Final ABCA Poll
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) released its final Division II Coaches poll of the 2026 season on Tuesday afternoon, and West Chester (48-12) finished second in the rankings after coming a win away from its third Division II National Championship at the Division II Baseball Championships in Cary, North Carolina, last week.
West Chester (48-12) set a new program record for wins in a single season with 48 victories in 2026, surpassing the previous record of 46, which was held by the 2009 and 2012 squads, both of whom also advanced to the National Finals in Cary. The Golden Rams started the NCAA Tournament with a 5-0 run through the Atlantic Regional Tournament, including a Super Regional sweep of Millersville and made an unbeaten run through the bracket in Cary, setting up a matchup with two-time defending National Champion, Tampa in the Division II National Championship Series. West Chester dropped game one by a 7-4 final in 10 innings before bouncing back with a 12-4 win in the nightcap, behind a complete game by
Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) as he became the first WCU pitcher to throw a complete game in Cary since Joe Gunkel did so twice in 2012. West Chester returned to the field for the if-necessary game in the Championship series on Saturday afternoon and battled throughout the afternoon on a sunny, hot June afternoon, but fell by an 8-4 final as Tampa (51-9), who is atop the final poll of the regular season, captured its third straight and 11
th Division II Baseball National Championship.
Catawba (49-14) and Texas-Tyler (50-14), the other two teams in the National Semifinals alongside West Chester and Tampa, were ranked third and fourth, followed by Point Loma Nazarene (50-13), Colorado Mesa (53-7), Francis Marion (46-14), North Greenville (49-12), West Florida (43-16), and Pittsburg State (45-11) to round out the top 10.
From the PSAC, Millersville finished the season 18
th in Division II baseball, followed by Seton Hill in 23
rd.
