BASEBALL at William & Mary
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 28 (3 p.m.)
WHERE: Plumeri Park | Williamsburg, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (2-4); William & Mary (5-3)
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 63-41
LAST MEETING: William & Mary swept three games from the Patriots March 18-20, 2022.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team travels to face William & Mary on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Va.
Last time out, the Patriots rallied to tie the game but fell to Canisius, 6-4, on Sunday at the Swig and Swine College Classic in Charleston, S.C.
After allowing four runs on four hits in the first inning, Mason senior starter
Ryan Peterson retired 14 straight batters from the first through the fifth inning before handing the game to the bullpen.
Junior designated hitter
Mark Trotta went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs, junior center fielder
Jordan Smith was 2-for-5 with a run scored and senior first baseman
South Trimble finished 1-for-3 with a walk, hit by pitch and scored a run.
Freshman outfielder
James Quinn-Irons has a .391 average (9-for-23) with two home runs, four RBI and seven runs scored in six starts. Trimble is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with one double and four runs scored in six starts. He leads the club in stolen bases (5) and attempts (6).
Smith is batting .346 (9-for-26) with one home run, one double, three RBI and five runs scored in six starts. Trotta has a .286 batting average (6-for-21) with four RBI and one run scored in six starts.
The Patriots have a team batting average of .230 through six games.
On the mound, graduate student
Ben Shields (1-0, 1.64) and Peterson (1-0, 5.40) have each started two games. Shields leads the club in ERA (1.64) and strikeouts (16). Sophomore
Chad Gartland (0-0, 2.25) is second on the team in ERA.
Mason has a team ERA of 4.35 through six games.
The Patriots and Tribe played three games last season. William & Mary won the first meeting, 9-3, on March 18, 2022 at Plumeri Park. The next two games were played at Spuhler Field March 19-20, with William & Mary recording a 2-1 victory in 11 innings in the middle game and a 9-5 win in the finale.
George Mason has an all-time record of 63-41 against William & Mary. The 63 victories are the most against any opponent in program history.
The Patriots have 53 wins against James Madison, 50 victories against VCU, 49 against Towson and 44 against UNC Wilmington.
Among the Patriots most common opponents, Mason has faced James Madison 123 times, followed by VCU (113), Richmond (108), William & Mary (104), UNC-Wilmington (100), Towson (95) and Old Dominion. (90).
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
Mason has 16 returners and added 23 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under
Shawn Camp, who enters his first year as the head coach of the Patriots, won his first game as a head coach on Feb. 17 with an 8-2 victory at Florida International.
Returning for the Patriots are graduate student pitchers
Hugh O'Hara,
Mason Posey and
Ben Shields. The Mason senior class includes outfielder
Craig Miles, Jr., pitcher
Ryan Peterson, infielder
Brett Stallings and infielder/outfielder
South Trimble.
The junior class includes pitcher
Christian Mracna and outfielder
Jordan Smith. Sophomores returning for their second year with the Green and Gold are pitchers
Jalen Grant,
Chad Gartland and
Britt Yount, catcher
Connor Dykstra, infielder
Carsen Pracht and outfielder
Alex Knapp. Redshirt freshman pitcher Konner Earton also enters his second year.
The Patriots added 23 new players, with 18 freshman, three sophomores and four graduate students entering their first year at George Mason.
Rookie pitchers joining the Patriots are
Ryan Edmonds (RHP),
Chris Fidanza (RHP),
Tyler Herkey (LHP),
Connor Knox (RHP),
Logan Rumberg (RHP),
Michael Salina (RHP),
Kyle Smith (RHP) and
Owen Stewart (RHP).
New position players include freshmen
Evan Blanchard (INF),
A.J. Martin (INF),
Brady Powell (INF),
Bennett Shealor (C) and
James Quinn-Irons (OF).
The Patriots brought on a total of nine transfers. Juniors
Nick Martins (RHP),
Kyle Menaker (RHP)
Mark Trotta (INF) and
Derek Wood (OF), along with sophomores
Brandon Parks (OF),
Dylan Winebrenner (C) and
Reece Woody (OF).
The Patriots also added three graduate student transfers,
Ryan Archibald (INF),
Robbie Dudzinski (RHP) and
Nolan Lamere (RHP).
GEORGE MASON 2023 SCHEDULE
The Patriots are scheduled to play a 56-game slate that includes 24 contests against Atlantic 10 Conference rivals, 28 games at Spuhler Field and matchups against two opponents that made a NCAA Regional appearance last season.
The Patriots begin the season with eight straight games on the road from Feb. 17 through Feb. 28.
George Mason played its first series of the 2023 campaign with three games against Florida International University in Miami, Fla. (Feb. 17-19). The Patriots won the first game, 8-2 and the series finale, 5-2, while the Panthers claimed the middle game of the series, 3-2.
Mason fell to James Madison, 10-2, in Harrisonburg, Va. (Feb. 21). At the Swig and Swine College Classic in Charleston, S.C. (Feb. 24-26) the Patriots lost to Rutgers, 5-4 in 10 innings and fell to Canisius, 6-4.
The Patriots wrap up the road stretch against William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. (Feb. 28).
The eight road games to start the season are the most since the Patriots played the first eight away from home in 2017.
In March, Mason is scheduled to play 14 games at home and 13 games on the road. To begin the month, the Patriots will play a season-high 14 straight games at Spuhler Field, with three weekend series and three midweek contests.
Mason starts the homestand against Niagara with a four-game series (March 3-5) and then welcomes Georgetown for a midweek game (March 7).
The Patriots will take on St. Peter's in a four-game weekend series (March 10-12) and then host Maine in a midweek matinee (March 14).
Mason hosts Cornell at Spuhler Field for three games (March 17-19) and William & Mary for a single game (March 22) before the Patriots head back on the road.
The Patriots went 13-12 at home in 2022, including a mark of 8-4 against A-10 opponents.
Mason is scheduled to play a season-high nine straight games on the road from March 24 through April 5.
The Patriots begin the stretch when they travel to take on East Carolina in a three-game series in Greenville, N.C. (March 24-26).
After a midweek game against Longwood in Farmville, Va. (March 29), the Patriots play their first league series of the season against Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. (March 31-April 2).
Mason plays its only set of back-to-back midweek games during the season against Georgetown in Washington, D.C. (April 4) and Towson in Towson, Md. (April 5).
The Patriots are scheduled to play 11 games at home and seven on the road in April.
The Patriots play 11 of 14 games at Spuhler Field beginning with a three-game league series against Dayton (April 7-9) and a Tuesday meeting with Longwood (April 11).
Mason is on the road for a weekend series when they travel down I-95 to face VCU in Richmond, Va. (April 14-16). Last year, the Rams finished first in the Atlantic 10 during the regular season and won the 2022 A-10 Baseball Championship to earn a spot in the Chapel Hill, N.C. Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
The Patriots then return home for a seven-game homestand. Mason begins with a three-game series against A-10 foe St. Bonaventure (April 21-23), plays a non-conference midweek tilt against Mount St. Mary's (April 25) and then wraps up the month with a three-game conference set against Richmond (April 28-30).
The Patriots will play eight straight on the road to begin the month of May.
Mason travels to meet Navy in a midweek matchup (May 3), then heads north for three games against Fordham in Bronx, N.Y. (May 5-7). The Patriots collide with the George Washington Colonials in a three-game series in the Revolutionary Rivalry in Washington, D.C. (May 12-14) and end the stretch against Maryland-Eastern Shore in Princess Ann, Md. (May 16).
The Patriots conclude the regular season when they host Saint Joseph's at Spuhler Field (May 19-21).
The Patriots will play three home-and-home series during the 2023 season, taking on Georgetown, Longwood 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 Dayton (April 7-9), St. Bonaventure (April 21-23), Richmond (April 28-30) and Saint Joseph's (May 19-21).
The Patriots will visit Rhode Island (March 31-April 2), VCU (April 14-16), Fordham (May 5-7) and George Washington (May 12-14).
The 2023 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held May 23-27 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
William & Mary finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 26-23, including a mark of 14-10 against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponents. The Tribe went 15-7 at home and 11-14 on the road last season.
William and Mary fell to Northeastern, 3-2 and Elon, 6-3 in the CAA Tournament.
The Tribe are off to a 5-3 start this season and have won four of their five games at home. William & Mary swept three games from Marist this past weekend by final scores of 16-4, 10-1 and 33-5. The 33 runs scored on Sunday were the second-most in Tribe history.
The Tribe also notched a home win over Richmond, 8-2, on Feb. 21.
Senior infielder Ben Williamson has a .455 batting average (15-for-33) in eight starts. He leads the club in average (.455) and hits (15), is second in RBI (9) and third in runs scored (9).
Sophomore outfielder Lucas Carmichael is second on the team with a .450 batting average (9-for-20) in eight games with seven starts. He leads the club in doubles (4) and is second in runs scored (10).
Sophomore outfielder Nick Lottchea is batting .407 (11-for-27) in eight games with seven starts. He is third on the team in hits (11) and runs scored (9) and fourth in average (.407).
On the mound, sophomore Nate Knowles (1-0, 0.00) has made three starts. Senior Tom Mayer (1-0, 5.40) and graduate student Brian Craven (2-1, 5.63) have each started two games.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Mason: LHP
Konner Eaton
William & Mary: TBD
STRIKE ZONE
George Mason has an all-time record of 63-41 against William & Mary. The 63 victories are the most against any opponent in program history.
The Patriots have 53 wins against James Madison, 50 victories against VCU, 49 against Towson and 44 against UNC Wilmington.
Among the Patriots most common opponents, Mason has faced James Madison 123 times, followed by VCU (113), Richmond (108), William & Mary (104), UNC-Wilmington (100), Towson (95) and Old Dominion. (90).
