CARY, N.C.- After starting the Division II National Finals with a win for the first time since 2017, the West Chester University baseball team (45-10) will return to the back fields of the USA Baseball National Training Complex today for practice ahead of a clash with UT-Tyler (49-12) in a winners bracket game on Sunday at 6 p.m. West Chester and UT-Tyler both got out to first inning leads in their first games of the Tournament on Friday as West Chester jumped out to a 5-0 lead, while UT-Tyler got out to a 4-0 lead and both teams rode this advantage to dominant 12-3 and 8-3 victories over UIndy and Central Missouri, respectively. Both sides enter play on Sunday a win away from a milestone, as UT-Tyler, who became a full Division II member in 2021, looks for its 50
th win of the season after winning the 2018 Division III National Championship in its final season of Division III membership, while West Chester looks to match its win record of 46 games, which was last accomplished by the 2012 Golden Rams when they won the National Championship over Delta State.
West Chester vs UT-Tyler
Game Details: Sunday, May 31 I 6 P.M.
Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.)
Series: First Meeting
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Watch I
Tickets
WCU Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
STATS
UT-Tyler Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
STATS
Fan Information
For fans making the trip to Cary, tickets should be purchased online through Etix (
click here). Single-day prices are $20 ($10 for seniors, children, and Cary/Wake County residents) or $50 for an all-session pass ($25 for seniors, children, and Cary/Wake County residents). Seniors are defined as those over 60, and children are defined as those aged 12 and under. A full Tournament central page is available
here. If you live near or in Cary, NC, or are planning to travel, join us at Woody's Sports Tavern & Grill, the best spot for pre- and post-game hangouts:
https://woodysportstavern.com/woodys-cary-2
For fans unable to make the trip to Cary, live stats will be available via the NCAA.com bracket (Friday's live stat link is available
here), and live video will be available
here. Fans in West Chester can also visit Barnaby's in West Chester, located on High Street, for a watch party on Sunday night and throughout the tournament, as Barnaby's will become the NCAA Tournament headquarters for Golden Ram baseball throughout the Tournament run.
How They Got Here
WCU 12 UIndy 3 Box Score Recap
West Chester got out to an early lead on Friday night, scoring five runs on six hits in the first inning, marking the 26th time this season that West Chester scored in the first, and the Golden Rams never wavered, cruising to a 12-3 victory over UIndy to open the National Finals with a win for the first time since 2017.
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) pitched seven complete innings for the second week in a row, earning his 13
th win of the season with seven strikeouts as he limited the potent UIndy offense, led by Second Team All-American Austin Bode, throughout the evening.
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) caught a pair of runners trying to steal from behind the plate as the Golden Rams got four of their 27 outs against the Greyhounds on caught stealing/pickoff plays and was also 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.
UT-Tyler 8 Central Missouri 3 Box Score Recap
UT-Tyler picked up its 49
th win of the season on Friday afternoon over Central Missouri as the Patriots scored four runs in the first, including a three-run home run by Cole Ketzner, and got eight scoreless innings from Dylan Blomquist to quiet the Central Missouri bats in an 8-3 victory. Tyler had 10 hits in the victory, including a 3-for-5 day by Kaston Mason, who enters play on Sunday with a team-best .360 batting average.
First Time Foe
West Chester has not faced UT-Tyler in any sport in its history, as the Patriots completed their move to Division II in July of 2021 after beginning the reclassification process in July 2018.
Running Down History
West Chester is one shy of its 46th win of the season, which would match the program record for single-season wins. The 2012 and 2009 teams, both of which made National Finals appearances, with the 2012 team winning the Golden Rams' first National Championship, are currently tied for the win record at the top of the chart.
Starting Early
West Chester scored in the first inning for the 26
th time this season and, in doing so, improved to 25-1 when scoring in the first, 27-2 when scoring first, and stretched its first-inning scoring margin to 71-24, after entering the week outscoring opponents 66-24 in the first inning. West Chester also improved to 37-1 when scoring six or more runs in a game and 20-0 when scoring 10 or more after exploding for 12 runs last night.
I Wouldn't…
UIndy made four outs on the basepaths last night as the Golden Rams picked off a pair of Greyhounds for the first two outs of the game and caught two more trying to steal second from behind the plate. With this effort, Strawhecker has now thrown out 13 would-be base stealers from behind the dish this season.
Scouting UT-Tyler
Following a win to open its stay in Cary on Friday afternoon, UT-Tyler is now 49-12 on the season, including a Regional Championship win at Colorado Mesa, who was among the top teams in Division II for much of the season as the Patriots took game one by a 21-15 final before winning the winner-take-all third game by an 8-5 final to advance to Cary, North Carolina for the second year in a row.
Offensively, the Patriots look fairly similar to the Golden Rams, as they have a team batting average of .313, led by Kaston Mason, who is batting .360 with 19 doubles, eight home runs, and a triple, scoring 50 runs and driving in 62. Tanner Hornback and Connor Clark are right around .350 as well, batting .356 and .349, while Ketzner, who jump-started the offense with a three-run blast on Friday, is batting .347 with 15 doubles and 13 home runs for a team-best 68 RBI.
On the mound, Blomquist delivered a gem and improved to 6-2 on the year with his eight shutout innings on Friday, which leaves Julio Garcia as a probable game-two starter for UT-Tyler. Garcia enters play with a record of 8-4 and a 3.18 ERA with a .269 batting average against and 61 strikeouts in 68 innings of work over the course of 15 appearances and 13 starts. Caden Copeland will be another starting option for the Patriots as they have not gotten length beyond the fourth inning out of Garcia since he went 6.1 against St. Mary's on April 25, 2026. Copeland has made 15 starts this season and is 6-1 with a 3.97 ERA and a .261 batting average against with 49 strikeouts in 59 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, Garrett Landry has seven saves on the year, along with a 3-1 record and a 4.26 ERA in 16 appearances. Landry has thrown 25.1 innings this year and has fanned 24 batters.
Up Ahead
With a win on Sunday, West Chester would not play again until Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., while a loss would see West Chester return to action on Tuesday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Central Missouri/UIndy in the Golden Rams' first elimination game of the 2026 Tournament.
