BASEBALL vs. Villanova
WHEN: Friday, March 9
WHERE: Osceola County Stadium | Kissimmee, Fla.
RECORDS: Mason (3-8), Villanova (3-6)
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATS
Kissimmee, Fla. – The George Mason baseball team begins its Spring Break trip with a matchup against Villanova, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. at Osceola County Stadium on Friday in Kissimmee, Fla.
The Patriots will then play a three-game series against Florida International University. The first game of the series is Saturday in Port Charlotte, Fla. before the venue changes to Infinity Insurance Park on Sunday and Monday in Miami, Fla.
Osceola County Stadium is the home ballpark of the Florida Fire Frogs, the Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The stadium was also the spring training home of the Houston Astros from 1984 to 2016.
Mason (3-8) doubled Towson 14-7 on Wednesday as head coach
Bill Brown reached 1,000 career wins. The Patriots have scored 28 runs during their three-game winning streak.
Junior left-hander
Brian Marconi tossed three innings of no-hit ball against the Tigers to earn his first win of the season. Junior
Bailey Klein went 4-for-5, drove in a run and scored twice, while graduate student
Frank Sturek finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Senior
Trevor Kelly, junior
Alejandro Aponte and sophomore
John Callahan each drove in two runs.
Nine players scored at least one run, while seven players drove in at least one run for the Patriots in the game against Towson.
Mason sophomore
Logan Driscoll leads the Atlantic 10 Conference with a .439 average (18-for-41) and paces the Patriots in hits (18), RBI (9) and runs scored (9). Senior
Tyler Nelin is batting .344 (11-for-32) and is tied for second on the team in hits (11).
On the mound, junior
Zach Mort (0-1, 2.95) is slated to start his fourth game of the season. He leads the Patriots in innings pitched (18.1) and strikeouts (23).
SCOUTING REPORT
Villanova has a 3-6 overall record. The Wildcats are 3-3 on the road and 0-3 in games played at a neutral site.
The Wildcats won their first three games of the season, outscoring Norfolk State by a combined score of 40-10 Feb. 17-18 in Norfolk, Va. Villanova was then swept in a three-game series at USC Feb. 23-25, with the Trojans defeating the Wildcats 15-6, 12-6 and 5-2 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Villanova dropped three games in the Snowbird Baseball Classic, falling to Dartmouth 12-7, Northeastern 1-0 and Western Michigan 6-0 March 3-6 in Port Charlotte, Fla.
On Thursday, the Wildcats continued their seven-game trip to Florida with an exhibition game against a squad of minor league prospects from the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies prospects earned a 5-1 win at Spectrum Field.
Sophomore Timothy Lilly is hitting .343 (12-for-35) and leads the team in hits (12) and RBI (8). Sophomore Ryan Toohers is batting .367 (11-for-30) and is tied for second on the team in hits (11) and RBI (6). Senior David Gulati has a .262 average (11-for-42) and leads the Wildcats in home runs (1) and doubles (5)
STRIKE ZONE
Mason will be facing both Villanova and FIU for the first time in program history.
MASON PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday vs. Villanova: RHP
Zach Mort (0-1, 2.95)
Saturday vs. FIU: RHP
Bryce Nightengale (1-1, 5.93)
Sunday vs. FIU: RHP
Jared DiCesare (1-2, 4.35)
Monday vs. FIU: LHP
Brian Marconi (1-0, 4.50)
