BASEBALL vs. Fordham
WHEN: Thursday, May 15 (2 p.m.) – Friday, May 16 (1 p.m.) – Saturday, May 17 (12 p.m.)
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (35-17, 19-8 A-10); Fordham (23-30, 13-14 A-10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 14-8.
LAST MEETING: The Patriots won two-of-three against the Rams May 5-7, 2023 in New York, N.Y.
GAME NOTES: Click here
WATCH: Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team wraps up the regular season with a weekend series against Fordham beginning Thursday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

George Mason's Tuesday game at Virginia was canceled due to the forecast for rain in the Charlottesville area.  The game will not be rescheduled.

Last time out, the Patriots won two of three at Davidson, their first road series win over the Wildcats in series history; the last time the Patriots won a series against the Wildcats was in 2015 in Fairfax, their first-ever meeting.

The Patriots have now won eight of their nine Atlantic 10 Conference series and have a 19-8 conference record. In the conference standings, they are in second place behind 20-7 Rhode Island, who George Mason beat two games to one at home on April 25-27.

Earlier this week, the Atlantic 10 Conference announced that junior pitcher Brandon Cassedy was named Atlantic 10 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week and freshman outfielder Lucas Alberti was named Rookie of the Week, the league announced on Monday afternoon.

This is the rookie's first weekly award of the season while this is also the starting pitcher's second weekly conference award.

Cassedy scattered five singles over 7.1 shutout innings to improve to 7-1 on the season in the Patriots 6-2 win over Davidson on Sunday. The right-hander from Manassas, Va., struck out a season-high nine batters and walked just one. Cassedy retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced in the game and allowed just one runner into scoring position in the outing.

Alberti went 9-for-18 with his first career grand slam, 10 RBI, four runs scored, three walks and three stolen bases. He had four multi-hit games and drove in at least one run in every game. Alberti went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBI in the series opener at Davidson in a 15-7 win and was 2-for-4 with three stolen bases in the middle game of the series. An outfielder from Toronto, Ontario, he has a 12-game hitting streak and hit .500 during the week.

George Mason has an all-time record of 14-8 against Fordham. The last time the Patriots faced off against the Rams was the 2023 season, when the Patriots took two of three games against the Rams in New York, N.Y.

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 14), the Patriots are second in the nation in sacrifice bunts (59), fourth in batting average (.333), sixth in on-base percentage (.440) and in hits (577) and seventh in runs scored (466).

Junior outfielder James Quinn-Irons is batting .415 (85-for-205) in 52 starts.  He leads the team in hits (85), doubles, (20), home runs (13) and RBI (74), is second in runs scored (64) and stolen bases (26-32) and third in walks (33).

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 14), Quinn-Irons is fifth in RBI (74), seventh in hits (85), 11^th in batting average (.415), , 15^th in total bases (148) and on-base percentage (.520), 17^th in doubles (20), 27^th in runs scored (64) and 34^th in slugging percentage (.722).

Sophomore utility player Owen Hull is hitting .392 (78-for-199) in 52 starts.  He paces the Patriots in runs scored (73), and stolen bases (38-43), is second in hits (78), doubles, (14) and home runs (7), second in walks (36) and third in RBI (57).

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 14), Hull is fifth in runs scored (73), ninth in stolen bases (38), 23^rd in hits (78), 32^nd in batting average (.392) and 36^th in on-base percentage (.500).

Hull now holds the season record for most steals in a single season with 38. The previous record of 36 was set in 1992 by Lonnie Goldberg.

Junior infielder Owen Clyne is batting .341 (70-for-205) in 52 starts.  He is third in hits (70), walks (33) and stolen bases (19-26) and fourth in RBI (56) and runs scored (52) and fifth in home runs (4, tied).

Sophomore infielder Jake Butler has a .309 average (60-for-194) in 52 starts.  He is second on the club in RBI (62), fourth in stolen bases (16-19) and fifth in hits (60), home runs (4, tied) and runs scored (41).

On the mound, graduate student Connor O'Hara (7-3, 2.58) leads the team in starts (14), innings pitched (80.1) and strikeouts (79).  Junior Brandon Cassedy (7-1, 3.08) is second in innings pitched (73.0) and strikeouts (70).  Graduate student Sam Lavin (4-0, 5.11) is third in innings pitched (56.1) and strikeouts (48).

Among NCAA leaders, O'Hara is 31^st in earned run average (2.58)

Graduate student Gardner Meeks is second on the club in appearances (22) and leads the staff in saves (4). Graduate student Daniel Elliott is second 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 .333 and a team ERA of 4.62 through 52 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Thursday

George Mason: RHP Connor Knox (2-0, 3.63) 
Fordham: RHP Mike Rabayda (2-5, 5.32) 

Friday

George Mason: RHP Connor O'Hara (6-2, 1.95) 
Fordham: LHP Ameer Hasan (2-1, 3.20) 

Saturday

George Mason: RHP Brandon Cassedy (5-1, 3.77)
Fordham: TBD 

SCOUTING FORDHAM

Fordham has an overall record of 23-30 this season including a mark of 13-14 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Rams are 13-12 at home, 9-15 on the road and 1-3 in neutral locations.

In the month of May, the Rams are 2-5. They were swept by A-10 foe Rhode Island (May 2-4), dropping all three games, and they won two of three against Dayton (May 9-11) in their final A-10 home stand.

Last time out, the Rams lost 7-4 to Marist (May 13) in a midweek matchup in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Graduate student outfielder Andrew Kanellis is batting .358 (69-for-193) in 53 games, having started every game except for one.  He leads the club in batting average (.358) and RBI (44), is tied for first in hits (69) and home runs (8), third in runs scored (41) and tied for third in walks (26).

Freshman utility player Taylor Kirk is hitting .337 (69-for-205) in 52 starts.  He leads the team in triples (3), is tied for first in hits (69), is second in stolen bases (26-31), third in doubles (9) and tied for third in walks (26).

Junior infielder Daniel Bucciero has a .327 average (67-for-205) in 53 starts.  He leads the team in doubles (15), runs scored (50),stolen bases (32-37) and walks (30), is tied for first in home runs (8), second in hits (67), triples (2) and RBI (37)

On the mound, graduate student Mike Rabayda (2-5, 5.32, 13 starts) leads the team in innings pitched (69.1) and strikeouts (63). Sophomore Aidan Dowd (3-6, 7.20, 13 starts) is second in the staff in innings pitched (55.0) and strikeouts (49). Freshman Elson Beau (6-2, 6.00, 19 appearances) is third in innings pitched (48.0) and strikeouts (48)

The Rams have a team batting average of .283 and a team ERA of 6.87 through 53 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.

The Patriots won two-of-three against Rhode Island in Fairfax (April 25-28).  George Mason took the first two games, 5-4 and 10-1 while the Rams salvaged the final game, 15-9.

George Mason then wrap up the month with a game at North Carolina (April 29) in Chapel Hill, N.C., where they rallied late to tie the No. 4 Tarheels 4-4 in the seventh but ultimately lost 13-4.  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.

George Mason began the month at home with a three-game A-10 series sweep against Saint Joseph's (May 2-4) by final scores of 6-2, 4-3 and 9-1.

The Patriots then started their five game road trip with an 8-7 win at William & Mary (May 7) in Williamsburg, Va. and took two of three at Davidson (May 9-11).  The Patriots won the opener, 15-7 and the finale, 6-2, while the Wildcats took the middle game, 6-4.

The final game of the road trip against Virginia (May 13) was canceled due to rain, and it will not be rescheduled.

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.

George Mason played 10 league series, five at home and five on the road.

Home series against A-10 foes included 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 visited 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 second-seeded Patriots defeated third-seeded Fordham, 4-0, on May 24, 2018 in the Atlantic 10 Championships at Barcroft Park in Arlington, Va.

With the win, Mason advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Baseball Championships for the second time in program history.