After the West Chester baseball team lost the first six games of the season, the players’ disappointment was eclipsed only by their frustration. Now, with only one week remaining in the regular season, the Golden Rams have clawed their way back to the top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Association East standings.
West Chester has won 27 of their last 33 games and is tied with Kutztown in the division. With an overall record of 27-13 (11-3 in the division) through this weekend, the Golden Rams are only three wins away from their fifth
straight 30-win season and are poised to earn their third PSAC playoff berth in the past four years.
Since the 0-7 start, West Chester has relied on two important components of their game for victories: strong pitching and clutch hitting. In the last 30 games, the Rams are hitting .322, led by senior shortstop Joey Yeager, who is batting .374 with almost 30 RBIs during this span.
Throughout the year, junior standout Sean Bond has been the team’s model of consistency. Playing a variety of positions, Bond leads all Golden Rams in hitting (.362), runs scored (34), and RBIs (35) as the team’s lead off batter. Junior designated hitter, Mark Gilliford, is currently hitting .342 (second on the team) and leads West Chester in home runs, doubles, triples, on-base percentage, walks and slugging percentage. Gilliford now has 14 career home runs, which is tied with senior catcher Brett Wallace for eighth all-time at West Chester.
Wallace started the season in a funk, but has catalyzed the Golden Rams offensive and defensive efforts during the team’s strong late season stretch. In the last 30 games, Wallace is hitting .342 (season average is .302) with nine doubles and three home runs. Behind the plate, Wallace owns one of the highest fielding percentage’s in school history (.994). He is third all-time in catching base stealers (35), behind only Sean Mahoney’s 37 from 1993-94 and Jared Nace’s 45 from 2001-03.
In the last 30 games, the Golden Rams starting foursome, consisting of juniors Frank Gailey and Ryan Gerber, sophomore Chris Powl and freshmen David Slusser, are a combined 18-4 in 23 starts.
Gailey has thrown four complete games during this stretch, with a 1.67 earned run average. For the year, Gailey has registered a 4-3 record with a 3.20 ERA and a team high 48 strikeouts. His 11 career complete games ranks sixth all-time at WCU, and 140 career strikeouts places him 10th all-time.
Gerber is a perfect 4-0 in the last 30 games, harboring a 2.62 ERA with 32 strikeouts. In 2006, he is 4-1 with a 4.37 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Powl is 5-4 on the season with a 3.99 ERA, but lost his first two games during the team’s 0-7 start. Freshman David Slusser is 5-2 during the 2006 campaign with a 4.40 ERA. He has 22 strikeouts and just 14 walks.
On Monday, April 24, the Golden Rams host East Stroudsburg at Serpico Stadium. West Chester has just seven games remaining in the regular season and will hope to keep producing victories as they begin preparation for the PSAC playoffs.