GEORGE MASON (35-22, 16-10 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE) vs #8 DUKE (45-10, 19-5 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE)
WHEN: Fri., May 19; Noon
WHERE: Durham, N.C. | Duke Softball Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+: Click Here
HISTORY: First ever match up with the Blue Devils
 

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FAIRFAX, Va. – Atlantic 10 Conference champions George Mason (35-22, 16-10 A-10) are heading to Durham, N.C. to face off against #8 Duke in the regional round of the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament on Friday, May 19, at noon. The regional games will be played at Duke Softball Stadium.

The two other schools that will compete in the region will be Big South Conference champion Campbell (41-16, 15-5 Big South) and Charlotte (33-21, 16-7 Conference USA). Like the Patriots, the Charlotte 49ers are also competing in their program's first NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.

ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT RECAP
For the first time in program history, the Patriots found themselves in a conference championship game and made conference history by being the lowest seed since 1990 to have won the tournament. In that year, #4 Temple and #2 Massachusetts were declared co-champions.

On the other side of the bracket, Loyola Chicago entered their first Atlantic 10 Championship game in program history in their first year with the conference.

The Patriots were seeded #4 going into the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. To begin the tournament, they beat #5 Fordham 1-0 on Wednesday, defeated #1 Saint Louis 5-2 on Thursday and shutout #2 Loyola Chicago 3-0 to advance to their first ever tournament championship.

The Patriots would meet Loyola again, as the Ramblers won their side of the consolation bracket. The Patriots would only need to win one game to claim the trophy while Loyola would have to win two in a row.

In the championship game, Loyola Chicago took an early 1-0 lead on the Patriots in the bottom of the first inning. Mason would come back to level the game in the top of the sixth inning off a Rachel Warrens RBI single, scoring Logan Pickford from second. The game would go into extra innings knotted at 1-1.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Patriots took a 2-1 lead after Maddy Myers hit a double to right center, scoring Nicole Bechtel all the way from first. Heading to the bottom of the eighth, with two outs and two strikes on Loyola, Madison Ebeling hit a two-run walk-off home run to take the first game in dramatic fashion. The Patriots and Ramblers would meet less than 45 minutes later in the tournament's winner-take-all game.

The Patriots did not let the previous game's shocking ending affect their game plan, as they opened the game up with a two-run double down the left field line by Maddy Myers. The Patriots would extend their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning after Zoe Vozick's RBI single brought Elyssa DeRosa home from third.

However, the Ramblers came back to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning after a bases-loaded walk and a two-run RBI single. For the second straight time, the Patriots and Ramblers would go to extras to decide the game.

Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the tenth inning. With two Patriots on base, Nicole Bechtel ripped a two-RBI double to left field that hit the top of the high left field wall. Later in the inning, Elyssa DeRosa would knock in the inning's third run with an infield single to first. The Patriots would go into the bottom of the tenth inning with a 6-3 lead.

Loyola started the inning with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice and a wild pitch, there were Ramblers on second and third with only one out. 

Mason's ace Aly Rayle and the Patriot defense were able to lock up the final two outs of the tournament. Aly Rayle forced a pop up to second base and Maddy Myers knocked down the line drive headed towards her, picked up the ball that bounced off the first base bag and stepped on the base to give the Patriots their first conference title in program history.

After the Tournament, four Patriots were named to the All-Championship team for their exceptional play this week. The players named were Carly Cooper, Maddy Myers, Haley Taormina and Aly Rayle.

Rayle was also named The Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. She went 4-1 with a 1.06 ERA. She struck out 39 batters in her 33 innings, allowed only two walks, and recorded 495 pitches.

ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES - CLICK HERE
The Atlantic 10 announced this year's all-conference winners, and four George Mason Patriots were selected across three categories. Aly Rayle was named Pitcher of the Year. Rayle, Marlaina Bozek and Nicole Bechtel were named First Team All-Conference and Haley Taormina was named Second Team All-Conference.

In program history, Mason now has two Pitcher of the Year awards, seven First Team All-Conference awards and 11 Second Team All-Conference awards.
 

A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS' HISTORIC SEASON
The 2023 Patriots have the second-most wins ever in program history with 35 total wins, tying the 1981 team. This is also the first time the Patriots have had 30 wins since the 2003 season. The Patriots this season also set a new record for most conference wins in a season with 16. Other notable records broken this year were the following:

• Home Runs - 27 (Old record: 22 in 2015)
• Runs Batted In - 224 (Old record: 212 in 1995)
• Doubles - 90 (Old record: 79 in 2002)
• Stolen Bases - 133 (Old record: 96 in 2004 & 1995)
• Slugging percentage - .416 (Old record: .374 in 2015)
• Walks - 184 (Old record: 159 in 1995)
• Fielding percentage - .978 (Old record: .964 in 2021)
• Pitcher strikeouts - 353 (Old record: 337 in 2000)

This season's team is top 5 in single season records in the following:

• Runs - 258 (2^nd)
• Hits - 412 (3^rd)
• Innings Pitched - 394 (3^rd)
• At Bats - 1,492 (4^th)
• Pitcher shutouts - 9 (5^th)

CONFERENCE LEADERS
In the Atlantic 10, the Patriots were first in overall regular season stats in the following:

• ERA (2.66) Fielding (.978), doubles (90) and triples (19).
• Individually, senior Haley Taormina (.349 / .409 / .629) led the conference in doubles (21). She was also second in RBI (47). Nicole Bechtel (.338 / .417 / .516) was third (40).
• Rookie Elyssa DeRosa (.352 / .470 / .600) led the conference in the triples category (8). Marlaina Bozek (.322 / .413 / .455) was seventh (3).
• Senior shortstop Rachel Warrens (.296 / .376 / .444) led the conference in stolen bases with 31.
• Graduate pitcher Aly Rayle (19-9, 2.01 ERA, 1 SV) led the conference in overall strikeouts (242) and looking strikeouts (72). She was second in wins.
• The Patriots are third in batting average (.276).

NATIONAL LEADERS
Nationally, the Patriots as a team are ranked eighth in the country in total stolen bases (131). Individually, third baseman Haley Taormina leads in the nation in doubles (21) and is third in doubles per game (0.37). Left fielder Elyssa DeRosa, on the other hand, is second in the nation in triples (8) and is fourth in triples per game (0.17).

HOW THE DIVISION I TOURNAMENT WORKS - CLICK HERE
The Tournament consists of a 64-team field that is broken up into different regions. The tournament is divided into regionals and super regionals ahead of the championship finals in Oklahoma City, Okla. 

First are the Regionals, where four teams play double-elimination style tournaments across 16 campuses. The 16 winning teams then advance to Super Regionals.

In Super Regionals, two teams play in a best-of-three tournament format on eight campus sites. The eight winners that come out of the Super Regionals will move on to the Women's college World Series in Oklahoma City.

The College World Series has been held in the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., and has been the site for the championship since 1990. In the College World Series, eight teams will compete in a double-elimination format. The final two teams will then play a best-of-three series for the national championship.

Last season's national champion was Oklahoma, who captured their sixth national title in program history. UCLA has won the most championships with 12, with their latest win in 2019. 

TEAM STATS AT A GLANCE: Mason (57 games played) | Opponents Faced This Season
BATTING
AVG: .276 | .230
OBP: .355 | .313
SLG: .416 | .347
R: 258 | 178
H: 412 | 342
2B: 90 | 67
3B: 19 | 13
HR: 27 | 27
RBI: 224 | 164

PITCHING
ERA: 2.66 | 3.84
SO: 353 | 317
R: 178 | 258
ER: 150 | 209
H: 342 | 412
2B: 67 | 90
3B: 13 | 19
HR: 27 | 27