May 3, 2007

The George Mason baseball team has three home games remaining this season and they just happen to be the three most important games of the year as the Patriots host first-place Old Dominion in a critical series that could help the Patriots solidify a spot in the CAA Tournament or leave Mason in a big group battling for a spot in the six-team tournament.

Entering the weekend, Mason is in fourth in the CAA with a 12-10 mark. The Monarchs are at the top with a 14-6 record. With all the rainouts this year, some teams, like Mason, will finish the regular season having played fewer than the originally-scheduled 30 conference games. That will leave winning percentage as the determining factor when it comes to the six teams that qualify for the year-end tournament in Wilmington, N.C. The Patriots are within sight of second-place VCU (12-8) and third-place Delaware (11-9) and just slightly ahead of fifth-place UNC Wilmington (12-11). Three teams are battling for sixth with Northeastern (10-10) just ahead of William & Mary (11-12) and Georgia State (10-11).

The three-game set with Old Dominion pits one of the top hitting teams in the conference against the league's top pitching staff. Mason is second in the CAA in batting average (.324), home runs (55), slugging percentage (.500) and leads the league in total bases. The Monarchs lead the CAA in ERA (3.98), opponent's batting average (.261) and strikeouts (363).

Mason has four of the top power hitters in the nation in Scott Krieger, Justin Bour, Jason Bour and Chris Fournier. Krieger entered the week fifth in the nation with 17 homers, Justin Bour was 38th with 12 and Jason Bour and Fournier were tied in 59th with 10. All four players homered on Wednesday in Mason's 18-16 win over Temple. In addition to the strong showing in homers, Krieger is fifth in the country in RBI per game and slugging percentage, Jason Bour is 24th in slugging percentage and Fournier is 23rd in doubles per game and 28th in runs per game. In April, Jason Bour batted .485 with five homers and 20 RBI as the Patriots went 12-6.

While Mason's big bats captured headlines in April, it was a pitcher who had one of the best months in school history. Jordan Flasher made nine appearances in the month and he came away with nine saves. In 13 and one-third innings, he allowed no earned runs, seven hits, five walks while striking out 20. On the year, Flasher is 2-3 with a single-season school record 12 saves and a 1.71 ERA. He has converted 10 straight save opportunities and he last allowed an earned run on March 20, a string of 15 consecutive appearances. He entered the week fourth in the nation in saves and he added one on Wednesday.

As a team, Mason is 20th in the country in home runs per game, 20th in slugging percentage, 22nd in batting average and 36th in scoring with 7.4 runs per game. Old Dominion, meanwhile, is 49th in ERA, 15th in strikeouts per nine innings and despite a lower batting average and fewer home runs than Mason, the Monarchs are scoring more runs per game than the Patriots, standing at 26th in the country with 7.7 runs per game.

Over the weekend, Mason is scheduled to face Dan Hudson on Friday, Anthony Shawler on Saturday and Ryan Bergh on Sunday. Hudson is 7-3 with a 2.75 ERA. He is among the top 100 in the nation in ERA and wins and he's 24th with 85 strikeouts. Shawler is 9-0 with a 2.48 ERA. He is 10th in the country in wins, eighth in the nation with 98 strikeouts and 66th in the country in ERA. Mike Zahm is the most potent hitter in the ODU lineup with a .394 average, 19 doubles, four triples, four homers and 52 RBI. David Burns also has 52 RBI along with eight homers and a .337 batting average.

The Patriots will counter with J.J. Pannell on Friday and Dan Jaycox on Saturday. Sunday's starter will be determined later this weekend. Pannell is among the top 25 in school history in wins and innings pitched and he is 11th in winning percentage and 13th in strikeouts per nine innings. Jaycox, meanwhile, is fourth all-time at Mason in strikeouts per nine innings, sixth in fewest walks per nine innings and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Aside from playing at home where Mason is 16-8 this year, the Patriots have one other thing going for them - a stretch of strong play of late. Mason has won 6 of 8 and 10 of 14. Old Dominion, meanwhile, has not played since April 22, a 12-9 loss to Delaware. The Monarchs are 5-4 over their past nine games.