Feb. 19, 2004
In the fall of 1999, a group of freshmen entered the George Mason baseball program and began the process of turning things around from the up-and-down seasons the Patriots had experienced in the late 1990s. By the time they were seniors last season, that group had brought Mason to the brink of its first Colonial Athletic Association championship in a decade.
But they didn't do it alone. The next three recruiting classes each added pieces to the puzzle, and those players are prepared for a run in 2004 that could give George Mason its first CAA title since 1992 and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1993.
Twelve players (four seniors and eight juniors) who have spent their entire careers as Patriots are among the 19 returning letterwinners that seek to improve upon last season's overall record of 31-20 and CAA mark of 9-8. Mason advanced to the CAA Tournament championship round for the first time since 1993 and posted its highest victory total since a 31-25 campaign in 1995 in addition to setting school records for consecutive wins (11) and consecutive wins at home (12 in a row to finish the season 20-3 at Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler Field).
"This season has the potential to be one of the best we've ever had here at George Mason," said Patriot head coach Bill Brown, who enters his 23rd year with the Patriots as the third-youngest coach in the nation with 600 victories (602-553-5) at the NCAA Division I level.
"Our biggest strength is our experience and maturity. This group is battle-tested, understands what it takes to succeed and is dedicated to striving for the highest team goals. Getting to the championship round last season was a big help in that regard. They know what was accomplished in getting there, and I believe that will have a carry-over effect this year."
Six full-time starters and another part-timer return to lead the Patriots in the field in 2004. The entire infield returns intact along with two veterans in the outfield from the group that maintained George Mason's traditional offensive success as well as establishing school defensive records for highest fielding percentage (.970) and fewest errors (59).
"I'm most excited about how diverse we can be," said Brown. "We play outstanding defense and we're multi-faceted offensively with the ability to run, hit for average and hit for power. Ultimately, pitching and defense win championships and when you combine that with the ability to score runs in many different ways, it truly gives us the opportunity to win every day."
Two seniors and two juniors return in the infield to lead the Patriots. Seniors Jeff Palumbo and Nick Shimer will be at shortstop and third base, while juniors Chris Looze and Jimmy Freund will hold down spots at first base and second base. Palumbo, Shimer and Looze are preseason All-CAA selections by Baseball America, with Palumbo (for the second straight year) and Looze rated the best defensive players at their positions in Baseball America's poll of conference coaches.
Palumbo has developed into the team leader, both on and off the field. The CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team all-conference selection in addition to being a first-team All-Virginia pick, Palumbo posted a .972 fielding percentage as he committed just seven errors in 51 games last season, including going errorless in his final 24 games (covering 109 chances). He also batted .310 with eight doubles, five home runs and 36 runs batted in offensively, and he tied a school record with eight RBI vs. Towson in the CAA Tournament along with tying the tournament record with 11 RBI. Off the field, he was chosen as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year for baseball in recognition of his outstanding work in the classroom.
Shimer had a breakout year as he was fully healthy for the first time as a Patriot. Shimer was a first-team All-CAA and All-ECAC choice after batting .349 with 19 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBI, ranking first on the team in doubles, second in both batting and home runs and third in RBI. He also had an excellent year defensively at the "hot corner," committing just six errors for a .967 fielding percentage.
Looze and Freund also were productive on the right side of the infield. Selected by Collegiate Baseball magazine as the 2004 CAA preseason Player of the Year and rated as the conference player with the "Best Raw Power" by Baseball America, Looze came to the Patriots last year as a junior-college transfer and immediately stepped into the middle of the batting order, hitting .343 with 13 doubles, 15 homers and 56 RBI. He paced the team in the latter two categories as he earned All-CAA second-team honors. Freund stepped into the starting lineup midway through the season and provided a solid defensive presence, committing just four errors in 35 games, while batting .220 with nine RBI.
"With as much success as we had defensively last year, I think we can be stronger this season," said Brown. "Several of the positions, particularly first base, second base and right field, were not settled until midseason, so being able to start the year as we finished it should allow them to be even better.
"Across the board, our infield is as sound defensively as any we have had at George Mason. They're an athletic group, very sound fundamentally, that can make all the plays."
In the outfield, senior Bruce Baldwin and junior Matt Cooksey return as starters in right and center field, respectively, while freshmen Josh Campbell (.457 with seven home runs at Fauquier High School last year) and Matt Barrett (.410 with six homers at Hopewell Valley Central) will compete for the starting job in left field.
Baldwin also enjoyed a breakout year for the Patriots, particularly taking off when he was moved to the outfield in the middle of the campaign after playing in the infield his entire career. Baldwin finished the season leading the Patriots with a .354 average and was second on the club with 17 doubles and 42 RBI.
Rated the "Fastest Runner" and "Best Defensive Outfielder" in Baseball America's preseason poll of conference coaches for the second straight year, Cooksey continued to be George Mason's offensive catalyst at the top of the batting order despite struggling with an arm injury. Cooksey batted just .255, but he led the Patriots and the CAA with five triples and 44 walks while adding nine doubles, 14 RBI and a team-high 18 stolen bases.
"Each of our outfielders is athletic enough to cover the ground defensively," said Brown. "All four have the arm strength necessary to be successful, and the experience of Bruce and Matt will help make the transition to college baseball smoother for Josh and Matt."
At catcher, sophomore Robby Jacobsen will be the starter after splitting time at the position last season. Jacobsen batted .244 with six doubles, a home run and seven RBI and showed considerable poise behind the plate.
Senior Kyle Barrett, junior Adam Innerst and freshman Chris Romanow are the early favorites to see the majority of at bats at designated hitter. Barrett batted .264 with four doubles and 10 RBI last season, while Innerst hit .267 with three home runs and 19 RBI. Barrett and Romanow will join freshman Tyler Modzelesky as reserves at first base, while Romanow and Matt Barrett will back up Shimer at third base. Sophomore Mike Genovese (.250, 2 RBI in five games) will be a utility player in the middle infield, while Innerst and junior Marlon Christie (.333 in two games) will also be reserves at catcher and in the outfield.
The pitching staff lost four of its top six starters to graduation, but it is not without experience. Eight letterwinners return from the group that set a school record for fewest walks in a season (138) and had a 2.5:1 ratio in strikeouts to walks.
Junior left-hander Jake Glanzmann leads the starting rotation after two seasons of top-level experience. Junior right-hander Stacen Gant, a part-time starter as a freshman, and sophomore lefty Eric Gibbons are the leading candidates to join Glanzmann as a "weekend starter" at the top of the rotation, but they will be challenged by right-handers juniors Josh Morrison and Tyler Wingerd and sophomore Jason Mills.
"From an experience standpoint, our starting pitchers have less than our position players, but they're not an untested group," said Brown. "They've been tested in different ways, perhaps, than the roles they are being asked to fill this season, but they all have pitched in college games and do not need to go through a feeling-out process to find their way."
Glanzmann, who is a preseason All-CAA selection and rated the fifth-best professional prospect by Baseball America, has pitched exclusively in the starting rotation in his first two seasons and has enjoyed mixed success. Glanzmann posted a 4-5 record last season while ranking second on the Patriots in earned run average (4.96) and strikeouts (59). He also was third on the team in games started (11) and innings pitched (65.1).
Gant was George Mason's bullpen closer a year ago as he was 3-1 with three saves and a 2.74 ERA in 20 appearances. But Gant made six starts as a freshman and has the experience to succeed at the start of games. Gibbons pitched exclusively in relief last season as he posted a 3-0 record with two saves and a 4.03 ERA in 11 appearances, but his eight-inning effort against Towson in the CAA Tournament showed he has the poise and determination to hold down a starting role.
Morrison (0-0, 1 save, 7.08 ERA) was one of Mason's top relievers the past two seasons, making 28 appearances, but he has the make-up and experience to be successful in the rotation. Mills (2-1, 9.74 ERA) had mixed success as a mid-week starter last year, but his overpowering stuff (26 strikeouts in 20.1 innings) should help him overcome those struggles. Wingerd was 4-3 as a freshman at Penn State and brings solid experience as he joins the Patriots after two seasons with the Nittany Lions.
"Jake has been a starter since he was a freshman and has pitched many quality innings in meaningful games," said Brown. "Stacen has been an integral part of the staff for the past two seasons in various roles and we now need him to produce at the beginning of games, which we're confident he can do. Eric got opportunities to succeed in the second half of the season last year and proved he was capable of beating any team on our schedule with his composure and skill."
With Gant moving to the starting rotation, the role of finishing games successfully falls to sophomore right-hander Mike Puckli. A solid set-up man for the Patriots last season with a 2-0 record, two saves and a 3.95 ERA in 14 appearances, Brown believes the side-armer has the ability to get the job done. Sophomore lefty Brent Hitz (transfer from UNC Pembroke) and freshman righty J.J. Pannell (7-3, 0.89 ERA at Bishop O'Connell High School last year) will join Puckli out of the bullpen in the late innings, while junior right-hander Jeff Dinwoodie, sophomore lefty Ryan Adkinson and freshmen right-handers Dan Jaycox, Mike Kemp and Brett Rembold, along with lefties Patrick Fletcher and Billy Tinsley, will fill various roles in middle relief.
"Mike gained a lot of experience pitching at the back end of games last year, and this is a natural evolution for him to become the closer," said Brown. "Brent has been a starter before, leaving J.J. as the only one of the three without college experience, but he'll compensate for that with composure beyond his years and above-average stuff."
The Patriots head into the new campaign selected to finish fourth behind Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary and UNC Wilmington in a preseason poll of CAA head coaches. Mason will host two-time defending champion VCU, William & Mary, Old Dominion and Delaware at Spuhler Field among its 24-game conference schedule as it strives to be one of the six teams advancing to the CAA Championship in Wilmington, NC, in late May. In addition, the Patriots face a traditionally strong non-conference slate that includes three teams (along with league foes VCU and UNCW) that advanced to last year's NCAA Tournament -- College World Series participant South Carolina and perennial southern stalwarts North Carolina State and Coastal Carolina.
"Based on our finish last year, our returning players and the abilities of our newcomers give us the opportunity to be one of the top teams in the CAA," said Brown. "VCU has dominated the league in recent years, and anyone with aspirations of winning the CAA must dethrone them first. We are ready for the challenges ahead in accomplishing that feat."
