April 7, 2003
RICHMOND, VA ... George Mason senior Chris Murray has been selected as the Pitcher of the Week and freshman Jay Ciraco has been named the Rookie of the Week for baseball by the Colonial Athletic Association. The honors, the first for each in his career, are for accomplishments from March 31-April 6.
Murray, a 5-10, 200-pound right-handed pitcher from Marlton, NJ, and a 1999 graduate of Cherokee High School, continued his strong pitching of late with a two-hit shutout as he led George Mason to a 14-0 victory over Drexel last Friday. Murray improved to 2-3 as he faced just four batters over the minimum, walking three and striking out five, as he pitched his second career shutout.
Over his last four starts, he is 2-1 (with a nine-inning no-decision at Old Dominion March 28) with a 1.08 earned run average, allowing seven runs (four earned), 23 hits and five walks while striking out 25 in 33 1/3 innings. For the season, Murray leads the Patriots and is tied for 10th in the CAA with a 3.23 ERA, and he ranks second on the team with 35 strikeouts and 47 1/3 innings in seven starts.
"Over the last several weeks, Chris has been our most consistent pitcher, just as he was in the second half of last season," said Patriot head coach Bill Brown, who has a 587-543-5 overall record in his 22nd season at George Mason. "We are excited about having a pitcher of his ability to lead us as we continue in pursuit of our goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament."
A 5-8, 185-pound third baseman/designated hitter from White Plains, NY, and a 2002 graduate of Harrison High School, Ciraco was on fire last week as he batted .615 in four contests. He was 8-13 with seven runs, five doubles and eight runs batted in for the week, and in his current six-game hitting streak, he is batting .455 (10-22) with six doubles and eight RBI. For the season, Ciraco ranks second on the Patriots and 10th in the CAA with a .352 batting average, adding eight doubles (tied for third on the team) and 12 RBI as he has started 15 of the 19 games he has played.
"Offensively, Jay has given us a spark that we needed this past week," said Brown. "His ability to take consistent at bats and drive in runs is impressive at this point of the season for a freshman."
George Mason visits George Washington Tuesday at 3 p.m. before returning home to host Navy Wednesday at 3 p.m. (just added to the schedule) and Hofstra in a three-game CAA series this weekend. The Patriots and Flying Dutchmen meet at 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday.
