March 11, 2005

The George Mason baseball team will host a three-game series this weekend with Fairfield University as the Patriots play a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Patriots have won four straight heading into this weekend and six of seven after a 1-2 start to the year.

The Patriots swept Fordham last weekend by a combined score of 37-6 and handed Virginia Tech a 2-0 loss on Monday as Josh Morrison allowed just two hits in a complete game 11-strikeout masterpiece. He will hope to garner CAA Pitcher of the Week honors, an award won last week by Mason's Stacen Gant.

Gant allowed just one run in a seven-inning complete game win over Fordham. He is 3-0 on the year with a 1.93 ERA. His career mark of 19-5 gives him the highest career winning percentage, .792, in Mason history. The Mason staff enters the weekend with a 3.72 ERA.

The Patriot batters bring a collective batting average of .307 into the series. Chris Fournier is batting .441 on the sason. he leads the Patriots in batting average, RBI (11), doubles (3), slugging percentgae (.765) and on-base percentage (.596). Robby Jacobsen is batting .425 and elads the team in hits (17) and Matt York (.433) and Jimmy Freund (.417) are both hitting better than .400. The Patriots have stolen 13 of 15 bases this season.

Mason will be hoping to get two regulars back into the lineup. Second-team All-American Chris Looze missed the Virginia Tech game due to illness. The first baseman/outfield is expected back. Centerfielder Matt Cooksey is also expected back after suffering a hand injury.

Lefthander Time Dugan, righthander Ryan Hoffman and righthander Steven Tyburski are slated to start for the Stags this weekend. Dugan made one start this year, allowing four runs in seven innings. He got a no decision in a 7-5 loss to Virginia Commonwealth. Hoffman has started two games for Fairfield but he has not made it out of the third inning in either contest. Against VCU, he allowed seven runs in three innings. Against Radford, he surrendered four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Steven Tyburski makes his first appearance of the year.

The Stags are hitting .227 as a team. John Scaife is hitting .385, Jim Girolamo is hitting .375 and Adam Chilelli is batting .333. No one else on the team with more than two at-bats is hitting better than .250.