BASEBALL vs. Longwood
WHEN: Tuesday, April 11 (3 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (16-16, 3-3 Atlantic 10); Longwood (13-22, 4-8 Big South)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Mason leads Longwood, 13-8
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Lancers, 13-6, on March 29 at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va.
LIVE STATS

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The Patriots conclude their four-game homestand against Longwood on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

Last time out, the Patriots dropped two-of-three games against Dayton this past weekend.  The Flyers won the first game, 7-6, and the finale, 6-5, while the Patriots took the middle game of the series, 11-0.

Sophomore starter Chad Gartland was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week after tossing his first collegiate complete game and shutout against Dayton.  He struck out eight and walked just one in Saturday's win.

Mason is facing Longwood for the second time this season.  The Patriots defeated the Lancers, 13-6, on March 29 at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va.

Senior third baseman South Trimble hit a grand slam and reached base three times, while junior center fielder Jordan Smith also homered and reached base four times.  Sophomore outfielder Reece Woody and freshman catcher Bennett Shealor each drove in a pair of runs in the game.

Senior Mason Posey tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win and every player in the starting lineup either drove in a run or scored a run for the Patriots.

In the all-time series, 10 of the 21 games between the Patriots and Lancers have been decided by a single run and 14 of the meetings have been decided by two runs or less.

Mason has won seven of the last nine meetings against Longwood since the 2014 season.  The two teams first met on April 4, 2006, with the Lancers edging the Patriots, 4-3, in Farmville, Va.

The Patriots rank third in Division I baseball in stolen bases with 102 in 32 games.  Only VMI (128) and Mississippi Valley (122) have more.  Senior infielder South Trimble is tied for 19th in the NCAA with 19 stolen bases. 

Mason is 14th nationally in hit by pitch (62 in 32 games) with sophomore catcher Connor Dykstra tied for third in the NCAA (18 times in 30 games).

Freshman outfielder James Quinn-Irons leads the Patriots with a .425 average (34-for-80) in 21 starts.  He also leads the club in hits (34), is tied for first in home runs (4), is third in runs scored (25) and is fifth in RBI (20).

Dykstra is batting .329 (28-for-89) with four home runs, 19 RBI and 22 runs scored in 30 starts.  He leads the team in hit by pitch (18), is tied for first in home runs (4) and is fourth in hits (28) and is sixth in RBI (19).

Trimble is hitting .308 (36-for-117) with one home run, 23 RBI and 33 runs scored in 32 starts.  He leads the team in runs scored (33), stolen bases (21) and walks (17), is tied for first in hits (36) and is third in doubles (6).

Smith has a .300 average (36-for-120) with four home runs, 23 RBI and 29 runs scored in 30 starts in center field.  He is tied for the team lead in hits (36), is second in runs scored (29) and RBI (23) and is third in stolen bases.

The Patriots have a team batting average of .272 through 32 games.

On the mound, graduate student Ben Shields (5-1, 3.71) leads the team in strikeouts (59) and is second in innings pitched (43.2) in eight starts.  Gartland (3-2, 2.19) is first on the team in innings pitched (49.1) and is second in strikeouts (45) in eight appearances with seven starts.

Eaton (1-1, 1.89) is third on the club in innings (19.0) and strikeouts (22). Junior Christian Mracna (1-0, 2.45) leads the team lead in appearances (13) and has notched three saves.

The Patriots have a team ERA of 4.77 through 32 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 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 swept their three-game series against St. Peter's.  Mason took both games of a doubleheader, 15-6 and 9-1 (March 11) and won the finale, 12-4 (March 12).

Mason then swept three games from Cornell.  The Patriots took both games of a doubleheader, 10-5 and 4-3 (March 18), and then won the final game, 15-4 (March 19) to extend their winning streak to seven games.  The Patriots dropped their midweek matchup against William & Mary, 16-10 (March 21).

The Patriots went 13-12 at home in 2022, including a mark of 8-4 against A-10 opponents.

Mason played a season-high nine straight games on the road from March 24 through April 5.

The Patriots were swept in a three-game series at No. 10 East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. (March 24-26).  The Pirates won by final scores of 11-3, 8-1 and 5-0.
 
Mason topped Longwood, 13-6, at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va. (March 29).  In the first a-10 series of the season, the Patriots took two-of-three from Rhode Island at Bill Beck Field in Kingston, R.I.  The Patriots won the first game of a doubleheader, 7-6, while the Rams won the nightcap, 8-4 (March 31).  Mason won the series finale, 5-0, on a combined one-hitter (April 2).

Mason downed Georgetown, 5-4, in Washington, D.C. (April 4) and fell to Towson, 10-8, in Towson, Md. (April 5).

The Patriots are scheduled to play 11 games at home and seven on the road in April.  The Patriots began 11 of 14 games at Spuhler Field with a three-game league series against Dayton (April 7-9).  The Flyers won the first game, 7-6 and the finale, 6-5 while the Patriots took the middle game, 11-0.

The Patriots host Longwood (April 11) for the second game of the season between the two teams.

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 LONGWOOD
 
Longwood has an overall record of 13-22 including 4-8 in Big South play.  The Lancers are 9-5 at home and 4-17 on the road.

Last time out, the Lancers were swept in a three-game series at USC-Upstate.  The Spartans won by final scores of 18-2, 2-0 and 5-4.

Junior infielder Eliot Dix have a .371 average (49-for-132) with four home runs, 22 RBI and 23 runs scored in 35 starts.  He leads the club in hits (49) and doubles (12) and is second in both RBI (22) and runs scored (23).

Junior outfielder James Nelson is batting .315 (29-for-92) with four home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored in 32 games with 24 starts.  He is fourth on the team in hits (29) and RBI (16).

Graduate student outfielder Luis DeLeon is hitting .295 (26-for-88) in 28 games with 24 starts.  He is fifth on the team in hits (26).

Longwood has a team batting average of .252 through 35 games.

On the mound, junior Logan Berrier (1-3, 3.92) leads the team in strikeouts (40) and is second in innings pitched (39.0) in eight starts.  Junior Andrew Potojecki (2-3, 4.50) leads the club in innings pitched (40.0) and is third in strikeouts (35).

Tuesday's probable starter, freshman Ethan Walker (1-0, 5.71) is tied for second on the team with 10 appearances.  He is scheduled to make his third start of the season.

The Lancers have a team ERA of 6.54 through 35 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Mason: RHP Nick Martins (1-1, 7.94)
Longwood: Ethan Walker (1-0, 5.71)

STRIKE ZONE

In the all-time series, 10 of the 21 games have been decided by a single run and 14 of the meetings have been decided by two runs or less.

Mason has won seven of the last nine meetings against Longwood, including a 13-6 victory in the first matchup this season on March 29 in Farmville, Va.

The teams first met on April 4, 2006, with the Lancers edging the Patriots, 4-3, in Farmville, Va.