Feb. 17, 2010
The George Mason baseball team has had tremendous success over the past six seasons, both in the state of Virginia and the Colonial Athletic Association. The Patriots are second in the Commonwealth in wins behind just Virginia, which has made the NCAA Regionals each of those six seasons, and second in the CAA behind UNCW, which has made the NCAA Regionals three times in that span. The Patriots have won 252 games in the past half dozen years, including 119 in conference action with two trips to the NCAA Regionals.
So what does 2010 hold for the Patriots, coming off the most successful season in school history, one in which six players were drafted and Mason set a Division I school record for wins? With nine pitchers returning, the Patriots will look to their arms to keep them in games as a young offense develops and learns to come into its own. Mason begins the season this weekend with four games in three days in a tournament at Winthrop. Mason will face Northwestern on Friday, Marist and Winthrop of Saturday and Northwestern again on Sunday.
The Patriots will start two former All-CAA performers in the weekend rotation and a cadre of talented arms will be there in the bullpen and to make midweek starts. Kevin Crum, first-team All-CAA in 2009, and Ryan Brecko, third-team All-CAA in 2008, will head the rotation with senior Kris Mengle hurling on Sundays. Crum was 8-4 last season with just 22 walks allowed in 83.1 innings of work. Over the past two seasons, Brecko has gone 9-3 with 10 saves and a 3.92 ERA. Over the past two seasons, Mengle has also been outstanding, with a 7-3 record and just 33 walks allowed in 111.2 innings with a 4.51 ERA.
From the group of A.J. Johnson, Nick Kendrick, Kevin Lingerman, Chris O'Grady and Jack Zeltner, a pair of midweek starters should emerge with the others providing solid depth in the middle relief corps. Lingerman was 1-0 last year in four starts while Zeltner enters his senior season with 11 appearances under his belt. O'Grady redshirted last year after pitching just two-thirds of an inning while Johnson and Kendrick are in their first season on the team.
Leading the middle relief will be Ryan Pfaeffle along with Darren McLean and Brandon Kuter. Pfaeffle was 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA last year striking out 38 and walking just 10 in 45.2 innings. McLean is a senior who has pitched in 30 games in his career while Kuter is a freshman from Fairfax. Also adding depth will be redshirt sophomore Branden Bartlett and freshmen Sean Cabrera and Garrett Marin.
The late innings will belong to redshirt junior T.J. O'Grady and freshman Anthony Montefusco. O'Grady has pitched in 36 games for the Patriots, all in relief, while Montefusco is a highly-touted freshman who will also see time in the field. Kuter and Johnson will have shots at pitching late in games as will Lingerman if he doesn't nail down a spot in the rotation.
The Patriots will need their arms to step up after losing more than two-thirds of their offense. The patriots lost 57 homers, 276 RBI and 315 runs to either graduation or the Major League Baseball draft, more than 67 percent of their total in each of those categories. Four-year starters in all three outfield positions as well as shortstop and three-year starters at first base and catcher will need to be replaced. Returning starters are second-team All-CAA designated hitter Shane Davis, third-team All-CAA second baseman Ryan Soares and third baseman Mark Hill.
Davis hit .323 last year with six homers and 29 RBI. He will see time at DH this year and could appear at first base and right field. Soares hit .318 in 2009 with 11 homers, 42 RBI and 38 runs scored. In his two-year career at Mason, he has hit .316 with 18 homers, 91 RBI and 82 runs scored. After being a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year at second base, Soares will move to shortstop this season. Hill hit .327 last year with three homers, 26 RBI and 27 runs scored. In his three-year career, he has a .306 batting average with nine homers, 70 RBI and 62 runs scored. He remains the incumbent third baseman.
The right side of the infield will most likely see senior Josh Steinberg at first and freshman Chris Cook at second. Steinberg started 24 games in 2008 when he hit .342 with 17 RBI and 18 runs. Last year he contributed mostly off the bench and with spot starts. Cook comes to Mason from DeMatha where he helped the team win the WCAC title as a junior. Redshirt junior Dan Palumbo, a career .276 hitter, will back up both Cook and Steinberg with Montefusco also potentially seeing time at first and freshman Nick Allen at second. Sophomore Brig Tison, who played in three games last year, will provide depth at both middle infield positions as well as third base.
One of the corner outfield positions will belong to sophomore Dan Schafferman. Last season he hit .313 with three homers, 13 RBI and eight runs. Redshirt junior Aaron Tenney, Davis and Allen will spend time at the other corner outfield position. The centerfield position is up for grabs between redshirt sophomore Jeremy Haas, redshirt freshman Josh Turner and freshman Ben Carson.
Junior college transfer Jake Leonardo was expected to start at catcher for the Patriots this season but an injury suffered in the fall will keep him from stepping behind the plate. Brett Hendricks, a transfer from Bradley, is expected to catch instead with Steinberg and Danny Lyons, a transfer from The College of New Jersey, providing depth.
