The pinnacle of all college sports is the National Championship. Since joining the Division II ranks, West Chester University has captured seven national championships from three different sports teams: women’s lacrosse, field hockey and baseball. The West Chester University baseball team has been to the highest point in college baseball twice, winning the World Series in 2012 and in 2017. What makes this feat even more impressive is that no other university located in the Northeast region of the country has won a single national championship at either the Division I or II level. Hoisting the trophy at the end of the year is such a rare feat in any sport at any level, and to have done it twice in the last decade is something to marvel at.
The head coach for both teams was current coach Jad Prachniak. Coach Prachniak took over the reins of a good baseball team in 2012 and got them to the top of Division II baseball in just his first year with the team. In 2017, it was his group of guys that were crowned champions. Winning the national championship has the obvious positives of being the best team in the country for that season, but the championship has everlasting impacts on teams. The title can’t be taken away, and teams often see more recognition from recruits and may end up being better in future seasons as a result of winning. Young players in high school want to be a part of something special.
In 2017, that’s what happened. The Golden Rams welcomed a handful of transfers from the Division I level in players such as Jared Melone, Drew Jarmuz, Jon Fisher and Tim Edwards. The team also got contributions from some of their freshmen players that season. These additions between the transfers and freshman added to a strong returning core from a 2016 team that played in the NCAA Atlantic regional.
The 2017 roster saw seven players in the lineup play in at least 75% of the team’s games. Of these seven, three individuals put together stellar seasons for the Rams. Between Jared Melone, Nick Ward and Shane Dressler, the team got a combined 21 home runs and 129 RBIs from the trio while they all maintained an average above .340. Getting such consistency out of the rest of the team around these guys played a huge role in this team’s success. In addition to their hitting, the Rams got huge years from multiple pitchers.
The team’s starters, Mike Cipolla, Jon Fisher, Eric Close and Andrew Gernert had a combined record of 25-7 while Cipolla posted an astonishing ERA of just 1.70 and Close posted a 2.02 ERA. Out of the bullpen, senior Josh McClain had an unbelievable season appearing in 30 games, pitching 61.2 innings and winning 11 games while recording a 2.77 ERA and 58 strikeouts. Opposing batters managed to hit with just a .240 average off McClain and it always seemed like McClain was called upon to get big outs for the Rams.
The 2017 team went 44-11 (22-6 PSAC) and going 15-1 in West Chester at Serpico Stadium. The Rams started off the year 8-3 on their preseason trips to Virginia and Florida, while also winning the Bill Giles invitational at Citizens Bank park in Philadelphia. Following their hot start, the Rams never slowed down. If anything, they picked up speed. They dominated conference play, sweeping three of their seven conference opponents and not losing a single series. The only blip on the Rams radar came in the PSAC tournament falling short in the conference championship, which would end up being the last time the Rams lost on the season. West Chester still maintaining the number two seed in the Atlantic regional.
In the regional tournament, the Rams won four straight to advance on. Of the four wins, two came over Winston Salem state. The other two victories had to feel good for the Rams as both posed as revenge games. Shepherd University had knocked the Rams out of the 2016 Atlantic regional, and Mercyhurst University had just won the PSAC tournament over the Rams a week earlier. However, the Rams rolled through these four opponents and received their automatic bid to the 2017 Division 2 National Championship.
The National championship features eight teams from across the country in eight different regions and took place in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Atlantic (West Chester University), Central (Lindenwood University), East (St. Thomas Aquinas University), Midwest (Quincy University), South (Delta State University), Southeast (University of North Georgia), South Central (Colorado Mesa University), and the West (UC San Diego). West Chester came into this tournament as underdogs against teams that make regular appearances in the World Series.
For West Chester, their first-round matchup was with the Southeastern regional champions, University of North Georgia. Jon Fisher pitched eight really strong innings while a homerun from Jared Melone gave the team a lead it wouldn’t surrender in a 9-4 victory. In round two, they squared off with the Central champs, Lindenwood University.
While both teams scored a run in the first inning, it was locked at one until the eighth when Nick Ward scored on a throwing error which allowed the Rams to end up scoring four in the inning and winning the game 5-2. Game three was a close one with the South-Central representatives Colorado Mesa University. The Rams scored the lone run of the game on a third inning single from Bob Knox. This was the only run needed in a strong start by Eric Close and a threeinning save from Josh McClain.
In the final round and championship game against the West region’s UC San Diego, a leadoff home run from Bob Knox got the scoring started. In the seventh inning, the Rams took a 3-2 lead they would never look back on. McClain made his fourth appearance in four World Series games and recorded four scoreless innings, also striking out the side in the ninth inning to shut the door on a storybook season.
On June fourth, 2017 the Rams were hoisting the World Series trophy for the second time just a few seasons. Sitting on top of the Division II baseball world, the Rams were champions and headed back to southeastern Pennsylvania with the hardware to prove it.
Dan McCartin is a third-year student majoring in management with a minor in journalism. DM870055@wcupa.edu