Sam Douglas/Fourth Estate
Fueled by a record-breaking performance and league-leading statistics, the Patriots are making a strong push toward the Atlantic 10 Championship.
BY JASON RAGUSA, STAFF WRITER
With the regular season nearing its close, the George Mason baseball team stands at 29-16 overall and 14-7 mark in Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Patriots are currently tied for second place in conference standings, competing closely with Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s for the top spot.
Mason has been quite successful at Spuhler Field, posting a 16-3 home record at , while going 11-12 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites.
Earlier this season the Patriots rattled off a nine‑game winning streak, punctuated by a historic 26–6 victory over Holy Cross on March 4. Mason erupted for 23 runs in a single inning, shattering the previous NCAA record of 21 that had stood for 42 years. The outburst featured 11 hits—five of them doubles—along with eight walks, five hit batters and three errors, all without a single home run.
Junior outfielder James Quinn-Irons has been a key contributor, leading the team in hits, home runs and runs batted in (RBIs). He currently ranks second in the A-10 in batting average, tied for fourth in home runs, and leads the conference in both RBIs and hits. Quinn-Irons has been named Atlantic 10 Under Armor Baseball Player of the Week three times this season.
Sophomore infielder Owen Hull and junior infielder Owen Clyne have also played key roles in powering the Patriots’ offensive surge. Hull ranks second on the team with a .428 batting average, while also contributing 8 home runs and 55 RBIs. Close behind, Clyne holds the third-highest batting average at .348 and is fourth on the team with 50 RBIs.
On the mound, graduate right-hander Connor O’Hara leads the A-10 with a 1.80 earned run average (ERA) and ranks second in the conference with 78 strikeouts. O’Hara holds a 7-2 record through 13 starts.
On March 15, O’Hara threw his second complete game of the season in an 8-0 win over Dayton, allowing just five singles, striking out six, and walking one in a 104-pitch performance. This earned him the A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17.
Junior Brandon Cassedy and graduate student Sam Lavin made key contributions on the mound. Cassedy ranks second on the team with a 6-1 record, a 3.59 ERA, and 68 strikeouts, while Lavin is third with a 3-0 record, a 5.59 ERA and 39 strikeouts.
Statistically, the Patriots lead the Atlantic 10 in both team batting average and earned run average. They hold a conference-best .341 batting average, well ahead of second-place Richmond at .319. On the mound, the Patriots also set the pace with a 4.63 ERA, much lower than Richmond’s 5.69, the next best in the league.
Mason opens a pivotal three‑game series against Saint Joseph’s on Friday, May 2. The outcome will go a long way toward deciding the final Atlantic 10 standings before the conference championship tournament begins Tuesday, May 20 in Richmond, Va.