BASEBALL vs. VCU
WHEN: Friday, April 26 (3 p.m.) – Saturday, April 27 (2 p.m.) – Sunday, April 28 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (17-21, 5-7 A10); VCU (25-15, 7-4 A10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: VCU leads, 64-52
LAST MEETING: VCU won two-of-three games in the series April 14-16, 2023 at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
GAME NOTES (PDF): Click here
WATCH ($): Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hosts VCU for a three-game Atlantic 10 series beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

In last year's meeting, VCU won two-of-three games in the series April 14-16 at The Diamond in Richmond.  The Rams took the opener, 5-0 and the finale, 11-3, while the Patriots won the middle game, 10-5.

Senior outfielder Jordan Smith is hitting .357 (51-for-143) in 38 starts in center field.  He leads the club in average (.357), hits (51), doubles (14), triples (3), RBI (35) and is tied for first in runs scored (36).  He is tied for second in home runs (6), tied for fourth in walks (14) and ranks fourth in stolen bases (8). 

Junior infielder Carsen Pracht has a .347 average (41-for-118) in 37 games with 36 starts.  He is second on the club in average (.347) and doubles (9), third in hits (41), fourth in runs scored (24) and seventh in RBI (16).
 
Sophomore outfielder James Quinn-Irons is batting .307 (39-for-127) in 35 games with 34 starts.  He leads the club in home runs (10), is second in RBI (32) and runs scored (29) and is third in walks (14) and hits (39).

Senior outfielder Derek Wood is hitting .296 (29-for-98) in 36 games with 25 starts.  He is second on the club in stolen bases (12) and is eighth in both runs scored (20) and hits (29).

Graduate student infielder South Trimble has a .282 average (42-for-149) in 37 starts.  He leads the team and is 18th in the NCAA in stolen bases (24).  Trimble leads the club in walks (19), is tied for first in runs scored (36), is second in hits (42), tied for third in doubles (7) and is sixth in RBI (22).

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday
Mason: RHP Nick Martins (1-4, 5.08)
VCU: RHP Zachary Peters (2-3, 6.29)

Saturday
Mason: LHP Konner Eaton (3-2, 6.60)
VCU: LHP Christian Gordon (5-1, 3.69)

Sunday
Mason: LHP Ryan Peterson (2-1, 4.76)
VCU: TBD

SCOUTING VCU
 
VCU has a 25-15 record, including a mark of 7-4 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Rams are 17-5 at home, 5-10 on the road and 3-0 in games played at a neutral site.
 
Last time out, VCU fell on the road at Old Dominion, 7-1, on Tuesday in Norfolk, Va.

Last weekend, VCU split a pair of games at home against Dayton.  The Flyers took the first game, 5-1 and the Rams won the second game, 8-3.  The final game of the series was canceled.

Senior infielder Brandon Eike is hitting .340 (54-for-159) in 40 starts.  He leads the club in average (.340), hits (54), doubles (19), home runs (8), RBI (40) and runs scored (37).

Sophomore outfielder Aden Hill is batting .309 (46-for-149) in 40 starts.  He leads the team in stolen bases (9), is second in hits (46), doubles (9), home runs (6) and RBI (37) and is third in runs scored (31).

Freshman infielder Chris McHugh has a .263 average (31-for-118) in 34 games with 32 starts.  He is fifth on the team in hits (31).
 
VCU has a team batting average of .260 and a team ERA of 4.65.
 
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 wrapped up the month when they traveled down I-95 to take on Richmond in the first Atlantic 10 series of the season (March 29-31).  The Spiders took the first two games with 6-5 and 17-16 (10) walk-off wins.  The Patriots won the last game of the series, 9-4.
 
In April, the Patriots are scheduled to play 16 games, with 10 at home and six on the road.
 
Mason's midweek matinee on the road against Longwood (April 3) was canceled due to rain.
 
The Patriots took two-of-three games from rival George Washington (April 5-7) at Spuhler Field.  The Revolutionaries won the first game, 3-2 and the Patriots claimed the final two games, 5-2 and 13-10.
 
The Patriots dropped two-of-three at Dayton (April 12-14).  The Flyers won the first two games, 6-5 in 11 innings and 17-14 while the Patriots took the series finale with a comeback 8-6 win.
 
Mason fell to No. 10 Virginia, 11-5, 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 dropped two-of-three games in conference play at home agaisnt Massachusetts (April 19-21).  The Minutemen won the first two games, 10-7 in 11 innings and 9-6.  The Patriots took the finale, 9-1.
 
The Patriots fell to Virginia Tech, 24-5 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

The Patriots have 52 wins over VCU, second-most against an opponent in program history.  Mason has 53 victories against James Madison.

In Mason's first season in the Atlantic 10 in 2014, the Patriots defeated VCU, 3-0, in the A-10 Tournament semifinals.  The Patriots then topped the Rams, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the A-10 Tournament title.

Among the Patriots most common opponents, Mason has faced James Madison 123 times, followed by VCU (116), Richmond (111), William & Mary (108), UNC Wilmington (100), Towson (97) and Old Dominion (90).