GREENVILLE, N.C. – The George Mason University baseball team is set to take on sixteenth-ranked East Carolina in a two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday, March 8th and 9th at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The first pitch for both games is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Pirates lead the all-time series 42-30 and have won the last four meetings against the Patriots. The two teams haven't met since 2001 when both resided in the Colonial Athletic Association.
At the plate Mason will lean on sophomore Brady Acker, who leads the team with a .316 batting average (12-for-38) with two home runs and eight RBI in 10 games. Sophomore Michael Smith enters the series with an average of .263 (10-for-38) with two RBI and seven runs scored in 10 games. Freshman Greg Popatak is hitting .261 (6-for-23) with three RBI and two runs scored in his eight games.
The Patriots finished 2-5 on their recent seven-game homestand. The last time on the diamond, Mason fell to Bryant University 7-0 at Spuhler Field Sunday, March 6th. Senior Kent Blackstone and sophomore Trevor Kelly both doubled to account for the Patriots two hits.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates (8-3) are off to their best start since the 2012 season and are ranked in the national polls for the second week in a row. East Carolina will be the second Top-25 team that Mason has faced this season. The Patriots lost to then No. 22 Kentucky 8-6 in Spartanburg, S.C. on Feb. 20.
East Carolina won its first six games of the season, outscoring opponents by a combined 50-27. Among the victories, the Pirates won two-of-three at No. 4 Virginia, their first road series win over a Top-5 program in 14 years.
The Pirates enter the two-game series with a team batting average of .314 on the season. Freshman Dwanya William-Sutton leads the Pirates with a .395 average and 10 RBI in 11 games. Junior Luke Bolka enters the mid-week series hitting .375 with one home run and five RBI.
East Carolina's starting pitching has a 2.52 ERA, allowing only 17 earned runs over 60.2 innings of work in 11 games.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Sophomore RHP Ryan Ricci (0-1, 9.82) will get the start on Tuesday, March 8th for the Patriots. It will be his fourth appearance and first start of the season. In his last outing, Ricci allowed one run on one hit in one inning of work in a 1-0 loss to Cal State Northridge.
Mason freshman LHP Brian Marconi (0-0, 5.87) takes the hill on Wednesday, March 9th. This will be his fourth appearance and second start of the season. Marconi gave up just three hits and didn't allow a run over five innings of work in his first start of the season last week against Cal. State Northridge.
