EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU baseball team is back in action this weekend as conference play picks up, hosting No. 21 West Chester on Friday to open the series.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• The Warriors come into the series with a 14-8 overall record after splitting their series against Millersville last weekend and defeating Queens in a mid-week contest. It was the second time ESU has split with the Marauders in the last three seasons.
• Creekview Park has treated the Warriors well this season, as they’re 11-1 at home. On average, they’ve outscored their opponents by 5.7, averaging 7.8 runs per game while only allowing 2.1 per game. They’ve only played three true road games, falling in each contest. Their road slate opened up two weeks ago at Felician, dropping the game 5-4, then lost both at Millersville by the scores of 8-3 and 10-3.
• ESU has scored 150 runs across its 22 games, good for 6.8 per game. They’ve batted .293, posting an OPS of .836 that’s boosted by the third-best OBP of .437 in the PSAC. 
• ESU moved its lineup around with some early-season regulars unavailable in its last five games, but Parker Frey still leads the Warriors as their top hitter, coming into the weekend with a 1.102 OPS. He’s gotten on base in over half of his at-bats with an OBP of .519, drawing 17 bases on balls with a team-high nine extra-base hits. 
• Two of those changes to the lineup as of late have included moving Walker Zampella to the leadoff spot and Troy Davis behind him. Zampella is second on the team in OPS, posting a mark of .918 up to this point. He’s recorded nine RBI during his time bouncing between batting first and second. Davis has grown into a bigger role as the season has progressed, moving up the lineup and filling in the outfield right now. He’s done more than hold his own at the plate, batting .361 with an OBP of .510. He also leads the team in stolen bases with 11 on 13 attempts.
• Cole Serfass had a big weekend in his first PSAC East series as a Warrior, delivering two go-ahead base hits for ESU in the two home games against the Marauders. He’s been consistent for ESU, hitting .317, while driving in a team-leading 17 RBI.
• Another mainstay in the heart of the Warriors’ lineup has been Connor Reilly. Rotating between being the designated hitter and catching, Reilly leads the team with 21 walks. He’s third on the team in OBP, getting on base 47.3% of his plate appearances.
• ESU’s rotation seems to have added a third ace to the mix, as Evan Hughes has acclimated himself to the Warriors’ roster nicely in his first season. Coming off his second time being named the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week, he was also recognized by the NCBWA as the top pitcher in the Atlantic Region last week. He threw six shutout innings against Millersville, improving to 5-0 on the season with a 2.00 ERA. Batters are only hitting .189 against him, as he’s struck out 29 and only given up six earned runs. 
• Coming into the season, Ryan Dewees and Ethan Woods held the first and second spots in the rotation. Dewees is 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA, though coming off his first loss of the 2026 campaign in his last time out. For Woods, ESU has won two of the three games he’s pitched in, as the Warriors took a late lead in his start against the Marauders. He threw five innings while striking out eight batters and allowing two earned runs.
• Cade Davis has been ESU’s fourth weekend starter so far, looking to bounce back after his last start in the series finale at Millersville. Prior to that, he pitched five scoreless innings in each of his last two starts. 
• Cole Dymek and Jake Albert have stepped up as two of ESU’s most trusted arms out of the bullpen. Dymek notably got out of a bases-loaded jam against Millersville in the third game of the series, as he’s thrown nine full innings while boasting a 2.00 ERA. He’s also picked up 13 strikeouts while only allowing two earned runs. Albert leads the team in saves with four, picking up one in the second game against Millersville and recently versus Queens. 
• This series will feature two of the more disciplined defenses in the conference, as ESU and West Chester rank second and third in fewest errors committed, respectively. West Chester has only been charged with 13 errors, and the Warriors only have 12 this season. 

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER

• The Golden Rams are currently the highest-ranked team in the PSAC, moving to No. 21 in the latest ABCA poll. The Warriors are receiving votes in the same poll, coming in with the 12th-most votes of a team outside the top 30.
• West Chester has gotten off to a strong start in 2026, going 16-3 for a .842 winning percentage. They bounced back after dropping the first game of its series to Mansfield, winning three of four against the Mountaineers. In three road games, the Golden Rams have scored 14, nine, and 10 runs, including two shutouts in the latter two against Mansfield. Before the PSAC East opening series, the only home games they had were a four-game series against Gannon, in which they swept the Golden Knights.
• The Golden Rams' calling card this season has been pitching. Entering the weekend with a conference-best team ERA of 3.13, they also limit their opponents to a batting average of .228, the second-lowest in the conference.
• Julian Costa has been West Chester’s best pitcher, working as the weekend opener for the Golden Rams. He was dinged for his first loss of the season in West Chester’s 4-1 defeat to Mansfield, but still has an ERA of 2.05. He’s limited opposing hitters to a batting average of .206, striking out 27 batters in 30.2 IP.
• Luke Raho is the Golden Rams’ second starter, coming in with a 3.80 ERA. He has the highest ERA of West Chester’s four weekend starters, though still holding batters to a .222 average.
• Kyle Rogers and Kyle Lazer have made up the back half of West Chester’s rotation, as they have near-identical ERAs of just over 3.00. Both have yet to allow a home run this season.
• Kyle Kearns and Ben Jones are two pitchers to watch coming out of the bullpen. Jones has the only two saves for West Chester on the season and has yet to allow an extra base hit. Kearns has thrown 10 full innings, posting a 1.80 ERA 
• West Chester has three batters with an OPS above 1.000, led by Caleb Strawhecker’s 1.232. His season has been highlighted by a three-home run game against Saint Joseph’s, tallying 18 RBI while scoring 24 times himself.
• Austin Stalker and Christian Michak round out the rest of its top three at the plate, as Stalker has an OPS of 1.205 and Michak’s mark is 1.083. Stalker leads the team with 26 hits and 49 total bases, driving in a team-high 24 RBI. Michak has the most stolen bases for the Golden Rams, being successful in 11 of his 13 attempts.
• Hunter Smith is one more name to know before the series, as he’s West Chester’s fourth batter hitting over .300. He’s batting .321 with an OPS of .921.

SERIES HISTORY

• The two teams split the series last season, with both teams winning their home games. The Warriors put up double-digit runs at home, winning 12-3 and 11-5. The Golden Rams won two lower-scoring games in West Chester, taking the final two by scores of 5-3 and 4-3. 
• The Warriors are 58-90 all-time versus West Chester, beginning their history in 1941 and resuming regular play in 1998. Since then, the Warriors have went 6-14 in four-game series against the Golden Rams, splitting four of them as well. The last four-game series ESU won against West Chester was in 2019, when ESU won both games at West Chester.