GEORGE MASON (20-14, 6-3 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE) vs ST. BONAVENTURE (7-18, 2-7 A-10)
WHEN: Fri.-Sat., April 7-8; Saturday 2 & 4:30 p.m. and Sunday @ Noon
WHERE: St. Bonaventure, N.Y. | Joyce Field
LIVESTATS: Click Here
HISTORY: Mason leads the all-time series 20-2; The Patriots have won the last 13 matchups, which began in 2019.
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The George Mason softball team (20-14, 6-3 A-10) will travel to New York to face St. Bonaventure (7-18, 2-7 A-10) for a three-game A-10 matchup on April 7-8 at Joyce Field. Friday's doubleheader starts at 2 p.m., while Saturday's finale begins at noon.
In the Atlantic 10 conference, Mason has the most wins with 20. The Patriots' 6-3 Atlantic 10 Conference record puts them in fourth place; Loyola Chicago (13-17, 7-3), Saint Louis (14-19, 6-2) and first place Dayton (19-12, 5-1) round out the top three.
The Patriots are first in fielding (.971), second in pitching ERA (2.80) and third in batting (.272). Individually, senior Haley Taormina (.350 / .419 / .660) leads the conference in doubles (14) and sacrifice flies (3). She is also second in RBI (32), just one shy of sharing the lead with Abby Mallo of Saint Louis. Rookie Elyssa DeRosa (.400 / .495 / .682) is first in the triples category with seven. The next closest is two, which is a six-way tie shared alongside with redshirt junior Nicole Bechtel (.315 / .365 / .483). Finally, senior shortstop Rachel Warrens (.255 / .330 / .378) leads the conference in stolen bases (21).
Nationally, the Patriots as a team are ranked fourth in stolen bases per game (3.00). Individually, left fielder Elyssa DeRosa leads the nation in triples (7) and is second in triples per game (0.21). Senior Haley Taormina, on the other hand, is third in the nation in doubles (14).
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots won their third conference series, winning two of three against Fordham this past weekend. The Mason squad also reached an all-time milestone over the weekend.
The 2023 Mason Softball team set the new all-time season steals record with 19 regular season games still remaining. The previous record of 96 had stood for almost twenty years; it was first set in 1995 and was tied again in 2004. In the fifth inning of Sunday's first game, junior catcher Zoe Vozick (.222 / .364 / .222) tied the record. Later in the inning, junior center fielder Charlotte Montgomery (.238 / .294 / .270) stole the record-breaking bag. The Patriots now have over 100 stolen bases on the year.
Graduate student Aly Rayle (9-4, 2.26 ERA) went 2-0 over the weekend, pitching her fifth and sixth complete game victories on the season. In her two weekend starts, the starting pitcher tossed 245 total pitches, struck out 13 batters and only allowed one earned run.
Rookie Elyssa DeRosa was perfect at the plate over the weekend, going 6-for-6 with three RBI, one double, three walks and two stolen bases.
Most recently, the Patriots picked up a Wednesday home victory against Towson. Beating the Tigers 7-1, starting pitcher Carly Cooper (3-4, 3.23 ERA, 1 SV) had her best pitching performance of the season. The junior pitched five innings, struck out four batters, had zero walks and only allowed one earned run. Shortstop Rachel Warrens and catcher Nicole Bechtel each led the team with two RBI.
Nicole Bechtel has successfully recorded a hit in ten of her last eleven games. In that eleven game span, the Mason catcher is batting .394 and leads the team with nine RBI. She has also hit four doubles, one triple and one home run.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Bonnies have won two of the their last five games and are currently on a two game losing streak. Their Wednesday doubleheader at Canisius was canceled due to rain. They have started their A-10 campaign with a record of 2-7, and they are currently in the bottom of the conference standings.
Junior shortstop Kennedy Haberl (.393 / .469 / .750) was named this week's A-10 Co-Player of the Week, going 8-for-14 with four RBI and two home runs. She went 2-for-2 in Game One of the Youngstown State doubleheader. She would then go 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Game One against Loyola Chicago and later finish off the series going 3-for-3 with another solo homer. She currently has three of the team's four home runs and leads the team in RBI (9).
Outfielders Brooke Bobbey (.284 / .415 / .388) and Juanita Wolak (.267 / .343 / .350) are the team's best hitters, both leading the Bonnies in doubles (3). Bobbey also leads in triples (2). With Bobbey's 19 hits on the year and Wolak's 16, the only other player with double digit hits on the season is Kennedy Haberl with 11.
On the pitching side, junior Emily Phelan (6-12, 4.45 ERA) has seen the most action, pitching 96 innings and striking out a team-leading 73 batters. Senior Elizabeth Lis (1-6, 6.11 ERA) has seen the second most action this season, pitching 44.2 innings and striking out 19 batters.
TEAM STAT COMPARISONS: Mason (34 games played) | St. Bonaventure (25 games played)
BATTING
AVG: .272 | .191
OBP: .361 | .286
SLG: .398 | .250
H: 230 | 109
2B: 50 | 14
3B: 12 | 4
HR: 11 | 4
R: 152 | 55
RBI: 128 | 43
PITCHING
ERA: 2.80 | 5.30
SO: 198 | 94
R: 110 | 144
ER: 92 | 113
H: 210 | 206
2B: 40 | 30
3B: 8 | 2
HR: 14 | 11
HISTORY WITH THE BONNIES
The last time these two schools met was last season on March 14, 2022, when Mason completed a three-game weekend sweep at home. Dating back to 2015, the Patriots are 20-2 all-time against St. Bonaventure, and they currently have a 13-game win streak starting from April 27, 2019.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return home to face George Washington in this year's Revolutionary Rivalry on Wednesday, April 12. The double header will start at 2 p.m. at George Mason Softball Complex.
