Jan. 16, 2009

With the 2009 baseball season around the corner, a slew of George Mason players were selected by Colonial Athletic Association head coaches as some of the best in the conference. Four different players were selected to the 2009 Preseason All-CAA Baseball Team with senior outfielder Scott Krieger leading the charge as the Preseason Player of the Year.

Krieger has already received numerous Preseason All-America honors and the player who is Mason's all-time leader in home runs brings back a .350 career average. No player in the country returns having hit more home runs than his 21 in 2008.

Joining Krieger on the team are catcher Chris Henderson, first baseman Justin Bour and second baseman Ryan Soares. Henderson, a junior, hit .339 last season with five homers and 41 RBI. Bour, a junior, hit .398 last year with 15 homers and 65 RBI. Soares, a junior, hit .315 with seven homers and 49 RBI and was one of the conference's top defensive players.

Reliever Jordan Flasher and starting pitcher Dan Gerjets received honorable mention honors.

Despite having so many players selected to the preseason team, the Patriots are not the favorites in the CAA heading into the season. James Madison, which won its first-ever CAA title in 2008, received six first-place votes and a total of 95 points. Mason received four first-place votes and 91 points and is second in the preseason poll. Third is UNC Wilmington, which received a first-place vote and 86 points. No other team received more than 61 points.

The 2009 Mason baseball season begins on Feb. 20 when the Patriots play at USC Upstate at 4 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.