West Chester pitchers shine in Atlantic League debuts, earn wins

Kyle Lazer did not ease into the Atlantic League, he arrived with a win. In his professional debut for the Lancaster Stormers, the former West Chester ace worked two innings, allowed three runs and still got credited with the victory as Lancaster outlasted the Long Island Ducks in a slugfest.

That kind of instant workload is exactly why the Atlantic League keeps selling itself as more than a stopover. It can ask a Division II pitcher to hold up in real innings right away, and Lazer answered fast after his West Chester career ended with a complete-game win in Game 2 of the NCAA Division II National Championship Series in Cary, North Carolina. West Chester forced a decisive Game 3 against Tampa with that performance, then fell 8-4 in the finale on June 6.

Julian Costa made the transition look just as smooth in York. The left-hander, signed by the York Revolution after a standout West Chester career, threw 6.2 scoreless innings in his pro debut on Father’s Day at WellSpan Park. York rolled past the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 11-1, and Costa limited them to two hits while walking two and striking out four.

West Chester announced both signings on June 19, turning a postseason run into a direct pipeline to the independent game. That matters in a league with a clear identity: the Atlantic League was established in 1998, became Major League Baseball’s first Partner League, and says it has sent more than 1,400 players to MLB organizations. Lancaster and York sit right in the league’s Pennsylvania footprint, and the Stormers and Revolution wasted little time giving their new arms meaningful roles.

Lazer’s debut was not spotless, but it was enough to win, and that is the point. Costa’s line was cleaner, and his start looked like a pitcher who already knew how to get outs at this level. For West Chester, the two signings underline something more useful than a transaction list: Division II pitchers who survive Cary can arrive in the Atlantic League ready to pitch, not just learn.