After finishing out the 2015 season second in the PSAC East, including appearances in both the PSAC Tournament and NCAA DII Atlantic Regional, the West Chester University Golden Rams baseball team opened up its 2016 campaign on Feb. 27 Saturday night at the Division II Baseball Challenge in Virginia with a victory against Philadelphia University.
West Chester was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC East preseason poll. The Golden Rams are bringing an experienced lineup to the table this season, they have 17 returning letterwinners from last year, and added 10 new players. Nine of the 10 had college experience either at the junior college or Division I level.
PSAC East Player of the Year, Dylan Tice, and first-team All-PSAC East, Matt Petrizzi have each graduated, meaning some new faces will have the opportunity to step up and lead the team. Junior right fielder, Robert Knox, and right-handed pitcher, Andrew Gernert, return to the squad as all-conference selections from the previous year. Nick Stallings, Mike O’Neill and Mike Cipolla will also have the chance to lead the Golden Rams in the pitching rotation.
Senior captain Justin Roman returns as the Rams’ first basemen, following a junior season in which he started all 42 games and finished with a .317 batting average. Junior Anthony Salomone finished off the season as the Rams’ third basemen and will continue that role, coming off a .315 batting average in 30 starts.
Senior captain Mike Gannon, sophomore Kyle Irwin and several transfers will compete for the remaining starting roles in the infield and the opportunity to be the second options. Bill Ford will return as the catcher for the Rams after starting 39 games last season and throwing out a PSAC beat 38 percent of attempted base stealers last season.
The outfield will feature the most experienced part of the Golden Rams lineup. Senior captain Drew Diehl returns as center field, coming off a breakout year in 2015 in the leadoff spot where he hit for a .365 average and reached base in 46.1 percent of hit at-bats. Knox will hold down the right field spot for the Golden Rams after starting 38 games last year while hitting .290 and being selected to the second-team All-PSAC East. Red-shirt senior captain Tyler Coleman will round out the starting outfielders for West Chester. Coleman started 38 games for WCU in 2015, and in 2013 he led the team with a .333 batting average.
The Golden Rams played their season opener on Saturday evening in Virginia in a matchup against Philadelphia University.
West Chester came out of the gates like they never skipped a beat, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. Shane Dressler opened up the scoring with an RBI single, and Gernert followed that up with a bases-loaded triple, with Salomone closing out the scoring with an RBI single of his own. West Chester and Philly U traded a run a piece in the second and third innings, bringing the score to 6-1 after the third. Nick Ward and Dressler added RBI singles in the 7th to put the Golden Rams out front 8-1.
Philadelphia University put forth its best comeback effort in the seventh and eighth innings, reeling off six runs to make it a 8-7 game going into the final inning.
Josh McClain completed the save and shut of the Rams in the ninth inning, and West Chester held on for the 8-7 victory in the first game of the season.
Eight runs is an excellent start for the WCU bats in its first game, but the Golden Rams will need to work on being able to hold onto a lead like the one they almost lost against Philly U.
West Chester took on St. Thomas Aquinas on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 28 and then followed that up with a matchup against Slippery Rock in the afternoon in the Division II Baseball Challenge in Virginia.
Dylan Harrison is a fourth-year student majoring in communications with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at DH785892@wcupa.edu.