Baseball vs. Purdue
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 23 (3 p.m.); Saturday, Feb. 24 (1 p.m.-Game 1); Sunday, Feb. 24 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Ting Stadium | Holly Springs, N.C.
RECORDS: Mason (1-3, 0-0 A10); Purdue (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Purdue leads, 1-0
LAST MEETING: The Boilermakers defeated the Patriots, 6-1, in March of 1987 in Raleigh, N.C.
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team is on the road for a four-game neutral site series against Purdue beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. in Holly Springs, N.C.
 
Ting Stadium is the home park of the Holly Springs Salemanders of the Coastal Plain League.
 
Last time out, the Patriots (1-3) defeated Coppin State, 21-2, in their home opener on Tuesday at Spuhler Field.
 
Freshman second baseman Toby Hueber made his first NCAA start at second base and finished 2-for-3 with two walks, four RBI and three runs scored.  He recorded his first collegiate hits, RBI and runs scored.
 
Graduate student left fielder Ben Jones collected his first two hits (2-for-4) and his first RBI and run scored in a Mason uniform.  Freshman catcher J.P. Williams, who took over behind the plate, made his NCAA debut.
 
Graduate student first baseman South Trimble went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. 
 
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.  Trimble is sixth nationally among active players with 66 career steals.
 
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.

PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Friday
Mason: RHP Nick Martins (0-0)
Purdue: LHP Jordan Morales (1-0)

Saturday (Game 1)
Mason: LHP Konner Eaton (0-1)
Purdue: LHP Jonathan Blackwell (0-0)

Saturday (Game 2)
Mason: RHP Logan Rumberg (0-0)
Purdue: RHP Kyle Iwinski (0-0)
 
Sunday
Mason: RHP Chad Gartland (1-1)
Purdue: LHP Luke Wagner (0-0)
 
SCOUTING PURDUE
 
Purdue finished last season with an overall record of 24-29, including a mark of 11-13 against Big Ten Conference opponents.  The Boilermakers went 12-10 at home, 4-15 on the road and 8-4 at neutral sites.
 
Purdue began the 2024 campaign with four games against Stoney Brook.  The Boilermakers won three-of-four games against the Seawolves at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.  Purdue won the season-opener (6-0), dropped the second game (10-8), then took the final two games (12-8, 13-6).
 
The Boilermakers have played 15 games at Ting Stadium over the last three seasons with a record of 12-3.
 
Purdue finished last season with 99 steals.  Mike Bolton, Jr. is the Big Ten's active leader in steals and is fifth among active players with 74 in his career.
 
Last season, outfielder Couper Cornblum finished fourth on the team with a .310 batting average in 53 starts.  He tied for first in runs scored (44), was second in hits (61) and stolen bases (26), fourth in walks (20) and fifth in RBI (31).
 
Outfielder Mike Bolton, Jr. hit .281 in 48 games with 47 starts.  He led the team in walks (27) and stolen bases (28), tied for first in runs scored (44) and was fifth in hits (43).
 
On the mound last season, Kyle Iwinski (15-11, 4.54) made 15 appearances with 11 starts.  He was third on the club in innings pitched (69.1) and fourth in strikeouts (38).  Jonathan Blackwell (5-6, 6.22) made 14 starts and was second on the team in innings pitched (72.1) and strikeouts (58).
 
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 began the season with three games at the Baseball at the Beach tournament in Conway, S.C.
 
Mason fell to No. 18 Coastal Carolina, 26-0 (Feb. 16), lost to No. 12 Duke, 23-5 (Feb. 17) and dropped the final game at Baseball at the Beach to Indiana, 9-3 (Feb. 18).
 
All four teams that competed at Baseball at the Beach played in a NCAA Regional last season, with both Duke and Coastal Carolina in the 2023 NCAA Conway Regional.  The Blue Devils defeated the Chanticleers to advance to the Super Regional. 
 
In the home opener, the Patriots downed Coppin State, 21-2 (Feb. 20) at Spuhler Field.
 
Mason is back on the road to play a four-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.