BASEBALL vs. VCU
WHEN: Thursday, May 16 (3 p.m.) | Friday, May 17 (3 p.m.) | Saturday, May 18 (2 p.m.)
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | Spuhler Field
RECORDS: Mason (19-32, 5-16 A-10), VCU (36-17, 16-5 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: VCU leads, 53-50
LAST MEETING: The Rams took two-of-three games from the Patriots April 20-22, 2018 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
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LIVE STATS
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team plays its final series of the season, hosting first-place VCU for three games beginning Thursday at Spuhler Field. The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.
This past weekend, Mason (19-32, 5-16 A-10) played its final road series of the season, dropping three games against Saint Louis at Billiken Sports Complex in St. Louis, Mo.
Mason junior catcher
Logan Driscoll leads the team in average (.340), hits (54), doubles (12), triples (2), home runs (8) and RBI (31) in 44 games played. He is second on the club in runs scored (34) and third in walks (29).
Senior outfielder
Brady Acker is second on the team in average (.291), doubles (11) and home runs (6) in 37 games played. He is tied for second on the squad in walks (30), fourth in runs scored (24) and sixth in hits (34).
Sophomore outfielder
Cam Reckling is third on the team in average (.275) and paces the Patriots in runs scored (38) in 49 games played. He is second on the team in hits (53), is third in doubles (8) and tied for third in home runs (3).
Senior shortstop
Alejandro Aponte is batting .271 and is third on the club in hits (48) in 51 games played. He is third on the team in runs scored (30) and tied for fifth in RBI (20).
The Patriots have a team batting average of .244 and a team ERA of 6.98 through 51 games this season.
Mason last faced VCU April 20-22, 2018 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va. The Patriots won the first game of the series, 11-3, while the Rams took the final two games, 6-4 and 1-0 (12).
Mason seniors
Alejandro Aponte,
Brady Acker,
Brian Marconi,
Jonathan Ostroff,
Greg Popatak II,
Tim Quinn,
Zach Skrtich and
Ryan Tassone will be recognized in a pregame ceremony before Saturday's game.
SCOUTING REPORT
VCU has an overall record 36-17, including a mark of 16-5 against Atlantic 10 opponents. The Rams are 19-7 at home, 15-9 on the road and 2-1 in games played at a neutral site this season.
On Tuesday, the Rams rallied to score four runs in the eighth but had their five-game winning streak snapped with an 8-7 loss against Virginia at Disharoon Park in Charlottesville, Va. Junior infielder Brett Norwood went 3-for-5 with three RBI and scored a run, while sophomore infielder Liam Hibbits was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Rams.
In their last Atlantic 10 series, the Rams swept three games against Saint Joseph's May 10-11 at Smithson Field in Philadelphia, Pa. VCU earned 9-3, 13-3 and 4-0 wins in the series.
VCU begins the weekend in first place in the conference, with Dayton one game back with a record of 15-6 in A-10 play. The Flyers are home for a three-game series against Fordham beginning Thursday.
Hibbits ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in average (.392), is second in the league in RBI (58) and fourth in the conference in hits (74) and slugging percentage (.587) in 53 games played. He is fifth in the A-10 in doubles (17).
Junior infielder Paul Witt is 13th in the conference in average (.333) and is tied for sixth in the league in hits (69), doubles (16) and runs scored (46) in 53 games played. He is also sixth in the A-10 in RBI (48).
Senior infielder Zac Ching is batting .321 and is tied for sixth in the A-10 in hits (69) and runs scored (46) in 51 games played. He is third in the league in doubles (22) and ninth in RBI (42).
The Rams lead the A-10 with a team batting average of .296 and a team ERA of 3.53 through 53 games this season.
STRIKE ZONE
In Mason's first season in the Atlantic 10 in 2014, the Patriots defeated VCU, 3-0, in the A-10 Tournament semifinals. The Patriots then topped the Rams, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
Mason: Fr. RHP
Patrick Halligan (4-4, 5.03)
VCU: So. RHP Justin Sorokowski (3-1, 3.70)
Saturday
Mason: Sr. LHP
Brian Marconi (3-7, 4.40)
VCU: Jr. RHP Connor Gillispie (4-2, 2.30)
Sunday
Mason: Jr. RHP
Jared DiCesare (4-6, 4.95)
VCU: Sr. RHP Jack Alkire (6-1, 4.24)
