BASEBALL at Longwood
WHEN:  Tuesday, Feb. 26 | 3 p.m.
WHERE:  Buddy Bolding Stadium | Farmville, Va.
RECORDS:  Mason (3-2), Longwood (3-4)
ALL-TIME SERIES:  Mason leads, 10-7
LIVE STATS | LISTEN

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FARMVILLE, Va. – The George Mason baseball team plays its first midweek game of the season on Tuesday, facing Longwood with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va.

Mason (3-2) dropped a doubleheader at Winthrop on Sunday, falling 3-1 in the first game and 7-0 in the night cap.  The Patriots and Eagles had the first game of the series cancelled due to inclement weather.

Sophomore outfielder Scott Morgan drove in his first run of the season in game one.  Senior first baseman Tim Quinn went 2-for-4 in game two.

The Patriots won their first three games of the season at the Sunshine State Classic in Kissimmee, Fla.  Mason recorded a 7-2 win over Iowa, a 9-4 victory over Marshall and then posted a 12-5 win against Villanova.

Mason starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings in each of the first five games of the season.

Senior Greg Popatak II is batting .333 (6-for-18) and leads the team with three doubles and seven RBI.  He is second on the squad with a .478 on-base percentage among players who have played in every game.

Quinn has a .286 average (4-for-14) and is second on the club with seven walks.  He leads the team with a .522 on-base percentage.

Freshman Patrick Halligan, a native of Vienna, Va., is expected to make the start for the Patriots at Longwood and will look to make his NCAA debut.

The Patriots and Lancers are scheduled to play a home-and-home series this season, with Longwood facing Mason on Apr. 9 at Spuhler Field. 

Mason holds a 10-7 edge in the all-time series against Longwood.

Last season, the Patriots built an 8-3 lead over the Lancers, but fell in a slugfest, 13-10, on Apr. 4, 2018 at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va.

SCOUTING REPORT

Longwood has an overall record of 3-4, including a mark of 3-3 at home.  The Lancers have played three doubleheaders in the first two weeks of season.

The Lancers took three-of-four from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at Buddy Bolding Stadium to start the 2019 campaign. 

Longwood has lost its last three games.  The Lancers fell to James Madison, 3-1, on Feb. 19 in Harrisonburg, Va. and then dropped both games of a doubleheader to Army, 12-2 and 10-3, on Feb. 21 in Farmville, Va.

Freshman infielder Hunter Gilliam leads the team with a .400 average (8-for-20) with one home run and two RBI.  He is first on the team in runs scored (4) and tied for first on the club in hits (8).

Antwaun Tucker is batting .364 (8-for-22) and is tied for the team lead in hits (8) and paces the team in doubles (2) and RBI (3).  

Junior starting pitcher Nick Fuchs (1-0, 1.17) tossed a complete game (7.0 innings) in his NCAA debut against UMES in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 16.  He struck out nine and walked just two in Longwood's 6-1 victory.

The Lancers are second in the Big South and 64th in the nation with 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings.  The Longwood pitching staff has recorded 58 strikeouts through seven games and ranks third in the Big South with 20 strikeouts looking.

STRIKE ZONE

Longwood defeated Mason in last year's matchup, 13-10, on Apr. 4, 2018 at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

The two teams combined for 23 runs on 16 hits.  The Patriots scored 10 runs on six hits, while the Lancers plated 13 runs on 10 hits in the game.

Every Player in the starting lineup for the Patriots either scored a run or drove in a run.  There were 23 walks and 26 strikeouts in the game.

PROBABLE STARTERS

RHP Patrick Halligan (0-0) vs. RHP Nick Fuchs (1-0, 1.17)