Tyler Nelin enters his third year as assistant coach for the 2026 season.
Nelin is responsible for instructing the hitters, coaching the catchers and other defensive positions.
Nelin helped guide the Patriots to a second place finish 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 Patriots fall team GPA was 3.54, the highest-ever for the program. 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, with 11 awards given to those eight Patriots in five categories, the most among any school in the conference after the 2025 season. Highlighted by junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons earning A-10 Player of the Year, seven other Patriots garnered awards. Quinn-Irons was also selected ECAC Player of the Year.
All-Conference First Team included Quinn-Irons in the outfield, junior Owen Clyne at shortstop, and junior Brandon Cassedy and graduate student Connor O'Hara for starting pitchers. Sophomore outfielder Owen Hull earned All-Conference Second Team as an outfielder and designated hitter. Freshmen Lucas Alberti and Andrew Raymond were named to the All-Rookie Team, and pitchers O'Hara and Gardner Meeks earned All-Academic Team spots.
Two players were taken in the 2025 MLB Draft and two more signed free agent deals. Outfielder James Quinn-Irons was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth round (147th) and pitcher Connor Knox was taken in the 18th round by the Chicago Cubs (541st). Pitcher Brandon Cassedy signed with the Houston Astros and pitcher Connor O'Hara signed with the Cincinnati Reds.
Quinn-Irons was recognized on five All-America teams in 2025, including four first team selections. He was selected DI Baseball First Team All-American, Baseball America First Team All-America, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America First Team, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division I All-America First Team and Perfect Game College Baseball Second Team All-American. He became the first Golden Spikes Award semifinalist in George Mason baseball program history and just the third Atlantic 10 player to be named a semifinalist.
In 2024, the Patriots finished the season with a 21-32 overall record, including a mark of 7-17 in Atlantic 10 play. George Mason went 17-10 at home, 3-17 on the road and 1-5 in games played at a neutral site.
In 2023, the Patriots finished the campaign with a 36-27 overall record, including a mark of 13-10 against Atlantic 10 opponents. Mason went 15-11 at home, 14-11 on the road and 7-5 in games played at a neutral site.
Nelin spent the 2023 season as an assistant coach at Lehigh University. As the hitting coach of the Mountain Hawks, Lehigh broke a school record for home runs (54) in a season and had the highest team batting average in program history (.298).
The Mountain Hawks finished the season with 504 hits, averaging 10 hits per game and scored 336 runs, averaging over six runs per game. Nelin guided three All-Patriot League selections, Casey Rother (First Team) and Dom Patrizi and Joe Gorla (Second Team).
Prior to his time at Lehigh, Nelin spent three years as a volunteer assistant (2018-21) and one year as a graduate assistant at George Mason (2022) while earning his Master’s Degree in Sports Management.
In 2023, Nelin moved on to become volunteer assistant coach at Elon University before accepting the position on the staff at Lehigh University.
Nelin was a member of the of the George Mason baseball program as a player from 2015-2018 and helped the club reach the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game his senior year.
In 200 games with 198 starts for the Patriots over his four-year career (2015-18) as a catcher/outfielder, Nelin finished with 211 hits, 19 home runs and 104 RBI. He recorded the 200th hit of his career against Towson on May 2, 2018 at Scherholz Park in Towson, Md.
The Virginia Beach, Va. native was selected Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team in 2017 and 2018.
Nelin ranks in the top-20 in program history in six categories. He is tied for second in hit by pitch (48), tied for fourth in fielding percentage (.989), ninth in starts (198), tied for 11th in games played (200), 12th in at-bats (732), 13th in plate appearances (854) and ranks 18th in hits (211).
Among program leaders, Nelin also finished his Mason career 16th in most putouts (683), 21st in doubles (40) and total bases (310), tied for 26th in home runs (19), 26th in walks (74), tied for 31st in runs scored (111) and 36th in RBI (104).
Selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team for the second straight year after the 2018 season, Nelin started 44 games and finished with a career-best .313 average while ranking third on the team in hits (52) and was fourth in doubles (10) his senior year.
In 2017, Nelin led the Patriots with a career-high 59 games played with 58 starts and finished the season with a .296 average, 10 home runs and 40 RBI. He posted career-highs with 64 hits, 10 home runs and 40 RBI. He led the team in hits (64), home runs (10), doubles (15), slugging percentage (.514) and total bases (111). Nelin's 15 doubles ranked second in the Atlantic 10 and he was also second in the conference in hit by pitch (15).
In 2016, Nelin played in 53 of 54 games with 53 starts and finished the season with a .254 batting average, four home runs and 20 RBI. He ranked second on the team in extra-base hits (12), walks (23) total hits (47) and total bases (67).
During the 2015 season, Nelin made 43 starts as a freshman and finished with a .291 batting average with five home runs and 27 RBI.
Tyler is married to his loving wife Hannah, and the couple currently resides in Northern Virginia.
