FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason baseball head coach
Bill Brown has added a pair of former Patriots to the coaching staff.
Tyler Nelin will serve as a volunteer assistant coach and
Ryan Ricci joins the club as a student assistant coach.
"We are excited to have both Tyler and Ryan join out staff for this coming year," Brown said. "Their passion, energy, maturity and knowledge will be a great addition to the program on a daily basis. They both had fantastic careers at Mason and are two of the best to have ever played here. I am excited for them as they begin their coaching careers and I am confident each will forge a path that will lead them to continued success in the great game of baseball."
Nelin played in 200 games with 198 starts over his four-year career as a catcher/outfielder, finishing with 211 hits, 19 home runs and 104 RBI. He recorded the 200th hit of his career last May at Towson.
The Virginia Beach, Va. native ranks in the top-20 in program history in six categories. He is tied for second in hit by pitch (48), tied for third in fielding percentage (.989), eighth in starts (198), ninth in games played (200), 11th in at-bats (732) and ranks 19th in hits (211).
Selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team for the second straight year after the 2018 season, Nelin started 44 games and finished with a career-best .313 average while ranking third on the team in hits (52) and was fourth in doubles (10).
In 2017, Nelin played in a career-high 59 games with 58 starts and finished the season with a career-best 64 hits, 10 home runs and 40 RBI.
Ricci, from Greencastle, Pa., appeared in 70 games for the Patriots over his four-year career. He tossed 97.2 innings, making 64 relief appearances and six starts and his 70 appearances are fourth-most in program history.
The right-hander finished the 2018 season with a career-high 26 appearances out of the bullpen. Ricci finished the year with a career-best four wins (4-2 record) and career-best 2.36 ERA. He also set career highs in innings pitched (34.1), strikeouts (29) and saves (3).
Ricci was signed as a free agent in 2018 by the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his professional debut with the Hillsboro Hops in the short-season Class A Northwest League. He pitched 7.2 innings over five appearances for the Hops.
Ricci also appeared in 10 games with the AZL Diamondbacks in the rookie league, tossing 10 innings with a 1.80 ERA and one save.
