BASEBALL vs. Saint Peter's
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 (11 a.m./2:30 p.m.) and Sunday, March 12 (12 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (4-8); Saint Peter's (0-11)
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting between the two schools
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hosts Saint Peter's for a three-game series beginning with a Saturday doubleheader at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.

The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 11 a.m.  The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday with the first pitch slated for noon.

Mason and Saint Peter's are meeting for the first time.

Last time out, the Patriots fell to Georgetown, 18-13, on Tuesday.  The teams combined for 31 runs and 33 hits.

Freshman outfielder James Quinn-Irons leads the Patriots with a .400 average (16-for-40) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and 11 runs scored in 11 starts.  He is second on the team lead in hits (16) and paces the club in homers (2), doubles (3) and runs scored (11).

Senior infielder South Trimble is hitting .347 (17-for-49) in 12 starts.  He leads the team in hits (17) and stolen bases (7) and tied for second in runs scored (9).

Senior second baseman Brett Stallings is batting .333 (15-for-45) in 12 starts.  He leads the team in RBI (12) and is tied for second in runs scored (9).

On the mound, graduate student Ben Shields (2-0, 1.13) has started three games and leads the club in innings pitched (16.0) and strikeouts (23).   Senior Ryan Peterson (1-0, 4.97) has started three games and is third on the staff in innings pitched (12.2).  Sophomore Chad Gartland (1-0, 2.57) is second on the club in innings pitched (14.0) and strikeouts (11) in three appearances with two starts.

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 began 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 wrapped up the road stretch against William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. (Feb. 28) with the Tribe scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 victory.

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 began the homestand against Niagara with a four-game series (March 4-5).  The Patriots won both games of their Saturday doubleheader, 15-2 and 6-3.  The Purple Eagles won both games of the Sunday doubleheader, 8-4 and 7-2.
Mason fell to Georgetown, 18-13, in a lone 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 SAINT PETER'S
 
Saint Peter's has a record of 0-11 this season.  The Peacocks are 0-10 on the road and 0-1 in their lone game at a neutral site.

Junior outfielder Nick Markantonatos has a .323 average (10-for-31) with two home runs, one triple, 11 RBI and five runs scored in 10 games with nine starts. 

Junior first baseman Sam Haney is hitting .286 (10-for-35) with two home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored in 11 starts. 

Junior outfielder Tyler DeClusin is batting .286 (8-for-28) with three RBI and eight runs scored in nine games with eight starts.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Saturday (Game 1)
Mason: LHP Ben Shields (2-0, 1.13)
Saint Peter's: RHP Zach Frasher (0-3, 9.19)

Saturday (Game 2)
Mason: RHP Chad Gartland (1-0, 2.57)
Saint Peter's: RHP Kyle Mahady (0-2, 12.00)

Sunday
Mason: TBD
Saint Peter's: LHP Christian Coombes (0-3, 14.73)