Mamula, who grew up in DuBois, 75 miles from Johnstown, will guide his Rams (41-14) against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rival Kutztown at 11 a.m. today in the regional's opening round of double-elimination play.

The winners of eight regional tournaments will advance to the Division II World Series, scheduled for May 24 to 31 in Sauget, Ill.

"It's comical," Mamula said. "The two of us from Western Pennsylvania, and all the players from the east. It makes for some great rivalries - Pirates and Phillies, Penguins and Flyers, and Steelers and Eagles. We tell them we're only going to watch the Pirates on TV." Bellavar is from Mount Lebanon.

The Rams will try to make it to the world series for the second time in three years. They've been in the regional six straight seasons, but reached the world series only in 2006.

That year, West Chester beat Kutztown for the regional title. Last year, the Golden Bears beat West Chester in the regional finals.

This morning's game will mark West Chester's eighth meeting with Kutztown in the Rams' last 10 games. The Rams, top seeds in the regional, finished second to the Bears in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs. They beat Kutztown, the sixth seed in the regional, in an early round of the PSAC tourney before losing a doubleheader on the final day.

"It's a big rivalry," Mamula said. "They've outplayed us, 2-7, but we're hoping the week-and-a-half layoff between the two playoffs will enable us to freshen our game.

"We have some injuries, and we haven't been as sharp lately as we were in the beginning of the season."

Mamula has chosen senior righthander Chris Powl to start for the Rams this morning. He is 7-2 with a 2.86 ERA.

Junior Matt Cotelese, the eastern PSAC player of the year, has been the Rams' big offensive spark. The junior outfielder is hitting a team-leading .411 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs. He is 19 for 19 in stolen bases.

Two pitchers from Downingtown West and another from Avon Grove also have made solid contributions to the Rams' season. Jason Bowman, a junior righthander from West, is 9-1 with a 2.43 ERA.

Avon Grove grad Eric Carmichael, a sophomore lefthander, is 2-1 with a 0.93 ERA. West grad Chris Ott, a freshman righthander, is 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA.

Juniata signs Wallace. West Chester East volleyball standout Collin Wallace has committed to play for Juniata's highly regarded program next year.

Wallace led the Vikings to a share of the Ches-Mont League title this past season, and earned all-state honors. She was a first-team all-league selection for three years.

"Collin has been extremely well coached, grew up knowing the game, and will certainly be an immediate asset to our team," said Juniata coach Larry Bock, who has compiled a 1,147-177 record in 31 seasons.