BASEBALL at The Citadel
WHEN: Friday, March 25 (6 p.m.) |Saturday, March 26 (2 p.m.) | Sunday, March 27 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Joseph P. Riley Park | Charleston, S.C.
RECORDS: George Mason (7-12, 0-0 A-10); The Citadel (14-6, 0-0 SoCON)
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Citadel leads, 3-0.
LAST MEETING: The Citadel defeated the Patriots, 3-0, on Feb. 16, 2018 at Joseph P. Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team is on the road for a weekend series against The Citadel beginning Friday, March 25 at Joseph P. Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.
 
Last time out, the Patriots (7-12) fell to William & Mary, 9-5, on Sunday at Spuhler Field.  Graduate student left fielder Kamron Smith went 2-for-4 with two RBI and hit his first home run in a Mason uniform, while sophomore center fielder Jordan Smith and junior second baseman Brett Stallings each finished 1-for-4 and drove in a run.
 
The Patriots are 4-6 at home, 2-6 on the road and 1-0 in games played at a neutral site this season.
 
In the last meeting between Mason and The Citadel, the Bulldogs scored three runs in the eighth inning to post a 3-0 victory in the season opener on Feb. 16, 2018 at the Charleston Crab House Challenge at Riley Park.
 
Mason starter Zach Mort retired the first 12 batters he faced in the game.  He finished the contest with four strikeouts, and allowed just two singles in seven innings of work before turning the game over to the bullpen.
 
Daniel Brooks and Scott Morgan made their NCAA debuts.  Morgan entered the game as a pinch hitter and Brooks took over at second base in the seventh inning.
 
This weekend marks the first three-game series that Mason and The Citadel have ever played against each other, with the Patriots looking for their first win in the all-time series.
 
The Patriots and Bulldogs met twice in five years, with The Citadel earning a 9-1 win on Feb. 15, 2013.
 
Before the meeting in 2013, Mason and The Citadel played for the first time 24 years prior, with the Bulldogs edging the Patriots, 9-8, on March 13, 1989 in Charleston, S.C.
 
Freshman INF/OF Brett Ahalt is batting .360 (18-for-50) with two doubles, one home run, nine RBI and six runs scored in 16 games played.  He is third on the team in hits (17) and fifth in RBI (9).
 
Junior INF/OF South Trimble has a .354 average (23-for-65) with three doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored in 17 starts.  He leads the team in hits (23) and stolen bases (14), and is second on the club in runs scored (14).
 
Junior second baseman Brett Stallings is batting .318 (21-for-66) with two doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored in 19 starts on the right side of the infield.  He is second on the club in hits (21), tied for first in RBI (12), and third in runs scored (12) and stolen bases (8).
 
Freshman catcher Connor Dykstra is hitting .261 (12-for-46) with three doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored in 18 games played with 17 starts.  He leads the team in runs scored (15) and hit by pitch (10), and is tied for first on the club in RBI (12).
 
The Patriots have a team batting average of .258 through 19 games.
 
On the mound, senior Jared Lyons (2-2, 4.59) leads the club in innings pitched (33.1) and is second in strikeouts (30) in five starts.  Graduate student Danny Hosley (2-2, 3.42) leads the club in strikeouts (33) and is second in innings pitched (26.1) in five appearances with four starts.  Sophomore Ryan Peterson (1-0, 4.12) is third on the club in innings pitched (19.2) in five appearances with three starts.
 
Senior Matthew Henson (1-1, 4.20) leads the team in appearances (11), while classmate Mason Posey (0-1, 7.27) is second in appearances (8) with two starts.  Posey leads the team in saves (3).    
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
 
Mason has 10 returners and 25 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Bill Brown, who enters his 41st year as the head coach of the Patriots.
 
The Mason senior class includes pitchers Matthew Henson, Jared Lyons, Hugh O'Hara and Mason Posey, along with infielders Daniel Brooks and Scott Morgan.
 
The junior class includes outfielder Craig Miles, Jr., infielder Brett Stallings, and infielder/outfielder South Trimble.  Sophomore outfielder Jordan Smith returns for his second season with the Green and Gold.
 
The Patriots added 25 new players, with 18 freshman, three sophomores and four graduate students.
 
Rookie pitchers joining the Patriots are Jackson Baird (RHP), Diego Barrett (RHP), Dylan Crowley (LHP), Konner Eaton (LHP), Chad Gartland, (RHP), Jalen Grant (LHP), Danny Hosley (INF/RHP), Thomas Little (LHP), Christian Mracna (RHP), Andrew Schaeb (LHP), Ben Shields (LHP) and Britt Yount (RHP).
 
New position players include Brett Ahalt (INF/OF), Tyler Cotten (C/INF), Connor Dykstra (C), Yogie Hartigan (OF), Alex Knapp (UTL), Carsen Pracht (INF) and Logan Scully (C).
 
The Patriots bring on sophomores Christian Mracna (RHP), Ryan Peterson (LHP), and Stephen Restuccio (RHP).
 
The Patriots also added four graduate student transfers, Danny Hosley (INF/RHP), Chris Ruckdeschel (RHP), Ben Shields (LHP) and Kamron Smith (OF/INF).
 
Mason is scheduled to play 56 games, including 24 against Atlantic 10 Conference rivals, and four opponents that made a NCAA Regional appearance last season.
 
The Patriots played seven games on the road in February, and will play 18 games in March, 19 games in April and 12 contests in May.
 
Mason went 10-13 at home in 2021, including a mark of 7-9 against A-10 opponents.
 
The Patriots play 11 of their first 13 games in March at Spuhler Field.
   
The Patriots are scheduled to play 11 games at home and seven on the road in April.  In the final month of the regular season, Mason will play eight of 12 games on the road in May.
  
The Patriots will play four home-and-home series during the 2022 season, taking on James Madison, Longwood, Maryland and William & Mary for single games at home and on the road.
 
Mason plays eight league series, four at home and four on the road.
 
Home series against A-10 foes include three-game weekend sets against VCU (April 1-3), Saint Louis (April 15-17), Fordham (April 22-24) and George Washington (May 13-15).
 
The Patriots will visit Saint Joseph's (April 8-10), Massachusetts (April 29-May 1), Richmond (May 6-8) and Davidson (May 19-21).
 
SCOUTING THE CITADEL
 
The Citadel has an overall record of 14-6 on the season, including a mark of 12-6 at home and 1-0 on the road.
 
The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games.  Last time out, The Citadel edged South Carolina, 4-3, on Tuesday at Riley Park.
 
The Citadel swept three games from Fairleigh Dickenson (Feb. 18-20), 8-1, 11-7, and 11-6, to begin the season.  The Bulldogs took two-of-three from Villanova (Feb. 25-27), with an 8-7 win in game one and a 13-10 victory in the rubber game of the series.
 
The Bulldogs also won two-of-three against Sienna (Mar. 12-13).  After dropping the first game, 9-1, The Citadel responded to win the last two games, 15-10 and 13-7.
 
The Citadel also swept three games from Saint Peter's (Mar. 18-20) by final scores of 4-0, 7-3 and 18-3.
 
Junior catcher Travis Lott is batting .328 (19-for-58) with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored in 18 starts behind the plate.
 
Senior outfielder Cole Simpson is hitting .320 (24-for-75) with four doubles, two home runs, 25 RBI and 19 runs scored in 19 starts.
 
Graduate student outfielder Ryan McCarthy has a .328 average (22-for-67) with three doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 RBI and 24 runs scored.
 
The Bulldogs have a team batting average of .277 through 20 games.
 
On the mound, sophomore Ben Hutchins (4-0, 3.14) leads the team in wins (4) and innings pitched (28.2), and is tied for third in strikeouts (23) in five starts. 
 
Graduate student Devin Beckley (3-1, 1.71) is second on the club in innings pitched (26.1) and strikeouts (8) in six appearances with three starts.  Senior Cameron Reeves (2-1, 3.96) leads the team in strikeouts (30) and is third in innings pitched (25.0) in four starts. 
 
The Citadel has a team ERA of 5.21 through 19 games.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday
Mason: RHP Jared Lyons (2-2, 4.59) 
The Citadel: RHP Cameron Reeves (2-1, 3.96)
Saturday
Mason: LHP Ben Shields (0-0, 0.00)
The Citadel: LHP Fisher Paulsen (2-1, 4.91)  
Sunday
Mason: LHP Ryan Peterson (1-0, 4.12)
The Citadel: RHP Ben Hutchins (4-0, 3.14)

STRIKE ZONE

Mason is 0-3 all-time against The Citadel, with all three games played at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.

Two of the previous three meetings have been the first game of the season for both clubs.

The Bulldogs defeated the Patriots, 9-1, in the first game of The Citadel Memorial Challenge on Feb. 15, 2013, and posted a 3-0 victory in the first game of the Charleston Crab House Challenge on Feb. 16, 2018.