West Chester Captures Bill Giles Championship, 9-5
PHILADELPHIA – West Chester scored five runs in the top of the 10th inning and shut down Jefferson in the bottom half to claim the 2024 Bill Giles Classic championship, 9-5, at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester (25-5) increased its winning streak to 15 games with the win while capturing its 15th Bill Giles title. Jefferson (20-11) dropped the championship game to the Golden Rams for the second straight year.
Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) was placed on second base at the beginning of the inning. Avery Spencer (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) led off with a sacrifice bunt that was thrown away. Boccio scored on the error, and Spencer raced around to third base. Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional) singled home Spencer and then moved up to second on a wild pitch. Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) doubled home Szestowicki and sent Julian Costa (Mantua, N.J./Clearview), who was hit by a pitch, to third. Evan Profy (Croydon, Pa./Harry S. Truman) then hit a sacrifice fly to score Costa. Vaughan later scored on a walk to Joe Kaleck (Southampton, Pa./Neshaminy) when the fourth ball in the at bat was a wild pitch.
Jefferson's runner placed on second in the bottom of the 10th came around to score. But, that was all the Rams could muster against Nick Noga (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove). Costa, who pitched the ninth, got credit for the win to improve to 5-2 on the year.
Profy, whose two-run homer in the second tied the game at two, finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Szestowicki went 2-for-5 with three RBI as well. Six different pitchers allowed five runs on 10 hits while striking out 10 batters. Costa fanned five in 2 2/3 innings. Noga k'd the final two hitters of the game to put an end to Jefferson's comeback bid.
West Chester jumps back into conference play for the rest of the season beginning on Friday with a twinbill at Serpico Stadium against Bloomsburg.
Latest Men's Baseball
- No. 7/8 West Chester Falls to Charleston (W.V.) 7-3 in NCAA Atlantic Regional OpenerWEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University baseball team (43-8) opened its 2024 NCAA Tournament campaign as the top seed in the Atlantic Regional for the second time in the last three years vs the University of Charleston (W.V.) (44-9) on a damp Thursday afternoon at Serpico Stadium. West Chester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Charleston stormed back to post a 7-3 victory over the Golden Rams, thanks in part to a three-run fourth inning, which allowed the Golden Eagles to take their first lead of the game and never trail again.
- No. 7/8 Baseball Set for NCAA Tournament Opener on Thursday AfternoonWEST 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.
- Baseball Lands Three on NCBWA All-Region Squad; Boccio Named Atlantic Region Player of the YearSLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Atlantic Region All-Region teams and Major Award winners on Wednesday afternoon, and No. 7/8 West Chester was well represented with three players honored, including Anthony Boccio (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) who earned Player of the Year honors. Boccio became the first Golden Ram to earn NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the Year honors since Jared Melone in 2019 and was joined on the First Team All-Region squad by Sean Szestowicki (Mount Royal, N.J./Kingsway Regional), while John DeMucci (Swarthmore, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) earned Second Team honors.
- West Chester Receives Top Seed in Atlantic Region2024 NCAA D2 BASEBALL INTERACTIVE BRACKET
- West Chester Hangs on to Claim PSAC ChampionshipSLIPPERY ROCK, PA – West Chester withstood a 3 hour, 13 minute rain delay and a valiant comeback bid from East Stroudsburg to take the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game, 12-11, Saturday afternoon at Jack Critchfield Park.
- West Chester Shuts Down ESU, 4-1; Advances to PSAC Championship GameSLIPPERY ROCK, PA – Freshman left-hander Kyle Kearns (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) threw 5.1 innings of two-hit, scoreless ball, and Drew Simpson (Hockessin, Del./Delaware Military Academy) and Casey Vaughan (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) each had two hits and two RBI, to lead No. 8 West Chester to a 4-1 win over No. 24 East Stroudsburg in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Friday afternoon.