BASEBALL at VCU
WHEN: Saturday, April 12 (Game One - 1 p.m.) – Saturday, April 12 (Game Two - 4:30 p.m.) – Sunday, April 13 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: The Diamond | Richmond, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (21-12, 8-4 A-10), VCU (10-22, 4-8 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: VCU leads, 66-53.
LAST MEETING: The Rams won two-of-three from the Patriots April 26-28, 2024 at Spuhler Field.
GAME NOTES: Click here
WATCH: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team is on the road for a three-game, conference series at VCU beginning Saturday with a doubleheader at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.  The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. 

In the last meeting between the teams, VCU took two-of-three from the Patriots April 26-28, 2024 at Spuhler Field.  The Rams won the series opener, 6-4, and the finale, 9-8.  The Patriots won the middle game, 3-2.

Last time out, the Patriots recorded 20 hits in a 15-3 win over at Towson in seven innings on Tuesday at Schuerholz Park.  Seven Patriots had a multi-hit game and five players drove in at least two runs. 

Junior third baseman Evan Blanchard went 5-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs.  Graduate student first baseman Jonny Wall was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.  Sophomore right fielder Owen Hull finished 3-for-4 with a triple, RBI and scored a run.  Junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons hit his ninth home run of the season.

Among NCAA leaders (as of April 8), the Patriots are tied for first in the nation in sacrifice bunts (36), third in hits (378), fourth in batting average (.336), fifth in on-base percentage (.446) and ninth in runs scored (314).

Quinn-Irons is batting .436 (58-for-133) in 33 starts in center field.  He leads the team in hits (58), doubles (15), home runs (9) and RBI (47), is tied for first in runs scored (47), second in stolen bases (17-22) and fourth in walks (19).

Among NCAA leaders, Quinn-Irons is seventh in hits (58), 10th in batting average (.436), tied for 10th in doubles (15), tied for 11th in RBI (47), tied for 14th in both runs scored (47) and total bases (102), 20th in on-base percentage (.534) and 32nd in slugging percentage (.767).

Sophomore utility player Owen Hull is hitting .413 (52-for-126) in 33 starts.  He paces the Patriots in stolen bases (20-21), is tied for first in runs scored (47), second in hits (52), home runs (5) and walks (20), tied for third in doubles (8) and is fourth in RBI (37).  Among NCAA leaders, Hull is tied for 14th in runs scored (47), tied for 22nd in stolen bases (20) and tied for 26th in hits (52).

Junior infielder Owen Clyne has a .352 average (43-for-122) in 33 starts at shortstop.  He is tied for first on the club in walks (24), is third in hits (43), RBI (40) and stolen bases (10-16), tied for third in home runs (3) and tied for fourth in runs scored (29).

Sophomore infielder Jake Butler is batting .320 (39-for-122) in 33 starts.  He is second in RBI (45), tied for third in home runs (3), tied for fourth in runs scored (29) and stolen bases (9-10) and is fifth in hits (39).

On the mound, graduate student Connor O'Hara (4-2, 2.27) leads the team in starts (9), innings pitched (47.2) and strikeouts (47).  Graduate student Sam Lavin (3-0, 3.46) is second is innings pitched (39.0) and third in strikeouts (31).  Junior Brandon Cassedy (3-1, 2.88) is second in innings pitched (40.2) and strikeouts (43).  

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 .336 and a team ERA of 4.58 through 33 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Saturday - Game One
George Mason: RHP Sam Lavin (3-0, 3.46)
VCU: TBD

Saturday - Game Two
George Mason: RHP Connor O'Hara (4-2, 2.27)
VCU: TBD

Sunday
George Mason: RHP Brandon Cassedy (3-1, 2.88)
VCU: TBD

SCOUTING VCU

VCU has an overall record of 12-22 this season including a mark of 4-8 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Rams are 5-11 at home, 4-11 on the road and 1-0 in their game played at a neutral site.
 
On Tuesday, VCU fell to Virginia, 13-0 in seven innings at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
 
The Rams dropped their first six A-10 games of the season, losing three games against Rhode Island (March 14-15) and three games at Davidson (March 21-23).  VCU has won each of its last two conference series, taking two-of-three at home against Saint Joseph's (March 28-30) and two-of-three at George Washington (April 4-6).
 
Freshman catcher Jacob Lee is batting .278 (35-for-126) in 31 starts.  He leads the club in hits (35), home runs (8), RBI (34) and runs scored (25).
 
Freshman infielder Nick Flores is hitting .273 (30-for-110) in 31 starts.  He is tied for first in doubles (7) and second in hits (30), home runs (5), RBI (23) and runs scored (24).
 
Sophomore infielder/outfielder Trent Adelman has a .261 average (23-for-88) in 28 games with 26 starts.  He is third on the Rams in RBI (20) and fifth in runs scored (16).
 
The Rams have a team batting average of .241 and a team ERA of 6.95 through 32 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 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

The Patriots have 53 wins over VCU, tied for the most against an opponent in program history.  George Mason also has 53 victories against James Madison.

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

Among the Patriots most common opponents, George Mason has faced James Madison 124 times, followed by VCU (119), Richmond (113), William & Mary (106), UNC Wilmington (100), Towson (100) and Old Dominion (90).