Feb. 28, 2008

The George Mason softball team makes its home debut this weekend when it hosts the Patriot Classic from Friday through Sunday. Mason is coming off of a tough weekend at the UCF Tournament in Orlando, where it came away winless despite two extra-inning contests.

Mason will play host to four teams over the course of the weekend: the Cornell Big Red, the Niagara Purple Eagles, the Princeton Tigers and the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Cornell comes to Fairfax to kick off its 2008 campaign. Last year, the Big Red finished 35-14, including a 20-2 record at neutral sites.

Niagara will try for its first win of the season at George Mason Field, as the Purple Eagles are 0-4. Felicia Coffey is their top hitter, as she is 6-for-15 (.400) at the plate with a double, a home run and one RBI.

Princeton is opening its season this weekend. The Tigers finished 24-29 last season, as they are two years removed from an NCAA tournament appearance and return 11 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's team.

The Bobcats of Quinnipiac are 2-2 in 2008, splitting their games at the Longwood Tournament in Farmville, Va., last weekend. Jill Viglione leads the offense, with six hits in 15 at-bats this year.

The schedule for the weekend is as followed:

FRIDAY
1:00pm	Niagara vs. Quinnipiac
3:00pm	Princeton vs. Niagara
SATURDAY
9:00am	Niagara vs. Princeton
11:00am	Cornell vs. Quinnipiac
1:00pm	Mason vs. Cornell
3:00pm	Quinnipiac vs. Mason

SUNDAY
9:00am	Cornell vs. Niagara
11:00am	Mason vs. Cornell
1:00pm	Princeton vs. Quinnipiac
3:00pm	Mason vs. Princeton