BASEBALL vs. Dayton
2025 ATLANTIC 10 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
WHEN: Tuesday, May 20 (3 p.m.)
WHERE: Capital One Park | Tysons, Va.
RECORDS: #2 George Mason (36-19, 20-10 Atlantic 10); #7 Dayton (26-29, 14-16 Atlantic 10)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Patriots lead, 15-13; Patriots are 3-0 in postseason play.
LAST MEETING (REGULAR SEASON): The Patriots won two-of-three against the Flyers March 14-15 at Spuhler Field.
LAST MEETING (POSTSEASON): The Patriots defeated the Flyers 3-2 to advance to the 2023 A-10 Championship Game on May 26, 2023, at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
GAME NOTES | BRACKET | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS

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TYSONS, Va. – The George Mason baseball team enters the 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship as the second seed and will face seventh-seeded Dayton in the first round on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.

The Patriots opened conference play this season with a three-game series against the Flyers on March 14-15 at Spuhler Field in Fairfax. After losing 8-2 in the Friday opener, the Patriots swept the Saturday doubleheader, 8-0 and 11-5, to win the series.

George Mason (36-19, 20-10 A-10) will compete in the A-10 Championship for the fifth time in nine seasons and the sixth time in program history.

The Patriots finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-10 mark against A-10 opponents. The 20 conference victories are the most that George Mason had posted in the A-10 and the most league wins for the program since 2004, when the Patriots went 20-4 in the CAA.

The Patriots won eight of their 10 conference series this season. George Mason took 2-of-3 from Dayton (March 14-15), at St. Bonaventure (March 21-23), at VCU (April 12-13), at Massachusetts (April 18-20) and against Rhode Island (April 25-27) and swept three-game sets from Saint Louis (April 4-5) and Saint Joseph's (May 2-4).

The 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will feature three games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, two games on Friday and the championship will be decided on Saturday, May 24.

The winner of the game between the Patriots and the Flyers will face either third-seeded Saint Louis or sixth-seeded Fordham on Wednesday, with the first pitch slated for 3 p.m.

The winner of the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

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.

GOLDEN SPIKES

Yesterday, USA Baseball announced that junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons was named one of the 25 semifinalists for the 47^th Golden Spikes Award, the organization announced Sunday afternoon.

Quinn-Irons is the first Golden Spikes Award semifinalist in George Mason baseball program history.  The award is given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation.

With this nomination, Quinn-Irons becomes only the third Atlantic 10 player to be named a semifinalist. The previous two were pitchers Matt Mikulski of Fordham in 2021 and Adam Mills of Charlotte in 2007.

Quinn-Irons started all 55 games in George Mason's regular season and had a batting average of .410 (89-for-217). He led the team in hits (89), doubles, (22), home runs (14) and RBI (78), is second in runs scored (67) and stolen bases (28-34) and third in walks (35).

In his junior season campaign, the Reston, Va., native had 27 multi-hit games, 24 multi-RBI games and two multi-home run games.

He was a three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, the most of any player in the league. In overall stats, he led the conference in OPS (1.239), doubles (22) and total bases (157). He was second in batting average (.410), hits, (89), RBI (78) and on-base percentage (.515) and was fourth in slugging percentage (.724).

Among NCAA leaders, Quinn-Irons is third in the nation in RBI (78), seventh in hits (89), 13^th in total bases (157), 14^th in batting average (.410) and doubles (22), 16^th in on-base percentage (.515), 26^th in runs scored (67) and 41^st in slugging percentage (.724).

HISTORY AGAINST THE FLYERS

George Mason has an all-time record of 15-13 against Dayton. The last time the Patriots faced off against the Flyers was earlier this season, when the Patriots opened conference play this season with a three-game series on March 14-15 at Spuhler Field in Fairfax. After losing 8-2 in the Friday opener, the Patriots swept the Saturday doubleheader, 8-0 and 11-5, to win the series.

In postseason play, George Mason and Dayton have met three times, and the Patriots have won all three matchups by one run.

The Patriots and Flyers 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.

PATRIOT SEASON HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE

George Mason had an overall record of 36-19 in the regular season including a mark of 20-10 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Patriots were 20-5 at home, 14-13 on the road and 2-1 in neutral locations.

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 19), the Patriots are fourth in the nation in sacrifice bunts (60), fifth in batting average (.328), seventh in on-base percentage (.434), eighth in hits (611) and 12^th in runs scored (479).

Junior outfielder James Quinn-Irons is batting .410 (89-for-217) and started all 55 games in the regular season.  He led the team in hits (89), doubles, (22), home runs (14) and RBI (78), was second in runs scored (67) and stolen bases (28-34) and third in walks (35).

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 19), Quinn-Irons is is third in the nation in RBI (78), seventh in hits (89), 13th in total bases (157), 14^th in batting average (.410) and doubles (22), 16th in on-base percentage (.515), 26^th in runs scored (67) and 41^st in slugging percentage (.724).

Sophomore utility player Owen Hull is hitting .382 (81-for-212) and started all 55 games in the regular season.  He paces the Patriots in runs scored (75), and stolen bases (39-44), is second in hits (81), doubles, (14) and home runs (7), second in walks (37) and third in RBI (58).

Among NCAA leaders (as of May 19), Hull is is seventh in the country in runs scored (75), ninth in stolen bases (39), 29^th in hits (81) and 45^th in batting average (.382).

Hull now holds the season record for most steals in a single season with 39. The previous record of 36 was set in 1992 by Lonnie Goldberg.

Junior infielder Owen Clyne is batting .333 (73-for-219) and started all 55 games in the regular season.  He is third in hits (73) and stolen bases (19-26), fourth in walks (34), RBI (56) and runs scored (53) and fifth in home runs (4, tied with Butler).

Sophomore infielder Jake Butler has a .305 average (62-for-203) and started all 55 games in the regular season.  He is second on the club in RBI (63), third in stolen bases (16-19, tied with Alberti), fourth in home runs (4, tied with Clyne), fifth in hits (62), and runs scored (42).

Freshman outfielder Lucas Alberti has a .335 average (70-for-209) and started all 55 games in the regular season. He is third in home runs (5, tied with Andrew Raymond), doubles (12) and runs scored (56) fourth in hits (70) and stolen bases (16-23, tied with Butler) and fifth in RBI (44) 

On the mound, graduate student Connor O'Hara (7-4, 2.98) leads the team in starts (15), innings pitched (81.2) and strikeouts (81).  Junior Brandon Cassedy (7-1, 3.00) is second in innings pitched (75.0) and strikeouts (72).  Graduate student Sam Lavin (4-0, 5.46) is third in innings pitched (57.2) and strikeouts (49).

Among NCAA leaders, O'Hara is 46^th in earned run average (2.98) and Cassedy is 48^th (3.00)

Graduate student Gardner Meeks is second on the club in appearances (23) and leads the staff in saves (4). Graduate student Daniel Elliott is second in saves (3).  

The Patriots have a team batting average of .328 and a team ERA of 4.72 through 55 games.

RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS/PRESEASON POLL

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.


2025 ATLANTIC 10 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING
 
#1 Rhode Island (35-20, 22-8 A-10)
#2 George Mason (36-19, 20-10 A-10)
#3 Saint Louis (31-24, 18-12 A-10)
#4 Davidson (25-27, 18-12 A-10)
#5 Saint Joseph's (24-26, 17-13 A-10)
#6 Fordham (25-31, 15-15 A-10)
#7 Dayton (26-29, 14-16 A-10)

SCOUTING DAYTON

Dayton had an overall record of 26-29 in the regular season including a mark of 14-16 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Flyers were 16-10 at home, 8-17 on the road and 2-2 in neutral locations.

Sophomore utility player Michael DiMartini is batting .415 (93-for-224) in 52 starts.  He leads the club in batting average (.415), runs scored (68), hits (93), triples (7), home runs (13), RBI (62) and stolen bases (37-42).

Freshman infielder Rylan Lujo is hitting .373 (85-for-228) and started all 55 games in the regular season.  The four-time A-10 Rookie of the Week is second on the team in runs scored (52), hits (85), triples (2, tied), home runs (9), and RBI (54).

Sophomore outfielder Adin Zorn has a .326 average (73-for-224) and has played in all 55 games and started in 54.  He is second in doubles (15), third in hits (73), RBI (46) and home runs (8, tied) and fourth in runs scored (41, tied) and triples (1, tied).

On the mound, redshirt senior Chris Peguero (5-4, 6.35, 13 starts) leads the team in innings pitched (78.0) and strikeouts (89). Junior J.J. Gatti (4-4, 6.52, 14 starts) is second in the staff in innings pitched (59.1) and strikeouts (54). Sophomore Bennett LaPalm (1-3, 5.27, 22 appearances) is third in innings pitched (41.0) and strikeouts (50)

The Flyers have a team batting average of .309 and a team ERA of 7.48 through 55 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 wrapped up the regular season at home with three games against Fordham (May 15-17). After winning the first game in walk-off fashion thanks to a Quinn-Irons three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Rams took the last two games, winning 13-3 in the middle game and 5-2 in the series finale.

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

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.