SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The No. 15/16 West Chester University baseball team (37-9, 21-7) is preparing for its PSAC Tournament opener on Thursday afternoon as the top-seeded Golden Rams head to Slippery Rock to take on the winner of the #4W Slippery Rock vs #5E Shepherd matchup scheduled for Wednesday afternoon on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at
Jack Critchfield Park on the campus of Slippery Rock University.
Fan Information
The PSAC has launched a Tournament Central page, which is available
here. Live Stats and video for all games will be available via these links.
LIVE STATS VIDEO
For fans making the trip to Slippery Rock, tickets are required and must be purchased online via the PSAC's Hudl Ticketing platform, which can be accessed
here. Prices for the first three days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) are $15 for adults and $8 for students in grades K-12, with students from PSAC member institutions with valid, current ID admitted free of charge. PSAC passes will also be honored, but no other complimentary tickets will be available. Saturday's Championship game will be $12 for adults and $7 for students in grades K-12.
Fans are also advised that Thursday will be a busy day at the Rock as Kutztown will face Wingate in a first-round matchup inside Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on Thursday at 1 p.m.
How We Got Here
West Chester returns to the PSAC Tournament for the sixth year in a row under head coach
Mike LaRosa in search of its third PSAC Championship game appearance and second PSAC Championship in LaRosa's tenure after making its 14
th appearance and winning its sixth title in 2024, which was the last time the Golden Rams traveled to Slippery Rock for the PSAC Tournament.
West Chester enjoyed an excellent regular season, entering the postseason at 37-9 overall and 21-7 in league action with a series win or better in every series but one this season and a pair of sweeps over Shepherd and Bloomsburg in late April. In conference play, West Chester outscored its foes 213-125 and batted .306 with a .945 OPS, with 82 extra-base hits, including 36 home runs, led by
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North), who clubbed 10 against league foes.
West Chester's pitching staff held opponents to a .298 batting average against as
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) and
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr.Bonner & Prendie) combined to go 9-2 with 73 strikeouts with ERAs of 2.79 and 3.41, respectively.
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA), Nick Cugino (West Chester, Pa./Henderson), and Landen Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) were among the top options out of the bullpen for West Chester in league play. Simpson made his first two league appearances of the year in the last weeks of the regular season, working a scoreless inning at Shepherd in a sweep of the Rams before pitching two scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a game three victory over Millersville on Friday. Cugino made a staff-best 13 appearances in league action and is 2-0 with a save and a 1.23 ERA with three strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work. Rozich is 1-1 with three saves, including a pair last weekend, with a 2.61 ERA and a .167 batting average against with 13 strikeouts in 10.1 innings of work.
Flock Talk
West Chester heads for the PSAC Tournament as one of the top teams in the league throughout the season, as the Golden Rams are second in the league in runs scored, plating 377 runs with a .311 batting average and a .511 slugging percentage with 81 doubles, 51 home runs, and 14 triples in 46 games. PSAC West Regular Season Champion, Seton Hill, presides atop the league offensively, scoring 437 runs with a 3.33 batting average and a .526 slugging percentage with 93 doubles, 59 home runs, and 10 triples, led by Brady McGuire, who is batting .448, while Jakob Haynes leads the league in home runs with 15.
The Golden Ram pitching staff, led by Costa, who became the winningest pitcher in WCU history and career strikeout leader earlier this spring, is the top staff in the league at 37-9 with a 4.07 ERA and 315 strikeouts.
Individually, eight of the Golden Rams ' starting nine are batting north of .300 heading into the PSAC Tournament, led by
Hunter Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Central), at .379 (50-for-132) with 14 doubles, six home runs, and three triples, with 48 RBI and 31 runs scored and a 1.149 OPS.
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) is second, batting .353 with a team-best 10 home runs (11 doubles and four triples) and 48 RBI of his own, along with 46 runs scored and a 1.121 OPS.
Carter Rust (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West), Patrick Gozdan (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood), and Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) are all batting north of .340 at .346, .342, and .341, respectively. Strawhecker has scored a team-high 50 runs and driven in 33 more with eight home runs, including a massive three-home run, eight RBI day against Atlantic-10 (Division I) leader Saint Joseph's earlier in March, which matched program records for home runs and RBI.
Simpson, and
Christian Michak (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) are the final two Golden Rams batting north of .300, .331, and .311. Simpson has driven in 35 runs and scored 42 more with 16 extra-base hits, including nine doubles, six home runs, and a triple, while Michak has done an outstanding job of turning the lineup with 36 runs scored and 24 RBI with six doubles, one triple, and a home run. Rozich, the lone player batting below .300, has been steadily heating up in recent weeks and enters the postseason batting .236 with five doubles, four home runs (including a grand slam against Millersville on Friday) and a triple, while scoring 21 runs and driving in 17 more in his rookie season as the Golden Ram shortstop.
On the mound, Costa is a staff-best 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA and a .231 batting average against with 62 strikeouts in 66 innings of work, including four complete games and three shutouts.
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) is close behind at 5-1 with a 3.78 ERA and a .277 batting average against with 44 strikeouts, including the 200
th of his career as he became the sixth Golden Ram pitcher to strikeout 200 batters in his career on Friday against Millersville in 47.2 innings of work.
Luke Raho (Johnstown, Pa/Richland) and
Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) have both been weekend starters for LaRosa and the Golden Rams as well, entering play this week at 4-2 and 2-0 with ERAs of 4.83 and 3.81, respectively. Raho has two complete games and a shutout to his name with 40 strikeouts in 50.1 innings of work.
Out of the bullpen, Rozich and Simpson are a pair of position players, who West Cheser has turned to on the mound this year, with Simpson making both his appearances in league action, while Rozich is 3-1 with three saves in 11 appearances with a 1.93 ERA and a .214 batting average against and 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work. Cugino has been the most frequently used Golden Ram out of the 'pen this spring, posting a record of 2-0 with a save and a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings over the course of 19 appearances.
Kyle Rogers (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) began the year as a weekend starter but has often been called upon as a middle reliever, entering the Tournament at 4-2 overall with a 4.26 ERA and .270 batting average against with 31 strikeouts in 38 innings of work over the course of 15 appearances.
Ben Jones (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) is tied with Rozich for the team lead in saves and is 3-1 with three saves and a 4.80 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings of work over 15 appearances.
We Are Honored
West Chester was well represented in the PSAC East All-Conference and Major Awards on Tuesday, to say the least, as Costa was named PSAC East Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-League as one of eight Golden Rams to earn All-League honors. Costa, Strawhecker, Smith, and Stalker earned First Team honors, while Gozdan, Simpson, Rust, and Lazer earned Second Team honors.
Here, There, Anywhere
West Chester enters the Tournament 11-4 in true road games and 9-2 in neutral-site games, posting a 20-6 mark away from Serpico Stadium, while also going 17-3 at home. West Chester split its last road doubleheader of the year on April 30 with a 4-3 win over Millersville before a 6-0 loss in Millersville halted a six-game road winning streak and an 11-game streak overall.
Comeback Kids
While West Chester has made hot starts a habit this year, outscoring teams 53-15 in the first inning and going 18-1 when scoring in the first and 22-2 when scoring first, the team has not been rattled by an early deficit either. West Chester is 3-1 when tied after six, having engineered a number of late-game comebacks, including walkoff wins over Gannon, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, and Millersville, along with another two-run sixth inning against the Marauders and a seven-run sixth inning against Shepherd to earn late victories in each of those.
Six or More
West Chester is 29-1 when scoring six more runs in a game, including a 15-0 record when scoring 10 or more. The Golden Rams are 8-8 when scoring five runs or less, including a record of 1-4 when scoring two or less, with the lone victory being a 2-0 shutout win at East Stroudsburg to begin the series with the Warriors on March 27.
PSAC Tournament History
West Chester is making its 22
nd PSAC Tournament appearance this week, entering the Tournament at 36-27 (.571) after falling to California (Pa.) in the opening game of the Tournament last May. Under head coach
Mike LaRosa, West Chester is 7-5, with two PSAC Championship game appearances and a PSAC Championship in 2024, the last time the Tournament was played in Slippery Rock. West Chester also reached the title game in 2023, falling to Seton Hill by a 10-0 final in that matchup after falling to Bloomsburg and Mercyhurst in the first round in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
A New Format
The PSAC Tournament expanded to 10 teams this spring and will be a single-elimination format throughout, meaning West Chester will need to win only three games to capture the PSAC Tournament title, but a loss in any of those three games will bring the Golden Rams' run to a close.
Rank and File
West Chester climbed to 16
th in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll this week and was ranked 15
th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll released last Wednesday. West Chester was also ranked first in the Atlantic Region ahead of Seton Hill in the first numerical NCAA Division II Regional rankings released last Wednesday.
For the First Time since 2018
West Chester captured a share of its first PSAC East Regular Season title since 2018 on Friday with a doubleheader sweep of Millersville. West Chester shared the Regular Season crown with East Stroudsburg at 21-7 as the Warriors swept Kutztown in their final series of the season, but the Golden Rams took three of four from ESU earlier this spring to win the series and the tiebreak over the Warriors.
Know the Foe
Out of the four teams West Chester may face in the first two days of the PSAC Tournament, West Chester has faced three of the four and is 7-3 against them with a doubleheader sweep of Indiana (Pa.) in Maryland to open the season and a series sweep of Shepherd, which saw the Golden Rams outscore the Rams 53-10 in its most dominant four-game series since 2021 when the team played all its home games at MapleZone in nearby Aston. The lone blemishes on this stretch came against Shippensburg as the Raiders took three of four from West Chester with a 17-4 and 6-5 doubleheader sweep in West Chester before the Golden Rams bounced back with a 13-4 victory in game three before dropping the series finale by a 7-6 final as the Raiders mounted a late-game comeback.
If West Chester faces Slippery Rock, the Golden Rams will meet the Rock for the first time this season and the first time since May 2022, when the Golden Rams started the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 victory over the Rock, thanks in large part to a tremendous catch at the wall by Zack Wright to take away a home run from Connor Hamilton. Since 2003, Slippery Rock holds a 22-16 lead over West Chester, including a 14-4 win over the Golden Rams in Johnstown in 2018, the last time the two teams met in the PSAC Tournament.
Scouting Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock enters the PSAC Tournament as the fourth seed in the PSAC West after an impressive regular season, which saw the Rock go 30-17 overall and 16-12 in league action, including a series victory over California, which included a Senior Day sweep at Critchfield Park with a 2-1 victory in game one and a 7-5 final in the win finale on Saturday afternoon. The Rock is 18-9 at home this year and is 8-2 in its last 10 home games, with a 1-0 loss to Gannon on April 11 and a 6-4 loss to Point Park in the non-league finale on April 28 as the lone exceptions.
Offensively, the Rock enters the Tournament batting .31 with 95 doubles, 33 home runs, and 12 triples as part of their 456 hits, while the team had scored 326 runs with 299 RBI, led by Michael Kitko, who is batting .406 with seven doubles, six home runs, and two triples, driving in 44 runs, while scoring 25 more. Jake Robinson is next, batting .369 with 34 runs and 32 RBI, while Gage Gillott is batting .344 with a team-best 47 runs. Stone Powell leads the Rock in home runs and RBI with nine home runs and 48 RBI as he is batting .341 heading into the PSAC Tournament.
On the mound, the Rock has used a variety of pitchers to get through games this season. Joey Vanzin has been one of the top relievers, posting a 4-2 record, a 2.87 ERA, and a .234 batting average against in 37.2 innings over 19 appearances with five saves. Zachary Hare and Parker Hogge have made 10 and eight starts, respectively, and have records of 3-1 and 3-2 with ERAs of 4.38 and 6.15, respectively.
Scouting Shepherd
After being swept by West Chester earlier in April, the Rams, who were once among the PSAC East leaders, limp into the PSAC Tournament at 28-22 overall and 14-14 in league play as the fifth seed after dropping three of four to East Stroudsburg and picking up a series split with Shippensburg, including a 6-5 win in the regular-season finale.
Ryan Fluharty remains the team's leader offensively, batting .395 with 15 doubles and nine home runs, driving in 51 and scoring 48, while Bodie Pullen is batting .337 with nine doubles, eight triples, and six home runs, scoring 61 runs and driving in 45. Nik Rubendall and Colin Ahart are also batting north of .300 at .316 and .301, respectively.
On the mound, Allen and Gavin Miller are 4-4 and 3-7 on the year with ERAs of 6.87 and 8.47, while Devin Mattei is 5-2 with a 7.03 ERA in 13 appearances and four starts.
Jesse Specter is 4-1 in 18 appearances out of the bullpen with a 4.26 and a .286 batting average against in 25.1 innings of work.
With a Win
With a win over the Slippery Rock/Shepherd winner on Thursday afternoon, West Chester would advance to the PSAC Semifinals on Friday against the winner of IUP/Shippensburg, both of whom West Chester has faced already this season. The other half of the bracket features East Stroudsburg and Gannon, along with Seton Hill, against the winner of Millersville/California. The winners of those quarterfinals, to begin the day on Thursday (9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively), will face off on Friday for the right to advance to the PSAC Championship game on Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m.
