BASEBALL vs. Dayton
WHEN: Friday, March 14 (2 p.m.) and Saturday, March 15 doubleheader (11 a.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (11-6), Dayton (8-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Patriots lead, 13-12
LAST MEETING: The Flyers won two-of-three April 12-14, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio.
GAME NOTES: Click here
WATCH (Friday): Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
PROMOTION: This Saturday, we're honoring the brave men and women who keep our communities safe, our first responders! It's a day to recognize their dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. To show our appreciation, we're inviting all of you to join in the celebration.  The first 150 fans who arrive will receive a free American flag t-shirt.  Shirts will be given out after game one of the doubleheader!

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team begins Atlantic 10 Conference play with three games against Dayton beginning Friday at Spuhler Field.

Last time out, the Patriots dropped two games at Duke by indentical final scores of 6-3 in Durham, N.C.  Sophomore's Owen Hull and Toby Hueber each hit their first collegiate home run against the Blue Devils.

The Patriots have hit at least two home runs in the same game five times this season.

In the last meeting against Dayton, the Flyers won two-of-three games in the series April 12-14, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio.  The Flyers won the first two games, 6-5 in 11 innings and 17-14 while the Patriots took the finale, 8-6.

George Mason is 27th in the NCAA with a team batting average of .324 through 17 games.  Seven Patriots are hitting .300 or better.

Among NCAA leaders, junior outfielder James Quinn-Irons leads the nation in hits (36) and is second in in batting average (.522).  He is fifth in runs scored (30), sixth in RBI 32), tied for 13th in on-base percentage (.602) and 18th in slugging percentage (.913).  Quinn-Irons paces the Patriots in doubles (7) and home runs (6) in 17 starts in center field.

Sophomore infielder Jake Butler has a .339 average (20-for-59) in 17 starts in the infield.  He is second on the club in RBI (27), tied for second in home runs (2), third in hits (20) and fourth in runs scored (20).

Sophomore first baseman/designated hitter Owen Hull is batting .333 (20-for-59) in 17 starts.  He leads the Patriots in stolen bases (11-for-11), is tied for second in both hits (21) and walks (12), tied for third in RBI (20) and third in runs scored (24).

Junior infielder Owen Clyne is hitting .306 (19-for-62) in 17 starts at shortstop.  He is tied for third on the club in RBI (20), tied for second in home runs (2) and is fifth in hits (19).

George Mason has 16 returners and added 21 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Shawn Camp, who enters his third year as the head coach of the Patriots. 

The George Mason baseball team was picked to finish ninth (58 points) in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season.  The preseason poll was conducted by the league's 13 head coaches.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday
George Mason: RHP Sam Lavin (2-0, 2.55)
Dayton: RHP Chris Peguero (2-2, 5.06)

Saturday – Game One
George Mason: RHP Connor O'Hara (1-1, 1.29)
Dayton: RHP Peyton Malecha (0-1, 8.66)

Saturday – Game Two
George Mason: RHP Brandon Cassedy (1-0, 3.24)
Dayton: TBD

SCOUTING DAYTON

Dayton has an overall record of 8-10 this season.  The Flyers are 6-2 at home, 0-6 on the road and 2-2 in games played at a neutral site.

Last time out, Dayton fell at Akron, 10-5 on Tuesday. Sophomore outfielder Adin Zorn and junior infielder Dyrenson Wouters each hit a two-run home run in the game.

Dayton played its first road series of the season Feb. 21-23 at then No. 10 Florida.  The Gators swept the series by final scored of 13-1 (7), 11-1 (8) and 12-2 (8).

Last weekend, the Flyers took two-of-three from Bryant at Woerner Field.  Dayton won the first two games, 7-1 and 10-8 while the Bulldogs salvaged the finale, 7-4.

Sophomore infielder/outfielder Michael DiMartini is hitting .424 in 17 starts.  He leads the team in hits (28), triples (3), home runs (6), RBI (21), runs scored (23) and stolen bases (15).

Freshman infielder Rylan Lujo is batting .368 in 18 starts.  He is second on the club in hits (25), doubles (6) and runs scored (15) and is third in RBI (14).

Sophomore catcher Ryan MacDougal has a .352 average in 15 games with 14 starts.  He leads the team in doubles (7), is second in RBI (17) and third in hits (19).
  
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS

Mason has 16 returners and added 21 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Shawn Camp, who enters his third year as the head coach of the Patriots.  He is assisted by Tyler Nelin, Tommy Winterstein, Evan Duhon and Kyle Darmstead.
 
Pitcher Britt Yount is the lone senior on the club.  The junior class includes pitchers Owen Stewart (RHP), Connor Knox (RHP) and Logan Rumberg (RHP), infielder Evan Blanchard and outfielder James Quinn-Irons.
 
Sophomores returning for their second year with the Green and Gold are pitchers Ty Uchman (LHP), Brandt Ertel (RHP), Ryan Edmonds (RHP), Dylan McCarthy (RHP), Cole Egan (LHP) and Shaun Okeeffe (RHP) along with outfielder Jake Kozlowski.
 
The Patriots added 21 new players, with 13 freshman, one junior and four graduate students entering their first year at George Mason.
 
New pitchers joining the Patriots are graduate students Ryan Ament (LHP), Daniel Elliott (RHP), Louden Hilliard (RHP), Sam Lavin (RHP), Gardner Meeks (RHP) and Connor O'Hara (RHP), junior Brandon Cassedy (RHP) and freshmen Michael Bilo (RHP), Jake Drumm (RHP) and Michael Madigan (LHP).
 
New position players include two graduate students, catcher Nick Barenz and infielder Jonny Wall.  Juniors include infielder Owen Clyne, outfielders Lucas Alberti, Drew Canody and Laken Tignor, and catcher Garrett Pancione.  

Freshmen position players embarking on their rookie year are infielders Ty Tomlinson and Jake Stanley, outfielder Tripp Capers and catcher Andrew Raymond.
 
GEORGE MASON 2025 SCHEDULE
 
The George Mason baseball team is schedules to play a 55-game slate that includes 30 contests against Atlantic 10 Conference rivals, 28 games at Spuhler Field, 12 games against six opposing teams that earned a NCAA Regional appearance and two games against opponents that advanced to the College World Series last season.
 
The Patriots began the season with three games at East Carolina (Feb. 14-15) at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, N.C.  George Mason won the first game of a doubleheader, 7-3, then dropped the nightcap, 4-3 on Feb. 14.  East Carolina won the series with a 4-3 victory in the finale on Feb. 15.
 
George Mason fell to Georgetown, 15-14, at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va. (Feb. 18).  The Patriots took two-of-three against St. Peter's (Feb. 21-23) at Spuhler Field.  The Patriots won the opener, 17-2 in seven innings and the series final, 14-4 in seven innings.  The Peacocks won the middle game, 10-7.

George Mason continued the homestand with a 12-1 win in seven innings over William & Mary (Feb. 25).  The Patriots swept a three-game series against Monmouth (Feb. 28-March 2) by final scores of 9-3, 12-11 and 16-2.

George Mason hosted Holy Cross (March 4) and the Patriots broke the NCAA Division I record for runs in an inning, scoring 23 times in the bottom of the second in a 26-6 win over Holy Cross in seven innings on Tuesday afternoon at Spuhler Field.

The previous Division I record for most runs in an inning had stood for nearly 42 years.  The record of 21 runs in an inning was set by the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and again by Wichita State in 1984.

The Patriots defeated Georgetown 8-6 (March 7), Longwood 18-0 in seven innings (March 8) and Towson 7-5 (March 9) in the DMV Challenge at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.
 
In March, George Mason is scheduled to play 19 games with 10 at home and nine on the road. 
 
The Patriots traveled to take on Duke (March 11-12) in Durham, N.C.  The Blue Devils won both games by identical final scores of 6-3.  Duke played in the NCAA Norman Regional last year and notched wins over Bryant and South Carolina before falling to N.C. State in an elimination game.
 
George Mason begins Atlantic 10 play with a three-game set at Spuhler Field against Dayton (March 14-15).  The Patriots then host Towson (March 18) in a midweek game.
 
The Patriots will play a season-high eight straight on the road March 21 through April 1.  The stretch begins with the first A-10 road series of the season at St. Bonaventure (March 21-23), a midweek meeting at Maryland (March 25), three games against rival George Washington (March 8-30) and concludes with a stop at James Madison (April 1) in Harrisonburg, Va.
 
In April, the Patriots are scheduled to play 17 games, with seven at home and 10 on the road.
 
George Mason is back home for a league series against Saint Louis (April 4-6) before a traveling north for a midweek game at Towson (April 8).
 
The Patriots hit the road for three games at VCU (April 11-13) at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.  The Rams won the A-10 Tournament last year to advance to the NCAA Greenville Regional.
 
George Mason is back at home to wrap up the season series against James Madison (April 15) before heading back on the road to face Massachusetts (April 18-20) in Amherst, Mass.
 
The Patriots stay on the road with a midweek game at Mount St. Mary's (April 22) in Emmittsburg, Md.
 
Rhode Island makes a visit to Fairfax for three games (April 25-28) and the Patriots wrap up the month with a game at North Carolina (April 29) in Chapel Hill, N.C.  The Tar Heels hosted the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional last year and defeated LSU to advance to the Super Regional.  North Carolina then won two games against West Virginia to advance to the College World Series.
 
In May, the Patriots are scheduled to play 11 games, with five at home and six on the road.
 
The month begins with a three-game A-10 series against Saint Joseph's (May 2-4).  The Patriots will then play five straight on the road with a stop at William & Mary (May 7) in Williamsburg, Va., a three-game conference series at Davidson (May 9-11) and conclude the trip against Virginia (May 13) in Charlottesville, Va.
 
The Cavaliers hosted and went unbeaten in three games in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional and two games in Super Regional last year to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.  The Cavaliers fell to North Carolina and Florida State in the College World Series. 
 
The Patriots wrap up the regular season at home with three games against Fordham (May 15-17).
 
The Patriots will play three home-and-home series during the 2025 season, taking on James Madison, Towson and William & Mary both at home and on the road.
 
Mason plays 10 league series, five at home and five on the road.
 
Home series against A-10 foes include three-game weekend sets against Dayton (March 14-16), Saint Louis (April 4-6), Rhode Island (April 25-27), Saint Joseph's (May 2-4) and Fordham (May 15-17).
 
The Patriots will visit St. Bonaventure (March 21-23), George Washington (March 28-30), VCU (April 11-13), Massachusetts (April 18-20) and Davidson (May 9-11).
 
The 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held May 20-24 at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.

STRIKE ZONE

George Mason and Dayton have met two times in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament since the Patriots joined the league in 2014.

The Patriots faced the Flyers in the opening game of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Tournament on May 21, 2014.  George Mason scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to edge Dayton, 4-3, in St. Louis, Mo.
 
In the program's first season in the conference, George Mason went on to win four games to claim the 2014 A-10 Conference Tournament.  The Patriots also recorded wins over Saint Joseph's and two against VCU to advance to the Houston Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

George Mason defeated Dayton in the opening round of the 2023 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships, 5-4 in 11 innings, at the Diamond in Richmond, Va.  The Patriots then eliminated the Flyers with a 3-2 victory to advance to the championship game and went 5-1 in the tournament to win its second Atlantic 10 title and advanced to the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional.