On Thursday night at Cooper Park, the West Chester University baseball team opened its best-of-three Super Regional series against Millersville with an impressive 7-2 victory.
The Golden Rams wasted little time taking control, erupting for four runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer off the bat of Austin Stalker. Stalker reached base four times, finishing 1-for-2 with three RBI and three walks. West Chester received contributions throughout the lineup, as eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit and five players delivered multi-hit performances.
On the mound, Julian Costa was dominant from the outset, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. The left-hander tossed 7.0 strong innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out five and walking two. Drew Simpson handled the final two innings out of the bullpen, surrendering one earned run while adding three strikeouts.
The victory improved West Chester to 35-1 this season when scoring six or more runs. The Golden Rams are also now 24-1 when scoring in the first inning and 25-2 when plating the game’s first run.
On Friday, West Chester completed the two-game sweep of Millersville with a convincing 9-2 victory to capture the Atlantic Regional Championship and secure a return trip to the Division II National Finals in Cary, North Carolina for the first time since 2022.
Kyle Lazer delivered a strong performance on the mound, giving the Golden Rams 7.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out three and improved to 8-1 on the year. After the game, head coach Mike LaRosa spoke highly of the veteran right-hander, saying, “He’s been waiting for this moment for five years. Once he took the ball, we knew he wasn’t going to give it up.”
At the plate, Simpson finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored as one of three West Chester players to record multiple hits. The Golden Rams put the game away in the ninth inning, erupting for six runs to blow things open. Hunter Smith delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a three-run homer, while Carter Rust and Caleb Strawhecker each chipped in RBI singles. Simpson also helped add to the lead when a throwing error on his ground ball allowed another run to score.
The win marked West Chester’s sixth Atlantic Regional title in program history and their first since 2022. With the championship victory, the Golden Rams will now head to Cary looking to continue their postseason run on the national stage.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.