BASEBALL vs. Towson / at Mount St. Mary's
WHEN: Tuesday, May 3 (3 p.m.) | Wednesday, May 4 (3:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field (Fairfax, Va.) | E.T. Straw Family Stadium (Emmitsburg, Md.)
RECORDS: George Mason (16-26, 8-7 A-10); Towson (10-33, 1-14 CAA); Mount St. Mary's (11-27, 5-13 NEC)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Mason leads Towson, 49-44-1 | Mason leads Mount St. Mary's, 16-3
LAST MEETING: The Tigers defeated the Patriots, 6-5, on March 28, 2021 at Towson, Md. | The Patriots downed the Mountaineers, 14-13, on May 1, 2019 at Spuhler Field
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The Patriots are set to play their final two midweek, non-conference games of the season.
Mason hosts Towson on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field and then the Patriots travel to take on Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday with the first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m. in Emmitsburg, Md.
Last time out, the Patriots (16-26, 8-7 A-10) scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally past Massachusetts, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Earl Lorden Field in Amherst, Mass.
Graduate student
Danny Hosley went 3-for-4 with a RBI and scored a run. He also pitched two scoreless innings to pick up his second save of the season. Sophomore reliever
Christian Mracna tossed 2.2 hitless innings to earn his first win with the Patriots.
The Patriots took two-of-three from the Minutemen and have won each of their last three Atlantic 10 series. Mason has won two-of-three against Saint Louis, Fordham and UMass.
The Patriots are 9-12 at home, 6-14 on the road and 1-0 in games played at a neutral site this season.
In the last meeting between Mason and Towson, the Tigers took three-of-four games in the series March 26-28, 2021, with games one and four at Spuhler field and a doubleheader at Schuerholz Park for games two and three. Three of the four games in the series were decided by one run.
Mason has an all-time record of 49-44-1 against Towson. The Patriots have recorded 50 or more wins against three teams, William & Mary (63), James Madison (53) and VCU (51).
In the last meeting between Mason and Mount St. Mary's, the Patriots won a slugfest, 14-13, on May 1, 2019 at Spuhler Field. The two teams combined for 27 runs on 34 hits in the game.
Daniel Brooks went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Junior INF/OF
South Trimble is batting .372 (42-for-113) with six doubles, two triples, 15 RBI and 32 runs scored in 29 starts. Freshman outfielder
Brett Ahalt is batting .371 (43-for-116) with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 28 RBI and 26 runs scored in 33 games with 31 starts.
Sophomore center fielder
Jordan Smith is hitting .323 (31-for-96) with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 12 RBI and 17 runs scored in 24 games with 24 starts in the outfield. Junior infielder
Brett Stallings has a .307 average (51- for-166) with six doubles, one home run, 30 RBI and 28 runs scored in 42 starts.
The Patriots have hit 14 home runs over the last 18 games. Mason has scored the first run in nine of the last 12 games.
The Patriots have a team batting average of .279 through 42 games.
On the mound, senior
Jared Lyons (4-5, 6.39) leads the club in innings pitched (63.1) and strikeouts (53) in 14 appearances with 11 starts. Graduate student
Danny Hosley (3-3, 3.61) is second on the club in strikeouts (51), tied for second in saves (2) and is fourth in innings pitched (42.1) in 10 appearances with five starts. Sophomore
Ryan Peterson (2-1, 4.62) is second on the club in innings pitched (50.2) in 12 appearances with seven starts.
Freshman
Chad Gartland (1-1, 3.00) is third on the club in strikeouts (45) and innings pitched (45.0), and he is tied for second in saves (2) in 11 appearances with six starts. Senior
Matthew Henson (1-1, 7.56) leads the team in appearances (21) and is seventh in innings pitched (25.0), while classmate
Mason Posey (2-3, 7.26) is second in appearances (18) 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, 19 games in April and will wrap up the regular season with 12 contests in May. In the final month of the regular season, Mason will play eight of 12 games on the road.
Mason went 10-13 at home in 2021, including a mark of 7-9 against A-10 opponents.
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 TOWSON
Towson has an overall record of 10-33, including a mark of 1-14 against Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) opponents. The Tigers are 8-11 at home, 0-22 on the road and 2-0 in games played at a neutral site.
Last time out, Towson dropped three games on the road to last year's CAA champion, Northeastern in Boston, Mass. The Huskies won by final scores of 6-1, 6-2 and 16-4. The Tigers have lost 13 of their last 14 games overall.
Towson has a record of 2-3 this season against teams from the Atlantic 10. The Tigers defeated George Washington, 9-6, on April 5 and won the first game of a three-game set against UMass, 9-7, on March 25.
Senior infielder Jack McLaughlin is batting .333 (39-for-117) with five doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI and 19 runs scored in 37 games with 34 starts. Junior outfielder Elijah Dickerson is hitting .261 (40-for-153) with six doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 32 RBI and 21 runs scored in 41 starts.
Dickerson was selected CAA Player of the Week April 25 after batting .571 (8-for-14) in four home games.
The Tigers have a team batting average of .235 through 43 games.
On the mound, freshman Doug Marose (2-2, 7.16) is tied for the team lead in wins (2) and is fourth in innings pitched (32.2) in 14 appearances with two starts. Graduate student Jake Pecilunas (1-2, 2.55) leads the club in appearances (18) and ERA (2.55).
Towson has a team ERA of 7.76 through 43 games.
SCOUTING MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Mount St. Mary's has an overall record of 11-27, including a mark of 5-13 against Northeast Conference (NEC) opponents. The Mountaineers are 5-9 at home, 5-15 on the road and 1-3 in games played at a neutral site.
Last time out, Mount St. Mary's dropped three games to Bryant at Straw Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Md. The Bulldogs won by final scores of 9-1, 10-2 and 8-0.
Junior outfielder Tristan McAlister is batting .304 (42-for-138) with seven doubles, 23 RBI and 23 runs scored in 38 starts.
Senior catcher Thomas Bramley is hitting .292 (40-for-137) with two doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 28 RBI and 30 runs scored in 38 starts.
Sophomore utility player Tyler Long has a .290 average (38-for-131) with 10 doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI and 28 runs scored in 35 starts.
The Mountaineers have a team batting average of .251 through 38 games.
On the mound, senior Cooper Adams (3-5, 7.08) leads the team in wins (3) and innings pitched (48.1) and he is tied for first on the club in starts (8). Sophomore Max Moore (1-2, 6.23) leads the Mountaineers in appearances (17) and is fourth in innings pitched (26.0)
Mount St. Mary's has a team ERA of 7.83 through 38 games.
STRIKE ZONE
On March 7, 2018, the Patriots defeated the Tigers, 14-7, at Spuhler Field. With the win, Mason head coach
Bill Brown reached the milestone of 1,000 career victories.