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 National Baseball Recruiting | @natlbbrecruit 2027 and 2028 players and parents, DM us "INFO" and we'll help you build a real list of schools and a plan to get seen.