BASEBALL at Saint Joseph's
WHEN: Friday, April 8 (3 p.m.) | Saturday, April 9 (2 p.m.) | Sunday, April 10 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Smithson Field | Philadelphia, Pa.
RECORDS: George Mason (9-18, 1-2 A-10); Saint Joseph's (14-12, 1-2 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Saint Joseph's leads, 10-6.
LAST MEETING: Saint Joseph's defeated the Patriots, 14-3, on March 24, 2019 at Smithson Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
WATCH: ESPN+
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team plays its first Atlantic 10 road series of the season, facing Saint Joseph's for three games beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Smithson Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Last time out, the Patriots (9-18, 1-2 A-10) fell on the road to Maryland, 8-5, on Tuesday at Bob Smith Stadium in College Park, Md.
 
Mason freshman starter Chad Gartland tossed two scoreless innings, freshman shortstop Carsen Pracht hit his second home run in two games, and junior second baseman Brett Stallings drove in a pair of runs in the game.
 
The Patriots have hit at least one home run in three straight games, and four of the last six contests.

The Patriots are 5-9 at home, 3-9 on the road and 1-0 in games played at a neutral site this season.
 
In the last meeting between Mason and Saint Joseph's, the Hawks defeated the Patriots, 14-3 on March 24, 2019 at Smithson Field.  Saint Joseph's won all three games in the series.
 
The Patriots and Hawks have played five, three-game series since Mason joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2014.  The Patriots are 6-10 all-time against the Hawks and 1-5 in games played in Philadelphia. 
 
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 club in stolen bases (14) and attempts (15), is tied for second in hits (23), and is tied for third in runs scored (14).  Trimble has at least one hit in 10 of his last 12 games played.    
 
Freshman INF/OF Brett Ahalt is batting .346 (18-for-52) with two doubles, one home run, nine RBI and eight runs scored in 18 games played with 16 starts.  
 
Sophomore center fielder Jordan Smith has a .328 average (19-for-58) with three doubles, eight RBI and seven runs scored in 15 starts.  He has at least one hit in five straight and seven of his last eight game played.
 
Stallings is batting .323 (31-for-96) with five doubles, 23 RBI and 14 runs scored in 27 starts on the right side of the infield.  He leads the club in hits (31) and RBI (23), is tied for third in runs scored (14) and fourth in stolen bases (8).  Stallings has a 10-game hitting streak with 13 RBI those 10 games.
 
Freshman catcher Connor Dykstra is hitting .267 (20-for-75) with five doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI and 18 runs scored in 26 games played with 25 starts.  He leads the team in home runs (4), runs scored (18) and hit by pitch (12), and he is tied for third on the club in RBI (14).
 
The Patriots have a team batting average of .261 through 27 games.
 
On the mound, senior Jared Lyons (3-3, 4.63) leads the club in innings pitched (44.2) and strikeouts (41) in seven starts.  Graduate student Danny Hosley (3-2, 2.87) is second on the club in strikeouts (37) and is second in innings pitched (31.1) in six appearances with four starts.  Sophomore Ryan Peterson (1-0, 6.04) is third on the club in innings pitched (25.1) in seven appearances with four starts.
 
Senior Matthew Henson (1-1, 6.50) leads the team in appearances (15), while classmate Mason Posey (0-2, 7.65) is second in appearances (10) with three 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 SAINT JOSEPH'S
 
Saint Joseph's has an overall record of 14-12 on the season, including a mark of 2-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.  The Hawks are 6-5 at home and 8-7 on the road this season.
 
The Hawks won 10 of their first 14 games of the season, but have dropped eight of their last 12 contests.
 
Last time out, Saint Joseph's dropped two-of-three to Massachusetts in the first conference series of the season last weekend in Amherst, Mass.  The Minutemen took the first two games, 23-7 and 13-12, and the Hawks won the finale, 16-13.
 
The Hawks have won two-of three in both of their home series this season.  Saint Joseph's won a pair of games against Quinnipiac Feb. 18-20, taking the first two games, 13-3 and 15-8, before falling 18-8 in the last game of the series.
 
Saint Joseph's also claimed two games in its home series against Fairfield March 4-6.  The Hawks dropped the first game, 7-2, before earning back-to-back wins, 7-6 and 11-4.
 
Sophomore outfielder Brett Callahan is batting .404 (38-for-94) with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 17 RBI and 33 runs scored in 23 starts. 

Graduate student outfielder Brendan Hueth is hitting .393 (42-for-107) with 14 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 32 RBI and 21 runs scored in 25 starts.
 
Senior catcher Andrew Cossetti has a .363 average (37-for-102) with nine doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 35 runs scored in 26 starts.
 
The Hawks have a team batting average of .316 through 26 games.
 
On the mound, freshman Matt McShane (3-0, 1.33) is second on the team in appearances (10) and wins (3).  Graduate student Ian McCole (0-3, 5.40) leads the team in innings pitched (36.2) in seven starts. 
 
Senior Luke Smith (4-1, 6.69) is tied for first of the team in wins (4) and is second on the club in both innings pitched (36.1) and strikeouts (29).  Senior Mike Falco (4-2, 5.00) leads the team in strikeouts (30) and is tied for first in wins (4) in seven appearances with four starts.
 
The Hawks have a team ERA of 7.29 through 26 games.

STRIKE ZONE
 
Mason defeated Saint Joseph's, 5-4, in the second round of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship on May 22, 2014 in St. Louis, Mo.
 
The Patriots trailed three times in the game before taking a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.  John Williams threw seven innings and earned his fifth win of the season, while reliever Taylor Hunt picked up the save.

The Patriots went on to defeat VCU twice, 3-0 in the semifinals and 3-2 in the title game, to capture the A-10 Championship in their inaugural season in the conference.