GEORGE MASON (35-22) vs #8 DUKE (45-10)
WHEN: Fri., May 19; Noon
WHERE: Durham, N.C. | Duke Softball Stadium
LIVE STATS: NCAA.com Click Here
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DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM: Click Here
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Click Here
 
 DURHAM, N.C. – The George Mason softball team is set to make its' NCAA postseason debut against host and eighth-seeded Duke on Friday.
 
The Durham Regional features two other North Carolina residents in Big South Tournament Champion Campbell (41-16) and Conference USA Regular Season Champion Charlotte (33-21), who will face off at 2:30 on Friday. The Patriots (35-22) open the Regional against the top-seeded Blue Devils (45-10).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The hosts have faced both Campbell and Charlotte during the regular season and hold a 3-0 ledger against the in-state foes. Duke enters NCAA play after a runner-up finish at the 2023 ACC Championship, falling in a close one-run battle to No. 3 Florida State. After finishing the regular season with a 19-5 ACC record, eighth-ranked Duke earned the No. 2 seed in the ACC Championship for the second consecutive year. The Blue Devils also boast eight ranked wins during the regular season, which they finished 43-9.
 
Duke is led by All-ACC First-Team pitcher Cassidy Curd, who holds a 16-1 record and became the first player in program history to reach 100-plus strikeouts in their debut season and now sits at 136 on the year. Ana Gold, another First Team selection, set the Duke single-season homerun record with 18 and leads the team in RBIs (54) and runs per game (0.93). D'Auna Jennings paces the Blue Devil's lineup with a .453 batting average and 19 stolen bases and has started in 53 of 54 games this year.
 
Charlotte enters the Durham Regional as the number two seed. The Niners finished the season with a 33-21 record and won its first-ever outright regular season conference championship. The Niners defeated three-ranked opponents this season, with every one of those wins coming on the road. The three ranked wins this season for the Niners is also the most in a single season for the program. 
 
The Niners were led in the circle by Sam Gress, who led the team with a 21-12 record, with a 1.81 ERA, and 140 strikeouts over 205.1 innings. Kassidy Krupit led the Niners with a .383 batting average, while also leading the team in hits (67), RBI (48), and doubles (12). Bailey Vannoy led the offense with 14 home runs and 42 runs scored. The Niners broke out the big stick all season, setting a new school record for most home runs hit in a single season with 74.
 
Campbell takes the in-state trip to Durham after winning its' third-straight Big South championship. The Camels also shared the Big South Regular season title with a 15-5 record and nine Big South all-conference honorees, including the Pitcher of the Year and the Freshman of the Year. In a rematch of opening day, Campbell downed Charlotte 6-1 in extra innings on Feb. 10 with a five-run 12^th inning.
 
Isabella Smith became the program single-season strikeout leader and ranks ninth in the nation with 235 strikeouts on the year. Ranking third nationally with both 28 wins and 233.1 innings pitched, Smith holds an ERA of 1.98 with 19 complete games, two shutouts and four saves. Freshman Madilyn Gillespie ranks fourth on the team with a .325 batting average and led the league in the regular season with a .491 on base percentage. Claudia Ware leads the team with a .375 batting average, 37 runs, 60 hits, 20 doubles and 83 total bases.