BASEBALL at Caravelle Resort Tournament

WHEN: Friday, 3 p.m. vs. West Virginia
             Saturday 1 p.m / 4:30 p.m. vs. Ball State (DH)
             Sunday 1 p.m. vs. Coast Carolina
WHERE: TicketReturn.com Field (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) / Springs Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.)
RECORDS: Mason (2-1), West Virginia (1-2), Ball State (2-1), Coastal Carolina (2-3)
LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS 

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The George Mason baseball team is back on the road for the second weekend in a row, competing in the Caravelle Resort Tournament Feb. 24-26 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 

The Patriots will face West Virginia and defending national champion Coastal Carolina, along with playing a doubleheader against Ball State.

Mason (2-1) begins the tournament with three games at TickerReturn.com Field, home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.  

The Patriots face West Virginia on Friday, Feb. 24 with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by two games against Ball State on Saturday, Feb. 25 with the first pitch for game one of the twin bill slated for 1 p.m. 

Mason wraps up play when it takes on No. 19 Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Last weekend, Mason won two-of-three at the Hughes Bros. Challenge at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C. 

After falling to No. 24 UNCW 12-8, the Patriots beat Appalachian State 3-1, with sophomore Brian Marconi allowing one run on three hits over 6.0 innings to record the first road win of his collegiate career.

Sophomore Bryce Nightengale entered the game in relief and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced against Appalachian State to earn the first save of his NCAA career.

In the final game of the weekend, the Patriot's collected 17 hits, including four home runs in a 21-1 win over VMI to win their second straight game.  Nine players had at least one hit for the Patriots against the Keydets, with six players recording a multi-hit game.  

Freshman Logan Driscoll went 3-for-5, including his first collegiate home run, drove in five runs and scored three times.  Sophomore Greg Popatak II was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI, while classmate Bailey Klein delivered with a pinch-hit grand slam against the Keydets.

Michael Smith went 2-for-4 with a RBI and scored three runs.  Junior Tyler Nelin and classmate Frank Sturek each finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs scored against VMI.  Nine players drove in at least one run for the Patriots in the game.

Sophomore Zach Mort (1-0) allowed just one run on three hits and struck out six over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win in his first career start.  Senior Tyler Tobin tossed two scoreless innings and struck out two, while classmate Ryan Galvin struck out the side in the ninth to end the game.

Mason pitchers have combined for 22 strikeouts and only seven walks over the first three games of the season.  The Patriots have a team batting average of .324 and have outscored their opponents 32-14.

Nelin was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week.  He went 7-for-12 (.583) with seven RBI and three runs scored over the first three games of the season.  Nelin collected three singles, three doubles, a home run and reached base nine times.

Logan Driscoll began his collegiate career by earning A-10 Rookie of the Week honors after going 7-for-13 (.538) with a home run, five RBI and five runs scored in his first three games.  He went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs in the Patriots' 21-1 win over VMI.

WEST VIRGINIA SCOUTING REPORT:

West Virginia went 36-22 overall and 12-11 in the Big 12 Conference last season.  The Mountaineers finished the 2016 campaign 20-10 at home, 13-11 on the road and 3-1 in neutral site games.

The Mountaineers (1-2) began the season with a three-game series last weekend against Charlotte University at Hayes Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.  West Virginia dropped the first two games of the series, 6-3 and 13-2 to the 49'ers. 

The Mountaineers won the series finale 6-3, with every player in the lineup collecting at least one hit.

Mason is 3-3 against West Virginia in the all-time series.  The two teams last met in the 2012 Baseball at the Beach tournament, with the Patriots blanking the Mountaineers 1-0. 

Blaise Fernandez drove in the lone run of the game with a RBI single in the bottom of the third and John Williams allowed just two hits over 5.0 innings to earn the win in his first collegiate start for Mason.

STRIKE ZONE: 

Former Patriot's pitcher Jake Kalish, who will play for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic next month, pitched 4.0 scoreless innings for the save in the last meeting between Mason and West Virginia.

BALL STATE SCOUTING REPORT:

Ball State was picked as the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason coaches poll.  The Cardinals finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 32-26 and went 15-9 in MAC play.  

The Cardinals won their first two games of the season at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Fla.  Ball State recorded an 8-3 win over No. 22 Maryland and then held on for a 3-2 victory over defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alabama State.

Ball State rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Terrapins by scoring five runs in the sixth inning.

Senior outfielder Matt Eppers was named the Mid-American Conference player of the Week.  He drove in the game-winning run against Maryland and led the team with three RBI in three games.

Junior right-hander Colin Brockhouse earned MAC Pitcher of the Week honors after striking out a career-high eight batters over 4.1 scoreless innings against the Terrapins. 

STRIKE ZONE: 

This will be the first-ever meeting between Mason and Ball State.

COASTAL CAROLINA SCOUTING REPORT:

Coastal Carolina tied the school record with 55 wins in 2016, finishing with an overall record of 55-18 and went 28-7 at home last season.  The Chanticleers became the first team in 60 years to win the title in their first College World Series appearance.

The Chanticleers were 21-3 in the Big South Conference last year and won the conference championship.  Coastal Carolina defeated Radford 7-5 in the first round, earned a 4-3 victory over Gardner-Webb in the second round, beat Longwood 5-1 in the semifinal and won the title with a 1-0 win over Liberty.

Coastal Carolina defeated Saint Mary's and took two-of-three from N.C. State in the Raleigh Regional and then beat LSU 11-8 and 4-3 in the Baton Rouge Super Regional to advance to the College World Series for the first time in program history.

In the 2016 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Coastal Carolina picked up wins over Florida, Texas Tech and TCU, avoiding elimination three times in three days to win its bracket.

After falling 3-0 to Arizona in the first game of the National Championship Series, the Chanticleers defeated the Wildcats 5-4 to tie the series and 4-3 to win the NCAA Championship.

Coastal Carolina is 25-7 in the all-time series against Mason.

STRIKE ZONE: 

In the 33-year history of the Big South Conference, Coastal Carolina's championship was the first-ever in a team sport by the conference.  The Chanticleers won the title on June 30, 2016 and the next day joined the Sun Belt Conference.

MASON PROBABLE STARTERS:

Friday vs. West Virginia:  RHP Tyler Zombro (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
Saturday vs.Ball State (Game 1):  LHP Brian Marconi (1-0, 1.50),
Saturday vs. Ball State (Game 2):  TBA
Sunday vs. Coastal Carolina:  RHP Zach Mort (1-0, 1.50)