Nick Bateman A Key To West Chester Baseball Success
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The West Chester University Golden Rams are getting ready to open play in the Division II College World Series. On Saturday, they will take on the University of North Georgia down in Grand Prairie, Texas in their first game.
West Chester won the Atlantic Regional to get here, going a perfect 4-0 to improve to 40-11 on the season.
One of the big keys to the success of the Golden Rams is the play of senior center fielder Nick Bateman. A Malvern Prep product, Bateman was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic Regional after hitting .474 in the four games with six of his nine hits going for extra bases. He says this post-season surge for West Chester is no accident.
"We're really focused," Bateman tells KYW Newsradio. "I know that we are sticking together as a team and just trying to play our best as a team. We're clicking at the same time."
For the season, Bateman is second on the team in batting with a .370 average. He's also third on the team with 41 runs batted in and 12 doubles (tied). These numbers are even more impressive when you consider he missed a good chunk of time this season due to a hand injury that required surgery.
In addition to his consistent bat, Bateman's glove was a key in the Atlantic Regional with head coach Jad Prachniak crediting him with saving several runs with great catches.
"I try to catch everything," he says. "I try to go every season without having an error (does not have one this season), so that always helps, too. I always try to help out my pitchers, try and catch everything the best I can."
Deep postseason runs are nothing new for Bateman. He played in the Junior College World Series prior to arriving at West Chester, when he played at Miami-Dade College. He talks about relying on that experience during this tournament ride.
"I personally take it step by step and I know I'm trying to help everybody out as a team captain," he says. "Take these steps and focus one inning at a time, one game at a time."
West Chester and North Georgia will get underway at 4:00pm on Saturday.