BASEBALL vs. Dayton
WHEN: Friday, April 7 (3 p.m.); Saturday, April 8 (2 p.m.); Sunday, April 9 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (15-13, 2-1 Atlantic 10); Dayton (7-20, 2-1 Atlantic 10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Mason leads Dayton, 9-8
LAST MEETING: The Flyers won three-of-four in the series April 16-18, 2021 at Spuhler Field.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team plays its first Atlantic 10 Conference home series with three games against Dayton beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

Last time out, the Patriots fell at Towson, 10-8, on Wednesday at John Schuerholz Park in Towson, Md. 

Mason and Dayton last met in a four-game series April 16-18, 2021 at Spuhler Field.  The Patriots won the first game, 7-6, while the Flyers took the final three games of the series by scores of 11-1, 12-10 and 14-3.

The Patriots rank fourth in Division I baseball in stolen bases with 89 in 29 games.  Only VMI (120), Mississippi Valley (117) and Louisiana (90) have more.  Senior infielder South Trimble is tied for 20th in the NCAA with 17 stolen bases. 

Mason is tied for 21st nationally in hit by pitch (54 in 29 games) with sophomore catcher Connor Dykstra tied for sixth in the NCAA (15 times in 27 games).

Freshman outfielder James Quinn-Irons leads the Patriots with a .425 average (34-for-80) in 22 games with 21 starts.  He also leads the club in hits (34), home runs (4) and is second in both runs scored (25) and is second in RBI (20).  Dykstra is batting .317 (26-for-82) with three home runs, 14 RBI and 19 runs scored in 27 starts.  He leads the team in hit by pitch (15), is tied for second in home runs (3), tied for fourth in hits (26) and fifth in RBI (14). 

Trimble is hitting .314 (33-for-105) with one home run, 23 RBI and 30 runs scored in 29 starts.  He leads the team in runs scored (30), stolen bases (21) and walks (17), is second in hits (33) and doubles (5) and hit by pitch (13).  Junior outfielder Jordan Smith has a .296 average (32-for-108) with three home runs, 17 RBI and 24 runs scored in 27 starts in center field.  He is second in stolen bases (14), third in hits (32), runs scored (24) and stolen bases (14) and is fourth in RBI (17).The Patriots have a team batting average of .274 through 29 games.

On the mound, graduate student Ben Shields (5-1, 3.76) leads the team in strikeouts (53) and is second in innings pitched (38.1) in seven starts.  He was selected Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher of the Week after recording 14 strikeouts with just one walk over 7.0 innings in the Patriots' 7-6 win at Rhode Island last Friday. 

Sophomore Chad Gartland (2-2, 2.68) is first on the team in innings pitched (40.1) and is second in strikeouts (37) in seven appearances with six starts.

Eaton (1-1, 2.12) is third on the club in innings (17.0) and strikeouts (20).  Mracna (1-0, 2.45) shares the team lead in appearances (11) and has notched three saves.

The Patriots have a team ERA of 4.96 through 29 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 played 14 games at home and 13 games on the road.  To begin the month, the Patriots played a season-high 13 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 is scheduled to play 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 played its only set of back-to-back midweek games during the season and defeated Georgetown, 5-4, in Washington, D.C. (April 4) before falling 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 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 DAYTON
 
Dayton has an overall record of 7-20 including a mark of 2-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.  The Flyers are 6-5 at home and 1-15 on the road.

Last time out, the Flyers fell to No. 10 Kentucky, 13-6 at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Ky.

Dayton took two-of-three games from George Washington last weekend at Woerner Field in Dayton, Ohio.  After dropping the first game, 11-8, the Flyers won the final two games, 8-6 and 9-5.

Senior infielder Ben Jones has a .337 average (29-for-86) with six home runs, 18 RBI and 19 runs scored in 23 games with 22 starts.  Senior first baseman Marcus Pujols is hitting .307 (27-for-88) with six home runs, 15 RBI and 17 runs scored in 26 starts.  Junior infielder Carlos Castillo is batting .253 (24-for-95) with three home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored in 26 starts.

Dayton has a team batting average of .243 through 27 games.

On the mound, senior Mark Manfredi (1-4, 6.06) leads the team in innings pitched (35.2) and strikeouts (41) in seven starts.  Junior Eli Majick (2-1, 4.97) is second on the club in innings pitched (29.0) and strikeouts (23) in nine appearances with four starts.  Senior Ryan Steinhauer (1-3, 7.65) is third on the team in innings (20.0) and strikeouts (18) in seven appearances with six starts.

The Flyers have a team ERA of 6.65 through 27 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
Mason: LHP Ben Shields (5-1, 3.76)
Dayton: Mark Manfredi (1-4, 6.06)
Saturday
Mason: RHP Chad Gartland (2-2, 2.68)
Dayton: Eli Majick (2-1, 4.97)
Sunday
Mason: LHP Konner Eaton (1-1, 2.12)
Dayton: Ryan Steinhauer (1-3, 7.65)

STRIKE ZONE

The Patriots faced the Flyers in the opening game of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Tournament on May 21, 2014.  Mason scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to edge Dayton, 4-3, in St. Louis, Mo.
 
In the program's first season in the conference, Mason went on to win four games to claim the 2014 A-10 Conference Tournament.  The Patriots also recorded wins over Saint Joseph's and two against VCU to advance to the Houston Regional in the NCAA Tournament.