CARY, N.C.- Off to its best start at the Division II Baseball National Finals since winning its second National Championship in 2017 in Texas, the West Chester University baseball team (46-10) is set to return to action on Wednesday afternoon against UT-Tyler (50-13) beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Golden Rams tied the program win record on Sunday with an 8-3 win over the same UT-Tyler squad and are now just a win away from breaking the Golden Rams single-season win record and advancing to the National Championship Series for the first time since 2017.
Should West Chester win on Wednesday, the Golden Rams will advance to the National Championship Series, which could begin as early as Thursday if Tampa also completes an unbeaten run through its half of the bracket on Wednesday night. Should an if-game be necessary for either of the two teams in the National Championship Series, those game (s) would be played on Thursday, with the Championship Series to begin on Friday.
West Chester vs UT-Tyler
Game Details: Wednesday, June 3 I 1:30 P.M.
Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Video I
Tickets
Series: 1-0
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.
How They Got Here
It'll be a familiar matchup on Wednesday afternoon as the Golden Rams will face UT-Tyler for the second time since Sunday, as the Golden Rams defeated the Patriots on Sunday to improve to 2-0 in the National Finals for the first time since 2017, while forcing the Patriots into a rematch with Central Missouri on Tuesday night in an elimination game. On Sunday, West Chester posted an 8-2 win over UT-Tyler, led by a 3-for-5 day with three RBI by
Harry Middlebrooks (Bel Air, Md./Archbishop Curley) as one of five Golden Rams with a multi-hit game, as
Austin Stalker (Wycombe, Pa./Council Rock North) was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.
Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./DMA) earned the win in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out a pair in 2.2 innings of work.
UT-Tyler advances to the Semifinals against West Chester after an 11-7 victory, thanks in part to a three-run fifth and a six-run eighth, which proved crucial as Central Missouri scored five in the home half of the ninth to nearly come all the way back against the Patriots. Spencer Simpson was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the victory, while Bryce Jewell was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Kaston Mason was also 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBI to also help lead the offense. Coleson Abel was excellent in relief for UT-Tyler and earned the victory after entering in the second as he allowed just one run on two hits and four walks, while striking out four in 4.1 innings of work.
Starting Fast
West Chester improved to 26-1 when scoring in the first inning and 28-2 when scoring first in the win over UT-Tyler on Sunday evening. West Cheser also improved to 38-1 when scoring six or more runs in a game and stretched its first-inning scoring advantage to a gaudy 81-24, including a 10-0 advantage in each of its first two games in Cary. West Chester has outscored its opponents 87-27 through six games and has only trailed for a half inning, with that lone half inning being the top of the first into the bottom of the first against East Stroudsburg on May 16, when the Golden Rams found themselves down 4-0 but responded quickly with a five-run home half of the first.
Running Down History
West Chester enters play on Wednesday just one win shy of breaking the program win record after tying the record on Sunday night in the win over UT-Tyler.
Individually,
Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) also continued his historic 2026 season as the redshirt-senior broke the Golden Rams career innings pitched record as he has now thrown 298.2 innings in a Golden Ram uniform heading into his next outing later this week, which will make him the first Golden Ram to go over 300 innings pitched.
I Wouldn't…
Teams from around the Nation are quickly learning not to try to run on the Golden Rams and sophomore catcher
Caleb Strawhecker (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove). Against UIndy, Costa picked off a pair of runners and Strawhecker caught two more trying to steal second before halting another would-be base stealer against UT-Tyler on Sunday, which helped West Chester improve to 7-0 in the Tournament for the first time since 2017.
NCAA Tournament History
The 2012 and 2017 Division II Baseball National Champion Golden Rams return to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons and the 21st time in program history. West Chester shows a record of 56-40 (.583) in NCAA Tournament games after sweeping the opening weekend last weekend. West Chester is 7-0 to open the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, which was also the last time the Golden Rams won the Division II Baseball National Championship. Making its first National Finals appearance since 2022 and its sixth overall, West Chester is now 12-6 in the National Finals, including a 2-2 mark during the team's last visit to Cary with wins over Southern New Hampshire and Angelo State in between losses to North Greenville.
Series History
West Chester opened its history against UT-Tyler on Sunday night with an 8-2 win over the Patriots to advance to the semifinals of the Division II National Semifinals for the second time under head coach
Mike LaRosa after also appearing in the Semifinals in 2022 during LaRosa's first tenure at the helm.
With a Win
With a win on Wednesday, West Chester will advance to the National Championship Series against the winner of the other Pod. This series could begin as early as Thursday if the Golden Rams foe completes an unbeaten run through their half of the bracket as well. If West Chester falls on Wednesday, the Golden Rams will play their first elimination game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday for a spot in the Championship Series, which will be a best-of-three regardless of the path both teams take to get to it.
