West Chester Baseball

West Chester University Golden Rams Baseball • 2x National Champs 💍 • 6 CWS Appearances 🚩• 9x PSAC Champs 🏆 • 22 NCAA Tourney Appearances ⚾️ #RamsUp🐏

[National Baseball Recruiting @NatlBBRecruit]

College Baseball Program of the Day #008: West Chester University Golden Rams 🐏⚾

In June the Golden Rams reached the NCAA Division II National Championship Series in Cary, N.C. as the No. 1 seed and took three-time defending champion Tampa to a winner-take-all Game 3 before falling 8-4. That capped a historic season.

🏆 2026 NCAA D2 national runners-up, their first Championship Series appearance since winning it all in 2017
🏆 Program-record 48-12 overall, surpassing the old mark of 46 set by the 2009 and 2012 title-contending teams
🏆 No. 2 in the final ABCA Division II coaches poll
🏆 Share of the PSAC East regular-season title, sixth Atlantic Regional championship in program history
🏆 Undefeated run through the NCAA bracket in Cary until the title series
🏆 Two national championships in program history (2012 and 2017), six College World Series appearances, nine PSAC titles and 22 NCAA Tournament trips

The players:
⚾ LHP Julian Costa: consensus Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year and a consensus All-American. Went 12-3 with a 2.59 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 97.1 innings in 2026, including four complete games, three shutouts and his second career no-hitter. Finished as the program's career leader in wins, strikeouts (305) and innings pitched (307.0). Now pitching for the York Revolution.
⚾ RHP Kyle Lazer: All-Tournament selection after a complete-game win over Tampa in Game 2 of the finals (first WCU complete game in Cary since Joe Gunkel in 2012). Finished 9-1 with a 3.44 ERA. Signed with the Lancaster Stormers.
⚾ Four Golden Rams made the Division II All-Tournament team: Austin Stalker, Carter Rust, Patrick Gozdan and Kyle Lazer. OF Carter Rust later signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco Giants organization.

Head coach Mike LaRosa is 214-84 (.718) in six seasons at his alma mater and 409-239-2 overall as a head coach. The 2026 ABCA/ATEC Atlantic Region Coach of the Year (also won it in 2022), he has taken West Chester to five straight NCAA Tournaments and two College World Series trips (2022 and 2026). A WCU Hall of Famer and former All-American second baseman, he was the 2003 NCAA D2 National Defensive Player of the Year as a player. His staff: Brian Lindros (assistant), John Fleming (pitching), Evin Sullivan (hitting), Casey Vaughan (assistant) and Charlie Cooper (director of player development/recruiting coordinator).

The pipeline is real. Joey Wendle went from West Chester to a sixth-round pick and a long MLB career with the A's, Rays, Marlins and Mets. Recent pros include Braeden Fausnaught (Phillies org), Carter Rust (Giants org), plus Costa and Lazer in the Atlantic League.
@BaseballWcu @WCUAthletics @CoachLaRosa @BrianLindros @CoachFlemingWCU @evin_sullivan30 @caseyvaughan162

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[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

Last night at halftime of the WCU Football Game our community honored the 12u East Side LL regional champions and little league World Series participants! Congrats to East Side LL on an amazing season!

[West Chester Golden Rams @WCUAthletics]

Congratulations to Carter Rust on signing a free-agent contract with the San Francisco Giants organization earlier this week! Rust has reported to Arizona and is expected to begin his career in the Arizona Complex League later this summer! Story ⬇️

📰:https://t.co/tGd1rVKaCo

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

Register Here 👉 https://t.co/w6Gwar19Bc

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

Ready for the moment. 🐏🤘 #ramsup

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

One more day. 🐏🤘 #ramsup

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

THE @WCUAthletics ARE STILL ALIVE 🔥

🎥: @rshighlightsllc

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

THE @WCUAthletics FORCES GAME 3 👏

📸: @rshighlightsllc

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

.@WCUAthletics ADDS ANOTHER TWO‼️

Gozdan drives a two-run single to left field, extending @WCUAthletics lead in the top of the 8th.

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

GONE. AND THEY’RE IN FRONT.

Middlebrooks with the homer to right center, giving @WCUAthletics the lead in the top of the 6th.

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

TWO-RBI FOR @WCUAthletics 🔥

Rozich rips a two-run single to center field to put @WCUAthletics ahead 4-3.

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

THE @WCUAthletics ADD ANOTHER ONE TO THE BOARD.

Donati drives an RBI single to the right side, extending the lead to 2-0.

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB

[West Chester Golden Rams @WCUAthletics]

An #SCTop10 moment for Carter Rust and @BaseballWcu as the senior center fielder for the Golden Rams checked in eighth in today’s Top-10 plays!

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

Time to go. 🐏🤘 #ramsup

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

CATCH OF THE WEEK 🔥🔥🔥

Rust with a clutch diving catch to end the top of the 9th for @WCUAthletics.

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB | #SCtop10 | #ESPNAsssignDesk

[West Chester Golden Rams @WCUAthletics]

BASE: ONE OF TWO

Our flag is still flying high in Cary this morning as we get ready to face Tampa in the Division II National Championship Series this evening at 6 p.m.! The Golden Rams and Spartans will face off at 6 each of the next two days before an if-necessary game on Saturday afternoon!

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

There’s only one thing left to do… 🐏🤘 #ramsup

[West Chester Baseball @BaseballWcu]

The Cardiac Rams! 🐏🤘 #ramsup

[NCAA Division II @NCAADII]

THE @WCUAthletics PUNCH THEIR TICKET TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP‼️

🎥: @rshighlightsllc

#MakeItYours | #D2BSB