BASEBALL at Charleston Crab House Challenge
WHEN:  Friday, Feb. 16 vs. The Citadel 4 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 17 vs. Richmond 11 a.m. | Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. No. 13 Louisville 11 a.m.
WHERE:  Joseph P Riley Park | Charleston, S.C.
LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE VIDEO

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The George Mason baseball team will open the 2018 season with three games at the Charleston Crab House Challenge hosted by the Citadel Feb. 16-18 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C.

It's Opening Day for the Patriots when they face the host Bulldogs on Friday at 4 p.m.  Mason will then play Richmond on Saturday at 11 a.m. and meet No. 13 Louisville for the first time in program history on Sunday at 11 a.m. to close out the trip. 

"It's a great challenge and it's a great mix of teams so that makes this a fun weekend to play," said Mason head coach Bill Brown.  "We get a chance to take a look at some teams that have different styles and we'll see how we stack up.  It is a little bit more of a challenge, but it's a test and it will help prepare us."

Brown begins his 37th season at the helm of the Patriots and guided the team to the Atlantic 10 tournament for the second time in four years last season.

"This is a mature team so we've been through this a couple of times with this group," Brown said.  "We're excited but we are probably a little more focused.  There's also a sense of purpose coming down here as we open the season."

Last season, Mason finished with a 26-33 overall record, including a mark of 13-11 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Patriots were 9-20 at home, 14-9 on the road and 3-4 in games played at a neutral site.

Mason scored eight runs on eight hits against UNCW on Opening Day last season, but fell to the Seahawks 12-8 in the first game of the Hughes Bros. Challenge in Wilmington, N.C.  Tyler Nelin went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Michael Smith was 2-for-4 in the game.

The Patriots have been picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season in a preseason poll conducted by the league's 13 head coaches. 

Mason returns all eight starting position players and 11 pitchers from last year's roster, including three weekend starters.  Juniors Zach Mort (Fri.), Bryce Nightengale (Sat.) and Brian Marconi (Sun.) will start games this weekend.

Mort will make the Opening Day start for the first time in his collegiate career.  Last season, he appeared in 16 games with 13 starts with a 3-7 record and 5.71 ERA.

Nightengale appeared in 15 games with eight starts in 2017 and posted a 2-4 record with a 6.95 ERA.  Marconi tied for first on the team with 15 starts last season.  He led Mason in wins with a 7-5 record and finished the season with a 5.06 ERA.

"We're expecting big things from all three of the pitchers we have throwing this weekend," Brown added.  "They have all been through it.  They have all taken starts and thrown out of the bullpen.  You can see there is a focus other than just the excitement of opening weekend.  There is a sense of purpose and that's good because the rest of us will feed off of it once we start playing."

At the plate, senior Trevor Kelly led the A-10 with 56 RBI and was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference First Team.  He batted .300 and finished second on the team in hits (60) and home runs (7).

Logan Driscoll landed a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team after the 2017 campaign.  He returns for his sophomore season after batting .323 in 43 games.  Driscoll ranked third on the team in hits (54) and RBI (38) and was fourth in home runs (4) and runs scored (34).

Nelin hit .296 and was the only Mason player to appear in all 59 games last season.  He paced the Patriots in hits (64), home runs (10), doubles (15) and slugging percentage (.514).

The Patriots added depth on the mound, with seven pitchers among the eight first-year players on this year's roster.  Thomas Bradley, Daniel Brooks, Austin Cabone, Ryan Miles, Scott Morgan, Mason O'Mara, James Price and Michael Yuille will look to make their collegiate debuts.

The Patriots begin the season with eight seniors, 11 juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen ready to take the field.

Mason returns a veteran group of infielders.  Along with Kelly at first base, junior Alejandro Aponte is back at second base, Smith at shortstop and sophomore John Callahan will handle the hot corner.  The Patriots also have experience in the outfield with redshirt junior Brady Acker in left, graduate student Frank Sturek in center and Nelin in right.

SCOUTING REPORT

- The Citadel finished the 2017 season with a 16-35 overall record including a 7-17 mark against Southern Conference opponents.  The Bulldogs were 13-19 at home and 3-15 on the road last season.

Senior third baseman Jonathan Sabo was a preseason All-SoCon selection.  He started every game and led the Bulldogs in average (.299), hits (60), home runs (10), RBI (31) and runs scored (44) last season.  Senior shortstop Will Kinney also started every game for The Citadel in 2017 and finished third on the team in hits (47).

Sophomore Dylan Spence will make the first Friday start of his career when the Bulldogs face the Patriots.  He made 16 appearances with one start his freshman season.

Head coach Tony Skole begins his first season at the helm of the Bulldogs.

- Richmond finished the 2017 season with a 17-36 overall record including 6-17 against Atlantic 10 opponents.  The Spiders went 10-18 at home, 6-17 on the road and 1-1 in games played at a neutral site.

Senior shortstop Vinny Capra started 51 games for the Spiders last season.  He hit a team-leading .355 and also led Richmond in hits (75), doubles (14) and runs scored (47).

Senior utility player Daniel Brumbaugh hit .332 and was second on the team in hits (67) and RBI (37).

Sophomore right-hander Aaron Winkler, who is scheduled to start Saturday against the Patriots, appeared in 21 games with three starts last season (1-1, 6.00 ERA).

- Louisville finished 2017 with a 53-12 overall record including a mark of 23-6 against Atlantic Coast Conference foes.  The Cardinals went 34-4 at home, 14-5 on the road and 5-3 in games played at a neutral site last season.

The Cardinals finished 2017 ranked fifth in the nation after advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time in program history.  Louisville begins this season ranked No. 13 in the nation after setting a school record for wins in a season with 53 in 2017.  Louisville ranked third in the nation with a 2.92 team ERA last season.

Head coach Dan McDonnell was named the 2017 National Coach of the Year by Baseball America.  He was also named ACC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season.

Three Louisville players were named preseason All-Americans.  Junior right-hander Sam Bordner and junior infielder Devin Mann were both selected second team, while junior righty Riley Thompson was a third team selection.

The Cardinals have been ranked in at least one major national poll every week since 2012 and have also been in the preseason rankings 11 straight seasons.

STRIKE ZONE

When Mason takes on No. 13 Louisville on Sunday at the Charleston Crab House Challenge, it will be the second straight season that the Patriots have faced a team ranked in the top-20 in the preseason poll in the first month of the season.

Last season, Mason played No. 18 Coastal Carolina on Feb. 26, 2017 in the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C.  The Patriots built an 8-0 lead but fell to the defending national champion Chanticleers 9-8 at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

MASON PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday vs. The Citadel:  RHP Zach Mort
Saturday vs. Richmond:  RHP Bryce Nightengale
Sunday vs. No. 13 Louisville:  LHP Brian Marconi