BASEBALL at Richmond
WHEN: Friday, March 29 (2 p.m.), Saturday, March 30 (1 p.m.), Sunday, March 31 (12 p.m.)
WHERE: Pitt Field | Richmond, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (12-12, 0-0 A-10); Richmond (9-15, 0-0 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Richmond leads George Mason, 67-42-1.
LAST MEETING: The Patriots and Spiders split a doubleheader April 29, 2023 at Spuhler Field.
GAME NOTES (PDF): Click here
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team begins Atlantic 10 Conference play with a three-game series against Richmond beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Pitt Field in Richmond, Va. 
 
Last time out, the Patriots (12-12) wrapped up their five-game homestand with a 16-3 victory over VMI on Tuesday.
 
Mason improved to 4-1 in midweek games this season.
  
Junior first baseman Connor Dykstra and junior left fielder Reece Woody each drove in three runs, while graduate student second baseman South Trimble reached base six times and scored five runs.

Freshman outfielder Ryan Muskopf collected his first collegiate hit and RBI with a pinch-hit single in the eighth.  Freshman pitcher Shaun Okeeffe earned his first NCAA victory.
 
In the last meeting between Mason and Richmond, the Patriots and Spiders split a doubleheader on April 29, 2024 at Spuhler Field.  Mason won the first game, 4-3, and dropped the nightcap, 7-0.  Rain prevented the teams from playing the third game of the series.
 
In Mason's last visit to Richmond, the Spiders won two-of-three games in the series May 6-8, 2022.  Richmond won the first game, 13-5 and the finale, 7-2 while the Patriots took the middle game, 9-2.
 
Each team has posted 13 wins in the last 26 matchups dating back to the 2015 season.
 
Mason has 42 all-time wins against Richmond.  The Spiders are one of nine teams that the Patriots have had at least 40 victories against in program history (William & Mary-65, James Madison-54, VCU-54, Towson-51, George Washington-48, UNCW-44, Howard-42, Old Dominion-41).

Senior outfielder Jordan Smith is hitting .385 (30-for-78) in 24 starts in center field.  He leads the club in average (.385), hits (30) and triples (4), is second in RBI (20) and runs scored (24) and is tied for second in doubles (6).
 
Woody is batting .319 (23-for-72) in 24 games with 20 starts.  He is second in average (.319), third in hits (23), and tied for third in home runs (3) and RBI (16).

Trimble has a .297 average (27-for-91) in 24 starts.  He leads the team and is third in the NCAA in stolen bases (20).  Trimble also leads the club in runs scored (25), is second in hits (27) and fourth in RBI (15).  

Dykstra is hitting .288 (21-for-73) in 23 starts.  He is tied for first on the club in doubles (6), tied for second in home runs (3), tied for third in RBI (16) and is fourth in hits (21).

Sophomore outfielder James Quinn-Irons is hitting .260 (19-for-73) in 22 games with 21 starts.  He leads the team in home runs (8) and RBI (21) and is fifth in hits (19).

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
 
Friday
Mason: RHP Nick Martins (1-3, 5.12))
Richmond: RHP Kyle Roche (2-4, 2.21)
 
Saturday
Mason: LHP Konner Eaton (2-2, 5.76)
Richmond: LHP Brian Reinke (0-4, 6.31)
 
Sunday
Mason: LHP Ryan Peterson (0-1, 4.40)
Richmond: TBD
 
SCOUTING RICHMOND
 
Richmond has a 9-15 record.  The Spiders are 9-10 at home and 0-5 on the road.
 
Last time out, Richmond dropped its fifth straight game with a 15-5 loss at Virginia on Tuesday at Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Va.
 
The Spiders have won nine of their last 14 home games after dropping their first five games of the season at Pitt Field.
 
In their last home series, the Spiders took two-of-three against Cornell (March 15-17).  Richmond won the first game and the finale by identical 8-4 scores and lost the middle game, 9-3.
 
Junior outfielder D.J. Pacheco is hitting (.329) in 22 games with 19 starts.  He leads the team in runs scored (20) and triples (2), is tied for first in home runs (5), is tied for second in hits (25) and tied for third in RBI (15).
 
Graduate student outfielder Phil Bernstein is batting .319 (29-for-91) in 24 starts.  He leads the club in hits (29), doubles (7) and RBI (23) and is third in runs scored (14).
 
Freshman infielder Aidan O'Keefe has a .304 average in 21 games with 15 starts.  He is fifth on the team in hits (17) and RBI (11).
 
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. 
 
Sophomores 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. 
 
The Patriots won their home opener over Coppin State, 21-2 (Feb. 20).
 
Mason dropped three-of-four against Purdue at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, N.C.  The Boilermakers won the opener, 7-4 (Feb. 23), the two teams split a doubleheader with the Patriots taking game one, 11-9 and Purdue the nightcap, 12-5 (Feb. 24).  The Boilermakers won the finale, 11-1, in seven innings (Feb. 25).
 
In March, Mason is scheduled to play 20 games with 16 at home and four on the road. 
 
Mason opened a season-high eight-game homestand with a three-game sweep over Fairfield (March 1-3).   The Patriots won the first game, 3-0, the middle game, 8-0 and then notched a 9-8 walk-off victory in the series finale.
 
Mason took two-of-three from Monmouth (March 8-10).  The Patriots swept a doubleheader March 8 with two walk-off wins, 6-5 in 10 innings in game one and 2-1 in the nightcap.  The Hawks won the finale, 12-7. 
 
The Patriots defeated Bucknell (March 12) with a 13-12 walk-off win and then downed Maryland Eastern Shore (March 13) 15-5 in seven innings to finish the homestand 7-1.
 
Mason was swept on the road by North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. (March 15-17) by final scores of 14-5, 6-5 and 10-9.
 
The Patriots dropped their midweek matchup to Longwood (March 19), 9-4.
 
Mason won two-of-three against Villanova (March 22-24).  The Patriots swept a doubleheader (March 22) by final scores of 6-5 and 3-2 and dropped the finale (March 24), 9-2.
 
The Patriots downed VMI (March 26) in a midweek game, 16-3, to conclude the five-game homestand.
 
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 on the road 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.
 
STRIKE ZONE
 
Mason and Richmond have played 110 games, the third-most games in program history against an opponent. 

The Patriots have faced James Madison 124 times, followed by VCU (119), Richmond (110), William & Mary (108) and UNCW (100).