BASEBALL vs. Rhode Island
WHEN: Friday, April 25 (2 p.m.) – Saturday, April 26 (1 p.m.) – Sunday, April 26 (12 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 12-6
LAST MEETING: The Patriots won two-of-three against the Rams March 31-April 2, 2023 in Kingston, R.I.
GAME NOTES: Click here
WATCH: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The Patriots host Rhode Island for a three-game weekend series in a matchup between the top two teams in the Atlantic 10 beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

In the last meeting between the Patriots and Rams, George Mason won the series March 31-April 2, 2023 in Kingston, R.I.  The Patriots won the first game, 7-6 and the finale, 5-0 while the Rams took the middle game, 8-4.

The Patriots have a 12-6 in the all-time series against the Rams.  Rhode Island has made only one previous trip to Fairfax.  The Rams took 2-of-3 from the Patriots at Spuhler Field March 25-27, 2016.  

Last time out, the Patriots hit four home runs in a 16-3 road win against Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday in Emmitsburg, Md.  Five players scored at least two runs in the game and every player in the starting lineup reached base at least once.

The Patriots have won 10 of their last 12 games.  George Mason has hit 19 home runs in the last 20 games.

Among NCAA leaders (as of April 24), the Patriots are second in the nation in batting average (.332), tied for fourth in sacrifice bunts (41), tied for fifth in hits (465) and sixth in both on-base percentage (.442) and runs scored (386).

Junior outfielder James Quinn-Irons is batting .439 (72-for-164) in 41 starts in center field.  He leads the team in hits (72), doubles, (19), home runs (12) and RBI (63), is second in runs scored (54) and stolen bases (22-27) and fourth in walks (25).

Among NCAA leaders, Quinn-Irons is second in RBI (63), third in hits (72), fourth in total bases (129), tied for fourth in doubles (19), fifth in batting average (.439), sixth in on-base percentage (.537), 13th in slugging percentage (.787) and tied for 19th in runs scored (54).

Sophomore utility player Owen Hull is hitting .413 (64-for-155) in 41 starts.  He paces the Patriots in runs scored (62), and stolen bases (29-33), is second in hits (64), doubles, (13) and home runs (6), third in walks (30) and tied for third in RBI (48).

Among NCAA leaders, Hull is tied for third in runs scored (62), tied for 10th in stolen bases (29), 17th in batting average (.413), 22nd in on-base percentage (.521) and tied for 25th in hits (64).

Junior infielder Owen Clyne is batting .333 (53-for-159) in 41 starts at shortstop.  He is third in hits (53), walks (27) and stolen bases (15-22), tied for third in RBI (48) and home runs (4) and fourth in runs scored (40).

Sophomore infielder Jake Butler has a .325 average (50-for-154) in 41 starts.  He is second on the club in RBI (54), tied for third in home runs (4), fourth in hits (50) and stolen bases (13-15), and fifth in runs scored (34).

On the mound, graduate student Connor O'Hara (5-2, 2.12) leads the team in starts (11), innings pitched (63.2) and strikeouts (62).  Junior Brandon Cassedy (5-1, 2.98) is second in innings pitched (54.1) and strikeouts (51).  Graduate student Sam Lavin (3-0, 5.16) is third in innings pitched (45.2) and strikeouts (36). 

Graduate student Gardner Meeks is second on the club in appearances (16) and leads the team in saves (3).  

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.

The Patriots have a team batting average of .332 and a team ERA of 4.54 through 41 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday

George Mason: RHP Sam Lavin (3-0, 5.16) 
Rhode Island: RHP Jeremy Urena (6-1, 6.04) 

Saturday

George Mason: RHP Connor O'Hara (5-2, 2.12) 
Rhode Island: LHP Trystan Levesque (5-0, 3.51) 

Sunday

George Mason: RHP Brandon Cassedy (5-1, 2.98) 
Rhode Island: RHP Jake Cullen (3-2, 5.03) 

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island has an overall record of 26-15 this season including a mark of 13-5 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Rams are 12-5 at home, 10-13 and 14-10 on the road.

The Rams have won five straight and 10 of their last 12 games.

Last time out, Rhode Island defeated Brown, 12-4, on Tuesday at Bill Beck Field in Kingston, R.I.

In their last A-10 series, the Rams swept three games at home from Dayton (April 18-20) by final scores of 11-10, 8-4 and 8-1.

Sophomore infielder Reece Moroney is batting .378 (59-for-156) in 40 starts.  He leads the club in hits (59), triples (3) and stolen bases (20-28), is second in doubles (10), third in runs scored (42) and fifth in RBI (33).

Senior infielder Anthony DePino is hitting .375 (57-for-152) in 39 starts.  He leads the team in doubles (15), home runs (14), runs scored (62) and walks (43), is second in stolen bases (17-21) and third in RBI 43).

Junior first baseman/outfielder Jack Hopko has a .372 batting average in 39 games with 40 starts.  He paces the Rams in RBI (62), is second in hits (58) and home runs (10) and fourth in runs scored (41).

On the mound, graduate student Trystan Levesque (5-0, 3.51, 10 starts) leads the team in innings pitched (59.0) and strikeouts (59).  Junior Jeremy Urena (5-1, 6.04, 10 starts) is second in innings pitched (53.2) and third in strikeouts (31).  Freshman Jake Cullen (3-2, 5.03, 7 starts) is second in strikeouts (40) and third in innings pitched (39.1).

The Rams  have a team batting average of .313 and a team ERA of 6.52 through 41 games.

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 scheduled 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.

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 began Atlantic 10 play with a three-game set at Spuhler Field against Dayton (March 14-15).  The Patriots dropped the first game, 8-2 and then swept a doubleheader, 8-0 and 11-5.  George Mason downed Towson (March 18) with a 5-4 walk-off win.
The Patriots played a season-high eight straight on the road March 21 through April 1. 

The stretch began with the first A-10 road series of the season at St. Bonaventure (March 21-23) where George Mason won two-of-three games.  The Patriots won the first two games, 21-2 and 14-5 while the Bonnies took the finale, 7-3.

George Mason traveled for a midweek meeting at Maryland (March 25) and fell to the Terrapins, 15-8.

The Patriots lost the first two games at rival George Washington (March 8-30), 4-3 and 87-7, and then won the finale, 11-1 in eight innings.

The longest road stretch of the season concluded with a 6-5 loss 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 swept a league series against Saint Louis (April 4-6) by final scores of 7-5, 7-2 and 8-6 (10).  The Patriots swept the Billikens in a three-game series for the first time in program history.

The Patriots traveled north and won at Towson (April 8) 15-3 in seven innings.

The Patriots hit the road for a weekend series at VCU (April 11-13) and won two-of-three at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.  The Patriots won the first game, 4-2 and the finale, 6-5.  The Rams took the middle game, 10-6.

George Mason wrapped up the season series against James Madison (April 15) with an 11-10 midweek win.

The Patriots won two-of-three at Massachusetts (April 18-20) in Amherst, Mass.  George Mason won the first game, 16-7 and the finale, 12-1 in eight innings.  The Minutemen won the middle game of the series, 2-1.

The Patriots traveled to western Maryland and picked up a 16-3 win in 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 Rhode Island have met twice in the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship with the Patriots winning both opening-round games.  Each contest has been played on May 24th.

In the first meeting, the Patriots hit three home runs and Mason hurlers combined for 10 strikeouts on the way to a 9-5 victory over the Rams on May 24, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. 

In the 2022 A-10 Championship, the Patriots rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth inning to top the Rams, 7-3, on May 24, 2022 in Davidson, N.C.