BASEBALL vs. Georgetown
WHEN: Tuesday, March 7 (2 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (4-7); Georgetown (6-5)
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 34-21
LAST MEETING: The Hoyas defeated the Patriots, 5-4, on March 16, 2022 at Spuhler Field.
LIVE STATS

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hosts Georgetown on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.

Last time out, the Patriots played their first home games of the season and split a four-game series against Niagara over the weekend.  Mason won both games of the Saturday doubleheader, 15-2 and 6-3.  The Purple Eagles took both games of the Sunday doubleheader, 8-4 and 7-2.

The Patriots faced Georgetown once last season with the Hoyas winning the matchup, 5-4, on March 16, 2022 at Spuhler Field.  The Hoyas built a 5-1 lead and held on for the victory.    

Chad Gartland got the start and allowed just one hit and fanned five in three innings of work.  The Patriots used eight pitchers in the game, including Britt Yount, Christian Mracna and Mason Posey.  Center fielder Jordan Smith and shortstop Carsen Pracht each finished with two hits and one RBI.

Georgetown has won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Patriots dating back to the 2016 season. 

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 tied for 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 .364 (16-for-44) in 11 starts.  He is tied for the team lead in hits (16) and tied for second in runs scored (7).  Senior second baseman Brett Stallings is batting .308 (12-for-39) in 11 starts.  He leads the team in RBI (10) and is tied for second in runs scored (7).

The Patriots have a team batting average of .251 through 11 games.

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.

Mason has a team ERA of 4.67 through 11 games.

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 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 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).he 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 GEORGETOWN
 
Georgetown finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 32-24, including a mark of 11-10 against Big East Conference opponents.  The Hoyas went 19-5 at home, 10-16 on the road and 3-3 at neutral sites.

The Hoyas are 6-5 through their first 11 games on the 2023 campaign.  Georgetown won six of its first seven games of the season including a pair of wins over Iona and Presbyterian College and an 11-0 victory at UNC Wilmington.

Since the fast start the Hoyas have dropped four straight games, falling to UNC Wilmington, Long Beach State, Indiana and No. 9 East Carolina.

Graduate student outfielder Ubaldo Lopez has a .314 average (11-for-35) in 11 starts and leads the team in doubles (3), RBI (11) and runs scored (9) in 11 starts.  Junior first baseman Christian Ficca is batting .282 (11-for-39) in 11 starts and is second on the club in doubles (2) and RBI (9).  Sophomore catcher/first baseman Owen Carapellotti is hitting .282 (11-for-39) in 11 starts.  He is second on the team in runs scored (8) and third in RBI (8).

Georgetown has a team batting average of .257 through 11 games.

On the mound, graduate student Cody Jensen (1-1, 7.84) and sophomore Andrew Williams (1-1, 3.60) have each started three games.  Graduate student Jordan Yoder (2-0, 3.38) leads the team in wins (2) and appearances (6).

The Hoyas have a team ERA of 5.53 through 11 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Mason: Tyler Herkey (0-1, 8.10)
Georgetown: TBD
  
STRIKE ZONE
 
Mason and Georgetown have met 55 times, with the Patriots holding a 34-21 lead in the all-time series.

The Hoyas have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Patriots dating back to the 2016 season. 

The two clubs will play for a second time this year on April 4 at Shirley Povich Field in Washington, D.C.