BASEBALL at Baseball at the Beach
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 16 (4 p.m.) vs. No. 18 Coastal Carolina; Saturday, Feb. 17 (11 a.m.) vs. No. 12 Duke; Sunday, Feb. 18 (11 a.m.) vs. Indiana
WHERE: Springs Brooks Stadium | Conway, S.C.
2023 RECORDS: George Mason (36-27, 13-10 Atlantic 10); Coastal Carolina (42-21, 23-7 Sun Belt); Duke (39-24, 16-13 ACC); Indiana (43-20, 16-8 Big Ten)
ALL-TIME SERIES: 7-26 vs. Coastal Carolina; 1-0 vs. Duke; First meeting vs. Indiana
GAME NOTES (PDF)
LIVE STATS: Click here
WATCH ($): ESPN+

---

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team begins the 2024 season with three games at Baseball at the Beach at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
 
The weekend features four regional teams from last season.  Mason (Winston-Salem Regional), Coastal Carolina (Conway Regional), Duke (Conway Regional) and Indiana (Lexington Regional).
 
The Patriots face host Coastal Carolina on Friday (4 p.m.), Duke on Saturday (11 a.m.) and Big Ten favorite Indiana on Sunday (11 a.m.).
 
Mason returns 11 position players and 11 pitchers from last year's roster, including two weekend starters.  Mason added 18 newcomers, 10 position players and eight pitchers for the 2024 campaign.
 
The Patriots have a record of 7-26 all-time against the Chanticleers.  The two teams last met on Feb. 26, 2017, the year after Coastal Carolina won the National Championship. Mason scored the first eight runs of the game but fell to No. 18 Coastal Carolina, 9-8, at Springs Brooks Stadium.
 
Mason has faced Duke only once in program history and will play Indiana for the first time.
 
The George Mason baseball team was picked to finish second (121 points/2 first place votes) in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season.  The preseason poll was conducted by the league's 13 head coaches.
 
Last season, the Patriots won the Atlantic 10 championship and advanced to the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional, making their eighth NCAA tournament appearance.  Mason defeated Northeastern and Maryland to advance to the regional final for the first time in program history. 
 
The Patriots finished the 2023 season with 36 wins, the most for the program since 2009.  Mason went 15-11 at home, 14-11 on the road and 7-5 in games played at a neutral site.
 
In the 2023 A-10 baseball championship, the Patriots went 5-1, including three elimination game victories to claim the title for the second time in program history. 
 
Last season, the Patriots finished the season ranked third in Division I baseball in stolen bases (164 in 63 games), setting a new program record this season.  Infielder/outfielder South Trimble finished tied for 27^th in the nation in stolen bases and outfielder Derek Wood tied for 31^st. 
 
Mason also finished the year 11th nationally in hit by pitch (112 in 63 games).  Catcher Connor Dykstra tied for first in the nation (33 times in 59 games).
 
The Mason pitching staff finished first in the Atlantic 10 conference in ERA (5.02) and saves (15) while posting the lowest opponent batting average (.258) in school history.  The Patriots' pitching staff also set single-season program records for strikeouts (516) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.36).
 
Starting pitcher Chad Gartland was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference.  Dykstra was selected First Team All-Conference catcher, starting pitcher Ben Shields was named Second Team All-Conference pitcher and outfielder James Quinn-Irons was selected to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.

Reliever Owen Stewart, Gartland and Dykstra were selected to the Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team.
 
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
 
Coastal Carolina finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 42-21, including a mark of 23-7 against Sun Belt Conference opponents.  The Chanticleers went 26-12 at home, 14-7 on the road and 2-2 in games played at a neutral site last season.
 
Last season, catcher Caden Bodine led the team in batting average (.367), was second in runs scored (65), tied for second in doubles (17), was fourth in home runs (11) and fifth in RBI (47) in 56 games with 55 starts his rookie year.
 
Infielder/catcher Derek Bender batted .341 and led the club in RBI (83) and home runs (19) and was second on the team in hits (86) and fourth in runs scored (61) in 62 games with 61 starts as a sophomore.
 
Infielder Zach Beach hit .321 and finished the year tied for third in home runs (13), fourth in RBI (56) and fifth in hits (54) in 57 games with 46 starts his senior year.
 
SCOUTING DUKE
 
Duke finished the 2023 season with an overall record on 39-24, including a mark of 16-13 against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents.  The Blue Devils went 24-12 at home, 10-7 on the road and were 5-5 in games played at a neutral site last season.
 
The Blue Devils won the Conway Regional in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.  Duke defeated UNCW (12-3), Rider (2-1) before falling to No. 10 Coastal Carolina (8-6).  The Blue Devils then won the championship game over the Chanticleers, 12-3.
 
Duke downed No. 7 Virginia in the first game of the Super Regional (5-4), but then dropped two straight to the Cavaliers (14-4 and 12-2).
 
Duke was picked to finish third in the ACC Coastal Division in the preseason poll, behind Virginia and North Carolina.  Wake Forest, the top-ranked team in the nation, received 95 points and has been picked to win the ACC title.
 
Head coach Chris Pollard enters his 12th year as the skipper of the Blue Devils.  His 339 victories rank third all-time in Duke program history.
 
SCOUTING INDIANA
 
Indiana finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 43-20, including a mark of 16-8 against Big Ten opponents.  The Hoosiers went 26-4 at home, 14-13 on the road and 3-3 in games played at a neutral site last season.
 
In the 2023 NCAA Lexington Regional, the Hoosiers defeated West Virginia (12-6) and Kentucky (5-3) to advance to a matchup against No. 12 Kentucky for a berth in the Super Regional.  Indiana dropped two straight to the Wildcats, 16-6 and 4-2.
 
Last season, outfielder Devin Taylor hit .315 and led the club in home runs (16) and was second in RBI (59) and runs scored (61) in 55 games with 51 starts.  He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming just the third player in program history to earn the honor.
 
This year, Taylor was a unanimous pick for Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.  He has also been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award. 
 
Last season, outfielder Carter Mathison batted .311 and was fourth on the team in hits (70), tied for second in home runs (10) and was fourth in RBI (49) in 63 games with 61 starts.  Infielder Josh Pyne hit .295 and was third on the club in RBI (56) and doubles (16) and fifth in hits (50) in 62 starts.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Friday (2/16)
Mason: RHP Chad Gartland
Coastal Carolina: RHP Riley Eikhoff
 
Saturday (2/17)
Mason: LHP Konner Eaton
Duke: LHP Andrew Healy
 
Sunday (2/18)
Mason: TBD
Indiana: TBD
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
 
Mason has 22 returners and added 18 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Shawn Camp, who enters his second year as the head coach of the Patriots.
 
The Mason senior class includes pitchers Nick Martins, Kyle Menaker and Ryan Peterson, along with outfielders Jordan Smith and Derek Wood.  Graduate student utility player South Trimble also returns for the Patriots.
 
The junior class includes pitchers Chad Gartland and Britt Yount, infielder Carsen Pracht, outfielders Brandon Parks and Reece Woody and catcher Connor Dykstra. 
 
Sophomore returning for their second year with the Green and Gold are pitchers Konner Eaton, Ryan Edmonds, Tyler Herkey, Connor Knox, Logan Rumberg and Owen Stewart, infielder Evan Blanchard, outfielder James Quinn-Irons and catcher Bennett Shealor. 
 
The Patriots added 18 new players, with 13 freshman, one junior and four graduate students entering their first year at George Mason.
 
New pitchers joining the Patriots are freshmen Cole Egan (LHP), Brant Ertel (RHP), Dylan McCarthy (RHP), Shaun Okeeffe (LHP) and Ty Uchman (LHP).  Graduate students Luke Goodyear (LHP) and Avery Mabe (RHP) along with junior Jake Roberti join the Mason bullpen.
 
New position players include two graduate students, catcher Socrates Bardatsos and utility player Ben Jones.  Eight freshmen position players embark on their rookie year with infielders Jake Butler, Christian Carver, Cole Feldman, Toby Hueber and Owen Hull, outfielders Jake Kozlowski and Ryan Muskopf and catcher J.P. Williams.
 
GEORGE MASON 2024 SCHEDULE
 
The Patriots are schedule to play a 56-game slate that includes 24 contests against Atlantic 10 Conference rivals, 32 games at Spuhler Field and three games against opponents that made a NCAA Regional appearance last season.
 
The Patriots begin the season with three games at the Baseball at the Beach tournament in Conway, S.C.
 
Mason will face Coastal Carolina (Feb. 16), Duke (Feb. 17) and Indiana (Feb. 18).
 
Both Duke and Coastal Carolina played in the 2023 NCAA Conway Regional, with the Blue Devils advancing to the Super Regional. 
 
The Patriots are scheduled to play their home opener against Coppin State (Feb. 20) before heading back on the road to play a three-game series against Purdue in Holly Springs, N.C. (Feb. 23-25).
 
Mason will then open a season-high 13 game homestand with a midweek game against James Madison (Feb. 28).
 
In March, Mason is scheduled to play 20 games with 16 at home and four on the road. 
 
The Patriots host Fairfield for three games (March 1-3), Towson for a midweek matchup (March 6) and Monmouth for a three-game set (March 8-10). 
 
After single games against Bucknell (March 12) and Maryland Eastern Shore (March 13), the Green and Gold wrap up the homestand with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan (March 15-17).
 
The Patriots visit Longwood for a midweek game in Farmville, Va. (March 19) before returning to Spuhler Field to host Villanova for three games (March 22-24) and VMI in a midweek game (March 26).
 
The Patriots wrap up the month when they travel down I-95 to take on Richmond in the first Atlantic 10 series of the season in Richmond, Va. (March 29-31).
 
In April, the Patriots are scheduled to play 16 games, with 10 at home and six on the road.
 
Mason is back home to take on Longwood in a midweek matinee (April 3) and then the Patriots will play their first conference home series against rival George Washington (April 5-7).
 
Mason plays a season-high five straight on the road in mid-April beginning with a single game at VMI in Lexington, Va. (April 10).  The Patriots then face the Flyers for three games in Dayton, Ohio (April 12-14) and wrap up the stretch under the lights against Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. (April 17).
 
The Cavaliers advanced to the 2023 College World Series last season after winning all three games in the Charlottesville Regional and taking two of three games against Duke in the Super Regional.
 
In 2023, the Patriots went 15-11 at home, 14-11 on the road and 7-5 in games played at a neutral site.
 
Mason is back at home in conference play against Massachusetts (April 19-21) before traveling for a Tuesday meeting against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. (April 23).
 
The Patriots host VCU (April 26-28) to wrap up the month of April.
 
In May, the Patriots are scheduled to play 12 games, with four at home and eight on the road.
 
The month begins with a midweek matchup against Georgetown in Tysons, Va. (May 1).  The Patriots then travel to the Gateway City for a three-game conference series against the Billikens in St. Louis, Mo. (May 3-5).
 
Mason then plays back-to-back midweek games. The Patriots are home to meet Maryland Eastern Shore (May 7) and back on the road to tangle with Towson (May 8).
 
The Patriots play their final regular season road series at Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, Pa. (May 11-13) and conclude the regular season with a three-game series at Spuhler Field against Davidson (May 16-18).
 
The Patriots will play three home-and-home series during the 2024 season, taking on Towson, Longwood and VMI for single games both 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 George Washington (April 5-7), Massachusetts (April 19-21), VCU (April 26-28) and Davidson (May 16-18).
 
The Patriots will visit Richmond (March 29-31), Dayton (April 12-14), Saint Louis (May 3-5) and Saint Joseph's (May 10-12).
 
The 2024 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held May 21-25 at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.