BASEBALL vs. UMBC/at La Salle
WHEN:  Friday, March 12 (2 p.m.) | Saturday, March 13 (12 p.m.-Game One) | Sunday, March 14 (2:30 p.m.)
WHERE: (Friday) Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
                (Saturday) DeVincent Field | Philadelphia, Pa.
                (Sunday) Alumni Field | Baltimore, Md.
RECORDS: Mason (1-3, 0-0 A-10), UMBC (3-0, 0-0 America East) | La Salle (4-5, 0-0 A-10)
LAST MEETING: UMBC defeated Mason, 9-3, on March 20, 2019 in Baltimore, Md. | Mason swept three games from La Salle (5-3, 9-2, 15-4) May 17-19, 2018 at Spuhler Field.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Mason leads UMBC, 31-14 | Mason leads La Salle, 7-2  
LIVE VIDEO (Friday): ESPN+ ($) | (Saturday-Game One): Click here ($) (Saturday-Game Two): Click here ($)
LIVE STATS (Friday): Click here | (Saturday): Click here
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hosts UMBC on Friday, March 12, for a single game with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.
 
The Patriots will then finish the weekend on the road.
 
Mason plays a doubleheader at La Salle on Saturday, March 13, with the first pitch in game one slated for 12 p.m.  The Patriots will wrap up the weekend against UMBC on Sunday, March 14, with the first pitch at 2:30 p.m. at Alumni Field in Baltimore, Md.
 
Last time out, Mason (1-3, 0-0 A-10) split a pair of home games last weekend.  The Patriots hit three home runs and topped Richmond, 10-7, on Friday before falling to William & Mary on Saturday, 4-1.
 
In the win over the Spiders, freshman outfielder Jordan Smith hit his first career home run, graduate student third baseman Cooper Mrowka hit his first home run in a Mason uniform, and graduate student pitcher Jonathan Kaiser went 1.2 innings to earn his first save with the Patriots.
 
Freshman outfielder Thomas Trinca is batting .583 (7-for-12) with a double and three runs scored.  Outfielder Scott Morgan is hitting .333 (5-for-15) with three doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.  Outfielder Cam Reckling has a .313 average (5-for-16) with a home run, double and four runs scored.
 
Last season, George Mason was scheduled to play UMBC on April 29, 2020 and host La Salle for a three-game series at Spuhler Field, May 1-3, 2020, but those games were cancelled due to Covid-19.
 
The last time Mason faced UMBC, the Retrievers picked up a 9-3 win on March 20, 2019 at Alumni Field in Baltimore, Md.  The Patriots last met the Explorers in the 2018 season.  Mason swept a three-game series from La Salle (5-3, 9-2, 15-4) March 17-19, 2018 at Spuhler Field.
 
The Atlantic 10 has been split into two divisions for the 2021 season. 
 
Davidson, Dayton, George Mason, George Washington, Richmond, Saint Louis and VCU make up the South Division.  The North Division consists of Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure.    
 
Teams will play 24 games against their own division and games played against teams from the other division will not count in conference records.
 
The Patriots are set to play four games against La Salle this season, with two on the road (March 13) and two at Spuhler Field (March 20).
 
SCOUTING UMBC
 
UMBC has an overall record of 3-0 to start the 2021 season after a three-game sweep over Delaware State last weekend at Alumni Field in Baltimore, Md.
 
The Retrievers won the first game of the series, 20-8, on Saturday, March 6.  UMBC then swept a doubleheader, 18-2 and 14-6, on Sunday, March 7.
 
UMBC scored 52 runs on 40 hits, including five home runs, two triples and 11 doubles against the Hornets over three games.  The Retrievers also stole 14 bases in the series.
 
The Retrievers added 15 newcomers, with six freshmen and nine transfers joining the team for the 2021 season.   
 
Junior outfielder Ian Diaz is batting .667 (4-for-6) with a home run, triple, double, three RBI and five runs scored.  Senior infielder Christian Torres is hitting .556 (5-for-9) with a home run, seven RBI, two stolen bases and six runs scored.  Junior infielder Matt Clarke has a .500 average (2-for-4) with a home run, five RBI and two runs scored.
 
In three games, five different players have hit a home run, 18 different players have driven in at least one run and 19 different players have scored at least one run for the Retrievers.
 
On the mound, junior Owen Hamilton (1-0, 3.60) allowed two runs on four hits over five innings to win the season opener.  Junior Reid Celata (1-0, 0.00) tossed six scoreless innings and struck out five in the second game.  Senior Joe Nestel (1-0, 0.00) allowed just one hit and struck out five in 5.0 innings in the series finale.
 
Torres was named America East Player of the Week, while Nestel was selected America East Pitcher of the Week.
 
SCOUTING LA SALLE
 
La Salle has an overall record of 4-5, including a mark of 2-3 at home and 2-2 on the road.
 
After their season-opening series against Seton Hall was cancelled, the Explorers began the 2021 campaign with a four-game set against Hofstra at DeVincent Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
La Salle dropped both games of a doubleheader to Hofstra, 7-0 and 4-2, on Friday, Feb. 26.  The two teams then split a doubleheader on Saturday, March 1.  The Explorers took game one, 6-5, while the Pride win the nightcap, 14-5.
 
The Explores topped Delaware State, 10-6, at home on March 2 in a midweek game.  La Salle then swept a doubleheader at Bucknell, 7-0 and 5-4, on March 6 in Lewisburg, Pa. before dropping both games of a doubleheader at Delaware, 7-4 and 14-4, on March 7 in Newark, Del.
 
Freshman infielder Will Binder is batting .300 (9-for-30) with two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored, while junior catcher Tatem Levins is hitting .242 (8-for-33) with three doubles, eight RBI and six runs scored.
 
On the mound, senior lefthander Colin Scanlon (1-1, 1.54) has started two games.  He tossed a one-hitter and struck out six in a 7-0 win over Bucknell on March 6 at Depew Field in Lewisburg, Pa.
 
Freshman Nick Hammer (1-0, 7.71) has appeared in two games with one start, while freshman Frank Elissalt (0-0, 4.91) and sophomore Gabe Rappa (0-1, 5.68) have each started two games for the Explorers. 
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Friday
Mason: RHP Jarod Lyons (1-1, 5.79)    
UMBC: TBD  
Saturday
Game 1
Mason: RHP Ryan Stoudemire (0-2, 3.52)
La Salle: LHP Colin Scanlon (1-1, 1.54)
Game 2
Mason: RHP Kieran Versaw-Barnes (0-0, 2.08)
La Salle: RHP Frank Elissalt (0-0, 4.91)
Sunday
Mason: TBD    
UMBC: TBD   
 
 
STRIKE ZONE
 
The Patriots and Retrievers met for the first time in 1972.  Mason won the first 12 meetings against UMBC from 1972 through 1976, outscoring the Retrievers by a combined 74-20.
 
The Patriots have won 12 of the last 17 games in the all-time series since the 2001, but UMBC has won four of the last five meetings since the 2013 season.
 
UMBC has won three straight games against Mason in the all-time series only twice (1994-1995/2013-2017).