GEORGE MASON (29-17, 14-6 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE) @ SAINT LOUIS (24-22, 15-4 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE)
WHEN: Sat.-Sun, April 29-30; Sat. @ 1 & 3:30 p.m. EDT & Sun. @ 1 p.m. EDT
WHERE: St. Louis, Mo. | Billiken Sports Center
WATCH: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
LIVESTATS: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
HISTORY: Saint Louis leads the all-time series 12-6; last meeting was May 7-8, 2022 (Mason swept Saint Louis 3-0).

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The George Mason softball team (29-17, 14-6 A-10) will travel to St. Louis for their last road trip of the season, as they will face the Billikens (24-22, 15-4 A-10) in a three-game weekend series at the Billiken Sports Center. This matchup will feature another top-of-the-table matchup between the #3 Patriots and the #2 Billikens.

In the Atlantic 10 Conference, Mason has the second-most conference wins with 14, which is now a school record. The previous record of 12 was set twice in 2017 & 2018. Saint Louis currently has the most conference wins with 15. 

Mason's 14-6 Atlantic 10 Conference record currently puts them in third place, just ahead of Loyola Chicago (20-21, 14-6). Saint Louis (24-22, 15-4) is in second place, while Dayton (32-14, 14-3) holds the top spot in the conference.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
In the Atlantic 10, the Patriots are first in the following:

• Fielding (.975), doubles (70) and triples (17).
• Individually, senior Haley Taormina (.348 / .421 / .610) leads the conference in doubles (17). She is also second in RBI (40), just three shy of sharing the lead with Abby Mallo of Saint Louis. Rookie Elyssa DeRosa (.347 / .472 / .592) is first in the triples category (7). Senior shortstop Rachel Warrens (.296 / .382 / .452) is leads the conference in stolen bases with 27, tied with Emma Schutter of Dayton.
• The Patriots are second in both pitching ERA (2.78) and third in batting average (.286).

NATIONAL LEADERS
Nationally, the Patriots as a team are ranked fourth in stolen bases per game (2.67). Individually, left fielder Elyssa DeRosa is third in the nation in triples (7) and is fourth in triples per game (0.18). Third baseman Haley Taormina, on the other hand, is second in the nation in doubles (17).

A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots faced off against the Flyers in a top-two A-10 showdown over the weekend at Dayton. Dayton took two of three against Mason, winning both of their games by just one run. Mason's one win, on the other hand, was a 13-5 rout that ended in five innings.

Catcher Nicole Bechtel (.364 / .451 / .570) won this week's Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award. Bechtel reached base on 11 of 12 appearances over the weekend and boasted a slash line of .857 / .917 / 1.857 that included two home runs and a bases-clearing double. The Harrisburg, Pa., native led the Patriots in average (.857), on-base percentage (.917), slugging percentage (1.857), hits (6) and RBI (8). She now leads the team in batting average (.364)

Jordan Anderson (.297 / .350 / .595) hit her first, second, and third home runs of the season over the weekend at Dayton. The Alliance, Ohio, native hit a home run in every game this weekend and is the first Patriot to do so in a weekend series this season. She finished the weekend going 4-for-9 (.444) with three runs, three home runs and four RBI.

In Saturday's second game of the doubleheader, starting pitcher Carly Cooper (5-4, 3.16 ERA, 1 SV) won her second consecutive start. The junior also pitched two solid innings in relief on Sunday's game to keep Mason in the game late.

The Patriots played one midweek game on Wednesday against Georgetown, where the Patriots walked-off the Hoyas in a tenth inning rally to win 3-2. Nicole Bechtel hit a double down the left field line, scoring Haley Taormina to win the game. Marlaina Bozek (.351 / .423 / .505) led the team in RBI, batting in both of her runs off sacrifice flies to right field. Alexandra Anderson (5-2, 3.21 ERA) came in relief and won her fifth game of the season and has now won her last three decisions.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Billikens of Saint Louis are currently on a nine-game winning streak. Not only is that the longest current streak in the conference, but it is also tied for their program's longest winning streak. During this streak, the Billikens have swept A-10 foes Fordham (17-25, 8-9 A-10), Loyola Chicago (20-21, 14-6 A-10) and Saint Joseph's (15-27, 6-13 A-10). They have also won their latest game, which was a non-conference single midweek game against Lindenwood (13-28, 5-12 Ohio Valley Conference). In that same nine-game stretch, they have outscored their opponents 51-24. 

The Billikens currently have the most A-10 wins with 15. They are currently second in conference standings.

Graduate student outfielder Gabbie Kowalik (.420 / .515 / .657) leads the team in average (.420), on-base percentage (.515), slugging (.657) runs (45), hits (60) and doubles (11). She leads the A-10 in on-base percentage, runs and hit by pitch (12).

Saint Louis' power hitter is freshman catcher/utility player Abby Mallo, who leads the team in home runs (11) and RBI (43). She currently leads the A-10 in RBI, with Mason's own Haley Taormina right behind her in second place.

On the pitching side, graduate student Chloe Wendling (18-11, 2.83 ERA) was named this week's A-10 Pitcher of the Week. She accounted for four of her team's five wins last week, posting a 0.93 ERA and .175 opponents' batting average. She leads the team with 138 strikeouts and 188 innings pitched. 

There are two other pitchers on Saint Louis' staff. Senior Kaili Hanner (3-6, 3.83 ERA) has pitched 67.2 innings and has the second-most strikeouts with 42. Sophomore Taylor Hochman (3-5, 6.04 ERA) has pitched 48.2 innings and has 28 strikeouts.

TEAM STAT COMPARISONS: Mason (46 games played) | Saint Louis (46 games played)
BATTING
AVG: .286 | .291
OBP: .373 | .390
SLG: .429 | .443
R: 224 | 259
H: 338 | 354
2B: 70 | 59
3B: 17 | 11
HR: 22 | 35
RBI: 192 | 229

PITCHING
ERA: 2.78 | 3.57
SO: 271 | 208
R: 148 | 201
ER: 124 | 155
H: 286 | 331
2B: 55 | 44
3B: 11 | 5
HR: 22 | 22

HISTORY WITH THE BILLIKENS
Dating back to 2015, Saint Louis leads the all-time series 12-6. The last time these two schools met was May 8, 2022, when the Patriots completed a three-game sweep over the Billikens in St. Louis.

UP NEXT
After the Patriots conclude this last week of travel in the regular season, they will come back to Fairfax one more time to face off against UMass to close out the season. Friday, May 5, will feature a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m., and Sunday's finale will start at noon. Sunday's game will also be Mason's Senior Day, Alumni Day and Bark at the Park.