the heels of its first PSAC East series loss of the 2026 season, the No. 8/28 West Chester baseball team (24-8) is set to return to action on Wednesday as the Golden Rams step out of league play once again to take on Goldey-Beacom (26-12) at home beginning at 3 p.m.
West Chester vs Goldey Beacom
Game Details: April 15 I 3 P.M.
Location: Serpico Stadium (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 2-0
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Last Time Out
West Chester heads into the new week following its first PSAC East series loss of the year as the Golden Rams dropped three of four to Shippensburg last weekend, including a sweep in West Chester, marking the first time the Golden Rams have been swept at home since last April against Millersville. A 13-4 victory in game three was the lone win of the series for West Chester. West Chester batted .302 (35-for-116) at the plate last week with 15 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, four doubles, and a triple, scoring 28 runs, while driving in 27 more. The Golden Rams' 10 home runs are a substantial increase from the total that Shippensburg had allowed all season entering the weekend, as the Raiders had allowed just two through 31 games prior to this weekend. Kaleb Maksimik, who suffered the game three loss and allowed four home runs in 3.2 innings, entered the weekend not allowing a home run in his first 33.2 innings of work. Unfortunately for West Chester, Shippensburg batted .402 at the plate with 51 hits, including seven home runs and six doubles, driving in 30 runs and scoring 34.
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) turned in the best starting effort of any Golden Ram arm this weekend with a complete-game victory in game three, allowing four runs on 10 hits, while walking one and striking out eight to improve to 3-1 on the season. At the plate,
Carter Rust (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) batted .429(6-for-14) with a double and a home run, scoring six runs and driving in three more, while also going 5-for-6 on stolen base attempts.
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) batted .417 (5-for-12) at the plate with four extra-base hits, including three home runs, as he drove in a team-high nine runs, including four via a grand slam on Saturday afternoon.
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) batted .333 (4-for-12) on the weekend with six runs and six RBI, thanks in part to a three-home run weekend of his own.
Flock Talk
Offensively, Smith now leads the team in a number of categories, including batting average (.359; 33-for-92), doubles (10), and RBI (31) as he increased his home run total to five this weekend, while also scoring his 19
th run of the season in the series finale.
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) is batting .356 (32-for-90) on the year with 28 runs and 19 RBI, thanks in part to six extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, one home run). Strawhecker leads the team in runs scored with 37 and is batting .347 (33-for-95) with eight doubles, a team-best seven home runs, and two triples, while also driving in 26 runs.
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) is batting .346 (37-for-107) with nine doubles, five home runs, and four triples, scoring 29 runs and driving in 30.
On the mound,
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) remains the top starting arm for West Chester at 6-2 on the year with three complete game shutouts, including a no-hitter and a 2.47 ERA, along with a .234 batting average against. Costa, who became the career strikeout leader earlier this season, has fanned 44 in 47.1 innings this season. Lazer picked up his third win of the year in eight appearances (six starts) on Saturday with his second complete game of the season as he enters the new week with a 3.34 ERA and a .256 batting average against with 32 strikeouts in 35 innings of work.
Ryan DeHaven (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) earned his first midweek win of the season last Tuesday and enters play on Wednesday 1-0 on the year with nine strikeouts and a .289 batting average against in 8.2 innings of work. Out of the bullpen,
Landen Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA and a .233 batting average against with 26 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work, while
Nick Cugino (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) is 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 appearances.
Starting Fast
West Chester enters play on Wednesday outscoring opponents 43-10 in the first inning and 85-31 in the first three innings, including a 30-16 advantage in the third inning. West Chester is 14-1 when scoring in the first and 17-2 when scoring first. The Golden Rams are just 1-7 when trailing after six but have outscored opponents 44-20 in the sixth inning this season.
Home Sweet Home
West Chester is 10-3 at home this season and is batting .339 (130-for-383) with 47 extra-base hits, including 26 doubles, 18 home runs, and three triples, scoring 100 runs, while driving in 93 more. This includes a historic 21-7 drubbing of Chestnut Hill in a non-league clash in West Chester last Tuesday.
Rank and File
West Chester dropped to 28
th in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) rankings this week and slid to second in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Regional rankings, now trailing Seton Hill, which is also ranked 17
th in the latest ABCA National poll. West Chester awaits the release of the latest NCBWA National poll on Wednesday afternoon to learn its fate in that poll after going 2-3 a week ago.
Going to the Bank
West Chester advanced to the Bill Giles Classic final at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, April 21, with a 21-7 victory over Chestnut Hill in West Chester on April 6. Searching for its fifth straight Giles Invitational Championship, West Chester will face off against Jefferson next Tuesday, beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets will be $5. Additional fan information for the Giles Classic will be announced as it becomes available.
Series History
Since 2019, West Chester is 2-0 against Goldey-Beacom, with a pair of wins at Bob Hannah Stadium by 6-3 and 3-1 finals on March 16 and 17. West Chester has never faced Goldey Beacom during head coach
Mike LaRosa's tenure at the helm.
Scouting Goldey Beacom
Goldey Beacom enters play on Tuesday at 26-12 overall after taking two of three from Dominican last weekend, including the series finale by a 3-2 final on the road on Sunday afternoon. The Lightning are scheduled for a CACC clash with Holy Family on Tuesday afternoon at home before visiting West Chester for a non-league battle on Wednesday afternoon. Goldey Beacom is 1-4 against PSAC East foes this year, with single-game losses to Kutztown and East Stroudsburg and a 2-1 series loss to Millersville in Millersville earlier this season. GBC has not faced a PSAC East foe since a March 4 visit to East Stroudsburg, when the Lightning dropped a 18-5 decision.
Entering the week, Jake Macey and Jaime Neris Jr. are first and second on the team offensively, batting .409 and .330 with 25 runs scored each and 32 and 29 RBI, respectively. Roman Keith is batting .287 on the year, which is third on the team, but has a team-best 37 RBI and 33 runs scored with six home runs, which is second best, trailing only Neris Jr. and his eight home runs.
On the mound, Connor Blence is 5-2 with one complete-game shutout and a 3.00 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 45 innings of work and a .239 batting average against. Kory Williams is 6-1 with a 3.22 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 50.1 innings with a .209 batting average against, while Zach Davis is 3-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 29 strikeouts along with a .222 batting average in 40.0 innings of action. Kevin Dillon has a team-best seven saves and a 2.87 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work, along with a .246 batting average against.
Up Next
West Chester will jump back into PSAC East play with a home doubleheader against Shepherd on Friday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m., before heading to West Virginia to take on the Rams in the final two games of the series on Saturday afternoon.
