BASEBALL at Swig & Swine College Classic
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 20 (2 p.m.) vs. Seton Hall – Saturday, Feb. 21 (12 p.m.) vs. Ball State – Sunday, Feb. 22 (10 a.m.) vs. Seton Hall
WHERE: Shipyard Park | Charleston, S.C.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ball State leads, 2-0; First meeting with Seton Hall

---

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team is on the road this weekend to face Seton Hall and Ball State at the Swig & Swine College Classic in Charleston, S.C.

George Mason has 13 returners and added 19 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Shawn Camp, who enters his fourth year as the head coach of the Patriots. 

Last season, the Patriots finished in second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2025, with an overall record of 40-21 and a 20-10 mark in league play.  The Patriots went 20-5 at home, 14-13 on the road and 6-3 in games played at a neutral site.  George Mason advanced to the championship game at the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship played at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.

The 40 wins were the most for the program since the 2009 season and the 20 conference victories were the most that the Patriots have posted since joining the A-10 and were the most league wins for the program since 2004 when George Mason went 20-4 in the CAA. 

The Patriots broke the NCAA record for runs in an inning by scoring 23 runs in the second inning against Holy Cross on March 4th at Spuhler Field.  The record had stood for since 1984.

The 2025 club set seven team offensive records and five players set single-season marks.  The team set single-season offensive program records for runs scored (524), hits (677), team batting average (.326), on-base percentage (.429), RBIs (458), walks (316), stolen bases (167) and stolen base attempts (210).  The club also posted the fifth-highest total bases (962), tied for fifth in hit by pitch (76) and tied for the 11th-best slugging percentage (.463). 

On the mound in 2025, the Patriots set single-season program records for innings pitched (526.0) and lowest opponent batting average (.257), recorded the second-most strikeouts (465) and second-fewest hits per nine innings (8.83), third-best strikeouts per nine innings (7.96) and the 10th-best strikeout to walks ratio (1.96) in school history. 

Eight George Mason players earned Atlantic 10 end of season accolades last year, with 11 awards given to those eight Patriots in five categories, the most among any school in the conference after the 2025 season.
  
SCOUTING SETON HALL

Seton Hall finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 24-30, including a mark of 10-11 against Big East Conference opponents.  The Pirates went 16-7, 7-21 on the road and 1-2 in games played at a neutral site last season.

The Pirates played two games at the Puerto Rico Challenge last weekend.  Seton Hall lost to Boston College, 6-4 and defeated Manhattan, 7-2.  The Pirates were scheduled to play N.C. State but the game was canceled.

Sophomore Mason Christopher was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for his outing against Manhattan.  He struck out a career-high 10 batters over 5.0 innings out of the bullpen to earn his first collegiate win.

SCOUTING BALL STATE

Ball State finished the 2025 season with a 36-22 overall record, including a mark of 21-9 in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC).  The Cardinals were 15-6 at home, 18-12 on the road and 3-4 in games played at a neutral site.

Ball State finished in third place in the MAC last season behind Kent State and Miami.  The  Golden Flashes and RedHawks tied for first with 23-7 records in league play.

The Cardinals have won three of their first four games to open the 2026 campaign.  Ball State defeated St. John's 4-3 and 8-2, and downed Stetson 5-2 before falling to Minnesota in their last game 8-0.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS

George Mason has 13 returners and 19 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under Shawn Camp, who enters his fourth year as the head coach of the Patriots.  He is assisted by Tyler Nelin, Tommy Winterstein, Evan Duhon, Gardner Meeks and Kyle Darmstead.
 
The Patriots have five seniors on the club with pitcher Logan Rumberg (Okotoks, Alberta, Canada), infielders Evan Blanchard (Manassas, Va.) and Owen Clyne (Wichita, Kan.), and outfielders Drew Canody (Tampa, Fla.) and Laken Tignor (Tappahannock, Va.).

The junior class includes pitchers Shaun Okeeffe (Toms River, N.J.) and Owen Stewart (Elmira, N.Y), along with infielder Toby Hueber (Cincinnati, Ohio).
 
Sophomores returning for their second year with the Green and Gold are outfielder Lucas Alberti (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and pitchers Jake Drumm (Burke, Va.), Brant Ertel (Cedar Grove, Ind.) and Michael Madigan (Syracuse, N.Y.)
 
The Patriots added 19 new players, with four freshmen, one sophomore, four juniors and 10 graduate students entering their first year at George Mason.
 
New pitchers joining the Patriots are graduate students Diego Cardenas (South Bend, Ind.), Sam DiLella (Wayne, Pa.), Brandon Hsu (Brookline, N.H.), Carter Kelsey (Westport, Conn.), Jackson Peters (Plano, Texas), Tyson Willis (Snohomish, Wash.) and Thomas Wrehe (Southlake, Texas).
 
New position players include three graduate students, utility player Cooper Smith (Eden Prairie, Minn.), outfielder Luciano Terilli (Dallas, Texas) and catcher Logan Vaughan (Coweta, Okla.).  Junior transfers include catcher/outfielder Vincent Cowdrey (White Lake, Mich.), utility player Matthew Westley (Manassas, Va.) along with pitchers Tanner Kaler (Concord, N.C.) and Parker Thomas (Bowie, Md.).

Redshirt-sophomore catcher Jack McCarthy (Burke, Va.) is set for his first year with the Green and Gold.  Freshmen position players embarking on their rookie year are catcher Austin O'Hara (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), and infielders Julius Bagnerise (Manassas, Va.) and Jackson Morse (Raynham, Mass.), and pitcher Aiden Parker (Virginia Beach, Va.)
 
GEORGE MASON 2026 SCHEDULE
 
The Patriots are scheduled to play a 55-game slate that includes 30 contests against Atlantic 10 Conference rivals, 26 games at Spuhler Field, and eight games against three teams that earned a NCAA Regional appearance last season.

George Mason is scheduled to play 11 games in the first month of the 2026 campaign.

The Patriots began the season with a four-game series at No. 23 Oregon (Feb. 13-15) in Eugene, Ore.  The Ducks, who were the 12th seed in the NCAA Eugene Regional last year, swept the series.

George Mason will travel for games against Seton Hall and Ball State at the Sig & Swine Classic in Charleston, S.C. (Feb. 20-21).

The Patriots open a four-game homestand with a midweek matchup against William & Mary (Feb. 24) and then host Lehigh for a three-game set at Spuhler Field (Feb. 27-March 1).

In March, George Mason is scheduled to play 18 games with 10 at home and eight on the road. 

The Patriots will alternate road and home games over their next seven.  The stretch begins with the club traveling to take on James Madison (March 3) in Harrisonburg, Va., followed by a home game against Towson (March 4), three games against Georgetown (March 6-8) with two of the games at Spuhler Field and one at Capital One Park in Tyson, Va., and a midweek road contest against Longwood in Farmville, Va.

George Mason begins Atlantic 10 play with a three-game series at Spuhler Field against St. Bonaventure (March 13-15).  The Patriots then host Mount St. Mary's (March 18) in a midweek game.

The Patriots play six of their next seven games on the road.  The stretch begins with the first A-10 road series against defending Atlantic 10 Champion Rhode Island (March 20-22), followed by a home midweek game against Longwood (March 24) and concludes with a three-game league series at Saint Louis (March 27-29) in St. Louis, Mo.

The month concludes with the Patriots beginning a four-game homestand when they host USC-Upstate (March 31).  The Spartans won both the Big South regular season and tournament championship last season and played in the NCAA Clemson Regional.

In April, the Patriots are scheduled to play 16 games, with eight at home and eight on the road.

George Mason is back home for a league series against Davidson (April 3-5) before a traveling north for a midweek game at Towson to wrap up the season series with the Tigers (April 8).

The Patriots return home for three games against Richmond (April 10-12) at Spuhler Field. 

George Mason begins a stretch of eight-of-nine on the road with a stop at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md. (April 15), followed by three games at Saint Joseph's (April 17-19).  After hosting James Madison (April 21), the Patriots pack their bags for a three-game set at Fordham in Bronx, N.Y. (April 24-26) and a midweek game at Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. (April 28) to wrap up the month. 

In May, the Patriots are scheduled to play 10 games with six at home and four on the road.

The month begins when George Washington makes a visit to Fairfax for three games (May 1-3).

The Patriots will then play four games on the road with a stop at William & Mary (May 5) in Williamsburg, Va. and a three-game conference series at Dayton (May 8-10) in Dayton, Ohio.

The Patriots wrap up the regular season at home with three games against La Salle (May 14-16).

The club will play six home-and-home series during the 2025 season, taking on Georgetown, Longwood, James Madison, Mount St. Mary's, Towson and William & Mary both at home and on the road.  George 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 St. Bonaventure (March 13-15), Davidson (April 3-5), Richmond (April 10-12) and La Salle (May 14-16).

The Patriots will visit Rhode Island (March 21-22), Saint Louis (March 27-29), Saint Joseph's (April 17-19) and Fordham (April 24-26).

The 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held May 19-23 at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.