BASEBALL vs. VCU
WHEN: Friday, April 1 (3 p.m.) |Saturday, April 2 (2 p.m.) | Sunday, April 3 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (8-14, 0-0 A-10); VCU (12-10, 0-0 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: VCU leads, 60-50.
LAST MEETING: VCU defeated the Patriots, 11-2, on May 2, 2021 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team opens Atlantic 10 Conference play, hosting VCU for a three-game series beginning Friday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.
 
Last time out, the Patriots (8-15) fell to Maryland, 3-1, on Wednesday at Spuhler Field.  Freshman starter Britt Yount allowed just one run in three innings, while sophomore Christian Mracna tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in his longest outing of the season.
 
Sophomore center fielder Jordan Smith had two hits and now has at least one hit in seven of his last 11 games.  Junior second baseman Brett Stallings drove in the lone run for the Patriots for his team-leading 19th RBI.  He has at least one RBI in each of his last four games.
 
The Patriots are 4-7 at home, 3-8 on the road and 1-0 in games played at a neutral site this season.
 
Mason and VCU played a four-game series last season, with the Rams sweeping four games from the Patriots April 30 – May 2 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va. 
 
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 tied for fourth on the team in hits (17) and sixth 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 stolen bases (14), and is second on the club in hits (23) and runs scored (14).
 
Junior second baseman Brett Stallings is batting .333 (27-for-81) with five doubles, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored in 23 starts on the right side of the infield.  He leads the club in hits (27) and RBI (19), and is third in runs scored (13) and stolen bases (8).
 
Freshman catcher Connor Dykstra is hitting .274 (17-for-62) with five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and 18 runs scored in 22 games played with 21 starts.  He leads the team in home runs (4), runs scored (18) and hit by pitch (12), and he is fourth on the club in RBI (11).
 
The Patriots have a team batting average of .260 through 23 games.
 
On the mound, senior Jared Lyons (2-3, 4.31) leads the club in innings pitched (39.2) and is second in strikeouts (34) in six starts.  Graduate student Danny Hosley (3-2, 2.87) leads the club in strikeouts (37) and is second in innings pitched (31.1) in six appearances with four starts.  Sophomore Ryan Peterson (1-0, 4.70) is third on the club in innings pitched (23.0) in six appearances with four starts.
 
Senior Matthew Henson (1-1, 4.86) leads the team in appearances (14), while classmate Mason Posey (0-1, 7.00) is second in appearances (9) 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, played 18 games in March, will play 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 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 VCU
 
VCU has an overall record of 13-10 on the season, including a mark of 9-3 at home, 3-6 on the road, and 1-1 in games played at a neutral site.
 
The Rams dropped eight of their first 11 games of the season, then won all eight games on an eight-game homestand, and have won 10 of their last 12 games overall.
 
During the eight-game winning streak at The Diamond, VCU defeated North Carolina A&T, 9-6 (Mar. 11), swept a doubleheader from Monmouth, 3-2 and 3-0 (Mar. 13), downed Liberty, 2-1 (Mar. 15), swept three games from Quinnipiac, 8-2, 14-4 and 17-6 (Mar. 18-20) and edged Longwood, 6-5 (Mar. 22).
 
The Rams traveled to Greenville, N.C. last weekend for a three-game set against East Carolina.  After dropping the first two games, 8-2 and 7-5 (Mar. 25-26), the Rams salvaged a game with a 5-2 win in the series finale.
 
Last time out, the Rams doubled William & Mary, 4-2, on Tuesday in Williamsburg, Va.
 
Junior outfielder Logan Amiss is batting .322 (28-for-87) with 11 doubles, one home run, 12 RBI and 17 runs scored in 23 starts.  He leads the team in hits (28) and doubles (11), and is tied for second in runs scored (17).
 
Sophomore infielder Tyler Locklear has a .321 average (27-for-84) with 10 doubles, eight home runs, 24 RBI and 24 runs scored in 23 starts.  He leads the team in home runs (8), RBI (24) and runs scored (24).

William & Mary has a team batting average of .231 through 23 games.
 
On the mound, sophomore Tyler Davis (1-2, 3.29) leads the team in strikeouts (28) and is tied for first on the club in innings pitched (27.1) in eight appearances with six starts.  Sophomore Campbell Ellis (1-3, 4.28) leads the team in starts (9), is second in strikeouts (25) and shares the lead in innings pitched (27.1).
 
Edwin Serrano (1-1, 3.12) leads the club in saves (3) and is tied for second on the team in appearances (8).
 
The Rams have a team ERA of 3.97 through 23 games.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday
Mason: RHP Jared Lyons (2-3, 4.31)
VCU: LHP Campbell Ellis (1-3, 4.28)
Saturday
Mason: LHP Ben Shields (0-1, 5.14)
VCU: LHP Tyler Davis (1-2, 3.29)  
Sunday
Mason: LHP Ryan Peterson (1-0, 4.70)
VCU: RHP Mason Delane (0-1, 5.66)

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.

Mason has faced VCU 110 times in the all-time series, the second-most games that the Patriots have played against an opponent. 

Among the Patriots most common opponents, Mason has faced James Madison 121 times, followed by VCU (110), William & Mary (104), Richmond (103), UNC-Wilmington (100), Towson (94) and Old Dominion (93).