WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following the team's ninth PSAC Championship and first since 2016, the No. 7/8 West Chester University baseball team (43-7) is ready to get the 2024 NCAA Tournament underway as the top seed in the Atlantic Region for the second time in the last three years. After breaking the program win streak record earlier in the season at Shepherd (21 in a row), West Chester is on a 10-game winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament, playing some of its best baseball of the year. The Golden Rams will be the second game of the day at Serpico Stadium on Thursday afternoon, squaring off against the loser of the Charleston/IUP game that will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
FAN INFORMATION
Tickets to the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament will be $10 per day for adults, $5 per day for students and senior citizens, and $2 for children under two. No passes or comp lists will be honored. All ticket sales will be sold onsite and will beCASH ONLY.
Fans unable to make the trip can follow all the action via live stats and video. West Chester University Athletics has also launched a Tournament Central page, which will have all the latest scores and statistics from the region along with a host of other important fan information; that page can be accessed here.
THE BRACKET
As the top seed in the Atlantic Region, West Chester earned the right to host a three-team pod on South Campus this weekend as head coach Mike LaRosa's Golden Rams will welcome fourth-seeded Charleston (W.V.) and fifth-seeded Indiana (Pa.) (IUP) to Serpico Stadium for the opening weekend of the Tournament. West Chester does not yet know who it will face when it opens its 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon, as the Golden Rams will await the loser of the Charleston/IUP contest played earlier in the day on Thursday. In this scenario, the West Chester regional field will shrink to two teams and will see one game played on Friday, with the potential for two games (one game and an if-necessary game on Saturday).
With a victory in its opener, West Chester will eliminate the loser of the Charleston/IUP game, while a win by that team will create the potential for a two-game day on Friday and just one game on Saturday. In this scenario, West Chester would play for its NCAA Tournament lives in the first game on Friday against the winner of the IUP/Charleston and, with a victory, would advance to Saturday to await the winner of another elimination game that is scheduled to be played on Friday afternoon.
A HISTORY LESSON
The 2012 and 2017 NCAA Division II Baseball National Champions, the Golden Rams return to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years and 19th time overall. West Chester shows a record of 49-36 (.576) in the NCAA Tournament after going 1-2 a year ago with a victory over Charleston (W.V.) in the opening game before dropping a pair to host and eventual regional Champion Millersville. West Chester will host the Atlantic Regional Tournament for the third time since 2019, with the most recent occurrence being in 2022 when the Golden Rams hosted both the opening weekend and Super Regional rounds of the Tournament as the top seed in the Atlantic Region.
Fresh off his first PSAC Tournament crown, LaRosa is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. He is making his third appearance in four years at the helm with a record of 8-6 in NCAA Tournament games, including a mark of 7-4 in 2022, when West Chester made its run to Cary, North Carolina, for the DII National Finals.
West Chester is 10-1 against IUP all-time and is currently riding a seven-game winning streak against the Crimson Hawks. The Golden Rams' last loss to the Crimson Hawks came in March 2007. The team is a perfect 3-0 vs. IUP in Tournament action, with a victory in the 2017 PSAC Tournament and a pair of wins in the 2023 PSAC Tournament at Slippery Rock.
West Chester's history vs. Charleston is a bit more limited as the two teams have met just four times, with West Chester holding a 3-1 lead over the Golden Eagles, including a 17-5 victory earlier this season and a 5-1 win in the NCAA Tournament at Millersville a year ago. The last time Charleston visited West Chester was at the end of the 2019 season, and the Golden Eagles escaped South Campus with a 3-1 victory over the Golden Rams to help bring the 2019 campaign to its conclusion.
FLOCK TALK NEWS ROSTER SCHEDULE STATS
West Chester (43-7) enters the NCAA Tournament riding a 10-game winning streak, which saw West Chester hoist its ninth PSAC crown and first since 2016 while also completing a perfect run through the Tournament for just the third time since 1983 and the first time since 2009. Success in the PSAC Tournament has not necessarily been a harbinger of success in the Atlantic Regional, as the PSAC Champion has advanced to National Finals just twice in the last 20 years, with the last team to do it being West Chester as part of its magical run in 2012. Before the 2012 season, the last team to accomplish the feat was the 2009 edition of the Golden Rams.
West Chester enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the top offensive units in the region, as the Purple and Gold are ranked 17th in Division II and first in the Atlantic Region in batting average (.328) while also ranking 18th and first in the Region in on-base percentage (.439). West Chester also ranks just outside the top 50 in Division II baseball in runs scored, with a PSAC-best 404 runs scored on the year. West Chester trails only Frostburg State in this category in the region, as the Bobcats have pushed across 406 runs this season.
PSAC East and NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the Year Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) has been a big part of this success for West Chester as he enters the PSAC Tournament with a team-best .412 batting average on the year and a .565 on-base percentage, which is fourth best in Division II. A graduate transfer from Division III Widener, Boccio has enjoyed a tremendous season under LaRosa, collecting 61 hits, including 18 extra-base hits (10 doubles, five triples, three home runs), while scoring a team-best 59 runs and driving in 48 more. Boccio is tied for first on the team in runs scored with PSAC Tournament MVP Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy), who has also scored 59 runs while batting a solid .358 (63-for-176) with 22 extra-base hits, including a team-best seven home runs, while driving in 46 runs, which ranks second on the team, trailing only Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove). Kaleck enjoyed a PSAC Tournament for the ages, batting an outstanding .444 for the week, including a 5-for-6 effort in the PSAC Championship game. A new addition to the Golden Rams from Division I Radford, Spencer leads the squad in RBI entering the NCAA Tournament, successfully plating 47 runs for LaRosa and the Golden Rams in the regular season. Spencer is one of eight Golden Ram starters batting north of .300 on the year (.348) while boasting a .478 on-base percentage after being hit by a pitch 26 times, which is fifth best in Division II. Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) holds the second-best batting average on the squad at .367 on the year, while Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway) is a close third at .361 with a 1.072 OPS as the veteran middle infielder is one of three Golden Ram starters with an OPS north of 1.000 (Boccio-1.173, Szestowicki-1.072, and Kaleck-1.034).
On the mound, Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview) shows the best record and ERA on the staff with a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 3.36 in 15 appearances and 12 starts. Costa boasts a WHIP of 1.31, which is also the best among the Golden Ram starters, while holding opponents to a .257 batting average and striking out 68 on the year. Costa, who picked up his first save of the year in relief in the PSAC Tournament vs East Stroudsburg, has not suffered a loss on the mound since March 15 when he lost his second of two straight against Shippensburg after taking the loss against Kutztown earlier in the week. Costa made his NCAA Tournament debut a year ago and pitched tremendously well at the Millersville regional, earning the victory against Charleston to open the Tournament with a solid six-inning effort, which saw him surrender just one run on eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out 10. Costa also entered in relief against the Marauders later in the weekend and pitched well again, allowing just one run on two hits in an inning of work in a 6-4 setback for the Golden Rams. Joe Sperone (Broomall,, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) and Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) have also pitched well as consistent members of the starting rotation for West Chester this season, entering the NCAA Tournament with identical 6-1 records and ERAs of 3.75 and 3.81, respectively. Noga holds opponents to a batting average of just .267 with 44 strikeouts, while opponents batted just .280 against Sperone with 55 strikeouts over his 60 innings. As the year progresses, pitching depth becomes even more important, and luckily for the Golden Rams, pitching depth is a strong suit. Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./Delaware Military Academy) (6-1, 4.47 ERA) and Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) (2-0, 3.70) have both started consistently for West Chester in the fourth starter spot throughout the 2024 regular season and are both stretched out enough for an important start late in the Tournament or potential long relief if needed. David Ferguson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East), who was in the starting rotation for much of the 2023 season, has emerged as a tremendous long reliever for the Golden Rams this season, going 5-0 on the mound with a 4.94 ERA in 14 appearances with all but two of those coming out of the 'pen. Opponents are batting just .200 off Ferguson this year and have struck out 33 times against the local righty.
Suppose teams are unable to crack the Golden Rams pitching early. In that case, the task only gets more challenging as the game gets later as West Chester has tremendous late-game depth in the form of Dylan Howanitz (Archbald, Pa./Valley View), Kyle Lazer (Havertown, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie), and Gannon Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour), who have all logged crucial innings late in games in 2024. Howanitz, who ranks among the Atlantic Region leaders in appearances with 29, recently broke the WCU career appearances record (72) and has been hard to touch out of the 'pen as he is a perfect 4-0 with two saves and an ERA of 3.21 along with an opponents batting average of .214. An integral piece of the Golden Rams 2022 Regional crown, Lazer returned to the mound in 2024 and has picked up right where he left off, leading the staff in saves (4) and a record of 4-2 in 21 appearances for West Chester. Lazer enters the NCAA Tournament with a 3.54 ERA and a .202 batting average while striking out 39 in just 28 innings of work. Kadlecik is one of three pitchers on the staff with two saves, and he shows an ERA of 4.47 and a .286 batting-average against in 16 appearances.
SCOUTING IUP NEWS ROSTER SCHEDULE STATS
Making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 34 years, Indiana (Pa.) will look to continue its momentum, winning five of its last eight, including a 6-5 upset victory over Millersville to open the PSAC Tournament a week ago. Led by head coach Steve Kline, who pitched professionally for 11 seasons and spent 15 years as a pitching coach in the San Francisco Giants organization, IUP has completed a turnaround for the ages in 2024, showing a record of 33-15 entering play this weekend. 33 wins is the most wins by the Crimson Hawks since the 2008 season when IUP posted a record of 36-19. IUP has eclipsed the 30-win plateau four times since 1990, and the team's 36 wins in 2008 is the program record.
Offensively, Brady Yard and Ricardo Aponte have been two significant catalysts for the Crimson Hawk offense this year as the lone two regular starters batting north of .300 entering the NCAA Tournament. Yard enters the weekend batting a team-best .339 with 38 hits (including 12 extra-base hits, seven doubles, one triple, and four home runs) and 33 RBI while scoring 27 runs. Aponte enters the Tournament batting .325 with 54 hits, including 12 doubles and a team-best 37 RBI, while also scoring 41 runs, which is second-best on the team, trailing only Harrison Pontoli, who has scored 45. Pontoli is second on the team in RBI with 36 and also leads the team in home runs, hitting seven so far this season.
On the mound, Mark Edeburn is the top starter for the Crimson Hawks, pitching to a record of 6-1 with five complete games in 11 starts. Edeburn shows an ERA of 3.53 and holds opponents to a .242 batting average while striking out 46 in 71.1 innings of work. Jake Black and Derrick Shields have also been consistent members of the rotation this year, pitching to records of 5-3 and 6-4 with ERAs of 4.15 and 4.82, respectively. Shields leads the team in strikeouts with 57 but also has the highest batting average against of the Crimson Hawk starting pitchers, as opponents bat .296 against him.
SCOUTING CHARLESTON NEWSROSTER SCHEDULE STATS
After winning the Mountain East Conference Championship for the third year in a row, the Charleston Golden Eagles enter the NCAA Tournament looking to stretch their winning streak to at least five in a row with a victory on Thursday morning. Charleston, led by first-year head coach Dean Peterson, shows a record of 43-8 on the year entering play this week and went 8-3 vs. PSAC competition this year, including victories over Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown, and Slippery Rock and a sweep of Lock Haven before the beginning of Mountain East play. Charleston is looking for its first Super Regional appearance since 2019, when the team fell to Mercyhurst after going on a run that began at Serpico Stadium the week prior.
Charleston scored 10 or more runs in three of its four Mountain East Conference Tournament games and outscored opponents 46-12 during the MEC Tournament, including a 12-2 victory in the Semifinals on Saturday and a 17-4 triumph in the Conference title game on Sunday.
As in previous years, offense continues to be a strong suit for Charleston as the Golden Eagles bat .319 as a team, scoring 398 runs on the year while holding opponents to a .227 batting average and just 205 runs. With 51 home runs on the year, Charleston is not afraid to use the long ball to win games, as Drew Klaserner leads the team in home runs with seven followed by Carter Rust and Eric Chartier with six each. Klaserner is third in batting average and OPS, batting .354 and posting an OPS of 1.083. JD Armstrong and Casey Finck rank first and second on the team in many offensive categories, including batting average (.421, .416), OPS (1.192, 1.141), extra-base hits (20, 23), and RBI (42, 45). All told, six of the Golden Eagles' nine starters bat north of .300 on the year, with Brayden McAllister being the first below .300 at .295, although he remains the team leader in runs scored with 45 on the season, thanks in part to a team-best 34 walks.
On the mound, the trio of Trace Hartman, Owen MacNeil, and Austin Dzierwa lead the staff, showing records of 6-0, 6-0, and 7-1 with ERAs of 2.01, 3.06, and 4.32, respectively. Of the three, Dzierwa leads the group in strikeouts with 53, although MacNeil has the lowest batting average against him, as opponents batted just .202 against him in 168 at-bats. When leading late, Charleston generally turns to either Trey Ritchie, Cody Goodbold, or Max Wagar to finish games, as they have combined for 10 of the team's 12 saves on the year. Ritchie has four of those 12 saves to his name, posting an ERA of 1.52 with a 1.10 WHIP and a .245 batting average against in 23.2 innings of work throughout 18 appearances.
WITH A WIN
With a victory, West Chester would trim its regional field to two teams and be just two wins away from hosting the Super Regionals next weekend.
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