BASEBALL at No. 20 N.C. State
WHEN:  Wednesday, Mar. 13 | 4 p.m.
WHERE:  Doak Field at Dail Park | Raleigh, N.C.
RECORDS:  Mason (8-5), N.C. State (16-0, 3-0 ACC)
ALL-TIME SERIES:  N.C. State leads, 23-4
LAST MEETING:  The Wolfpack defeated the Patriots, 3-2, on March 27, 2018 at Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C.
LIVE STATS | LISTEN (GoMason.com) | WATCH ($)

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team faces No. 20 N.C. State in a mid-week, non-conference matchup on Wednesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C.

Last time out, Mason (8-5) split a doubleheader with Manhattan on Sunday, with both games decided in the ninth inning.

Senior Bailey Klein drove in a run with a single to give the Patriots a 4-3 walk-off win in game one, while the Jaspers scored two runs in the ninth to come back for a 3-2 victory in the final game of the series.

Mason senior shortstop Alejandro Aponte collected four hits on the day, including two doubles and drove in four runs in the two games.

Junior RHP James Beasley (1-0) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in game one to earn his first Mason.

Redshirt senior outfielder Brady Acker leads the team in average (.316) in seven games played. 

Junior catcher Logan Driscoll is batting .240 and leads the club in hits (12), home runs (3) and runs scored (12).  He is second on the team in doubles (3) and RBI (9). 

Senior third baseman Greg Popatak II is hitting .239 and leads the squad in doubles (4) and RBI (12).  He is second on the team in hits (11) and walks (10).

Freshman outfielder Cam Reckling has a .238 average.  He ranks second on the team in runs scored (11) and is third in hits (10).

Mason freshman RHP Patrick Halligan (1-0, 7.88) is expected to make his third start of the season.  He has allowed seven runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and just two walks over 10 innings of work.

Last season against then-No.10 N.C. State, the Patriots led 1-0 but fell to the Wolfpack, 3-2, at Doak Field at Dail Park. 

Mason starter Jared DiCesare allowed just four singles and struck out eight over seven innings, while Ryan Ricci tossed one scoreless inning.  Popatak doubled twice and scored a run, while Scott Morgan went 1-for-3 with a RBI.

SCOUTING REPORT

N.C. State has an overall record of 16-0, including a mark of 3-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.  The Wolfpack have a record of 9-0 at home, 5-0 on the road and 2-0 in games played at a neutral site.

Last night, the Wolfpack trailed Charlotte 4-1 before sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey tied the game with a three-run homer in the eighth.  The Wolfpack then scored two runs in the ninth and hung on for a 6-5 win over the Knights at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, N.C. 

N.C. State is off to the best start in program history.  The Wolfpack have the most wins in NCAA Division I and are one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in the nation, along with Arizona State (15-0).

N.C. State has trailed in nine of its games but has rallied to win.  The Wolfpack have won eight one-run games, including two walk-off wins and have also won three games in extra innings.

The Wolfpack weren't ranked during the preseason, but are now ranked inside the top-20 in nearly every poll.  N.C. State is ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, No. 17 by Perfect Game and No. 20 by D1 Baseball.

The Wolfpack have hit 17 home runs and scored 128 runs in their first 16 games of the season.  Entering Tuesday's game against Charlotte, N.C. State had a team batting average of .292. 

Nationally, the Wolfpack entered Tuesday's game fifth in doubles (39), 21st in runs (122) and 28th in hits (159).  N.C. State leads the ACC in doubles (39), ranks second in batting average (.292) and runs (122) and is third in hits (159), RBI (108) and on-base percentage (.402).

Freshman infielder Tyler McDonough leads the team in average (.348) and hits (23).

Junior infielder Will Wilson is second on the club in average (.344) and ranks second on the squad in hits (22), home runs (3), total bases (38) and RBI (16).  He is tied for the team lead in doubles (7) and ranks third in walks (11).

Senior infielder Evan Edwards is hitting .329 and leads the Wolfpack in hits (23), home runs (4), doubles (7), RBI (20) and total bases (44).

Five players are batting at least .322 and 10 players have hit at least one home run for the Wolfpack.

On the mound, N.C. State boasts a team ERA of 2.90.  The Wolfpack pitching staff has allowed 57 runs (48 earned) and struck out 150 batters, while holding opponents to a .227 batting average.

Nationally, the Wolfpack are first in wins (16), 16^th in shutouts (2) and 18th in both ERA (2.90) and WHIP (1.15).

Junior LHP Kent Klyman (5-0, 3.00) earned the win Tuesday at Charlotte.  He leads the team with five wins in his seven appearances. 

Junior RHP Jason Parker (2-0, 0.93), sophomore RHP Reid Johnston (2-0, 1.35) and junior RHP Michael Bienlien (2-0, 0.00) are tied for second on the club with two wins each.

After their game against Mason, the Wolfpack will host ACC Atlantic Division rival Florida State for a three-game series March 15-17.

STRIKE ZONE

N.C. State's 16 wins are the most this season in NCAA Division I baseball.  The 16-0 start is the best in Wolfpack program history, eclipsing the previous mark of 12-0, set in 1992.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Mason:  RHP Patrick Halligan (1-0, 7.88)
N.C. State:  TBD