Mason Baseball Dominates the CAA

Photo by Stephanie Knapp.
Henderson leads Mason in batting average, on-base and slugging percentage.

By Broadside Sports Editor Brian Chan

The power-hitting tandem of senior left fielder Scott Krieger and junior first baseman Justin Bour serves as a smokescreen to the baseball team’s top-to-bottom batting lineup and pitching rotation.

Earlier this month, George Mason University achieved their best 20-win season after defeating the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers and also won 10 straight games earlier this season. Mason had only one double-digit consecutive winning streak prior to this season.

After breaking their school record of 19 consecutive wins at Spuhler Field with a 6-3 win over the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, Mason has seen their 2009 season as a polar opposite to their slow start in 2008.

Last season, the team lost their first four games, but responded with 30 wins and the third-best conference record before falling to the James Madison University Dukes in the CAA Tournament.

“Anytime you start out 4-0 like we did, it is a big boost in our confidence and we are just an older team,” said junior catcher Chris Henderson. “After the three-game loss in Florida, we knew we had to get our baseball going a little bit better than we had been, so we responded by just staying calm and confident.”

Henderson is among the top three batters with a batting average over .413. He also ranks in the top five in slugging percentage and top three in on-base percentage. It is also remarkable that the catcher also leads the team in triples.

“Chris was always a very good hitter and he is becoming a more accomplished hitter throughout the course of his career, but I think where he has made some drastic improvements is in his catching,” said Head Coach Bill Brown. “He caught a little bit as a freshman, but played a lot of other positions and then settled in last year as our everyday guy.”

Photo by Stephanie Knapp.
Modica was named the CAA Pitcher of the Week on April 6.

“We turn the game to him,we let him call the game and he has a great feel for that with his blocking skills and his throwing. His blocking skills have really developed and he absolutely runs the ballgame as well as anyone we ever had here and we have had some outstanding catchers here. It has really been fun to watch him develop as an elite college player and truthfully put himself in a position to be a professional player.”

Brown mentions that the most impressive part of Henderson’s game is the development of his power, especially with his ability to drive the ball opposite field. Henderson is a five-tool athlete. He is a polished contact hitter that displays exceptional power with the bat and has a solid walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Henderson opened the season with an 11-game hitting streak and was recognized at the national level after being named to the College Baseball Foundation’s National All-Star Lineup on Mar. 26.

“In my estimation, it is always about pitching, but without a catcher, pitching does not work,” said Brown. “Individually, I am just more confident at the plate and with the team that we have, I got a good support group of Justin [Bour] and [Scott] Krieger behind me, so I have seen a lot more pitches. I have maintained consistency due to a lot of BP and practice,” said Henderson.

Several seniors have contributed to Mason’s success this season.

Shortstop Brent Weiss, known for his defensive ability, is having a surprising year on offense. His best offensive season came in 2007 when he batted .263 with 52 hits and 36 runs. This season, he is batting near .300 and has been taking more walks while decreasing his strikeout rate. He hit his first home run of the season against the Mountaineers, which only marked the second home run of his career. He also has 20 RBIs to show for on his offensive resume.

Center fielder Spencer Wiggins usually hits close to .300, but his batting average took a slight dip this season. As a leadoff hitter, he is a major on-base threat with 25 walks and only 15 strikeouts. He and Weiss are among the top on the team in walk-to-strikeout rates. His on-base percentage is .115 higher than his batting average. Even though it is typical for leadoff hitters to try to get contact on the ball and use their speed to reach base, Wiggins has been a more effective base stealer when he also uses walks to his advantage. In his freshman season, he stole 12 bases in 14 attempts. With the season being far from over, Wiggins may exceed that mark, as he has 10 swipes thus far.

“The bottom line of my job is to get on base and let the two through nine guys to get me in. It is huge to get on base and let them do their job. My job is to get on no matter what even if it is getting a hit or taking pitches and getting a walk,” said Wiggins. “I have more opportunities and at the same time, Chris Henderson at the two spot can hit with two strikes, so I am willing to run with an 0-1 or 0-2 count because I know he is confident with the bat and because with those guys behind me, stealing bases is huge.”

Pitcher Mike Modica, who holds a 7-1 record, is one of the team’s two starting southpaws. After recording a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Old Dominion Monarchs last month, his ERA climbed from 3.66 to 5.06 before the April 4 game against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Ever since he started in his freshman season, he progressed his way to a strikeout pitcher. Last season, he struck out 9.71 batters per nine innings. He strikes out nearly one batter per inning this season, but he has also been able to avoid getting hit hard by opposing batters. Batters hit only .241 off him this season whereas he gave up a .333 average last season.

Pitcher Shawn Griffith leads Mason with 21 relief appearances and displays his dominance as a power arm. In addition to his minuscule 1.89 ERA, his 30 strikeouts leads all relievers on the team. He has also given up only seven walks.

“I have been a relief pitcher my whole college career and I really worked hard this summer and then in the fall. One of my goals was to minimize walks and runs, which is what I have done so far, so hopefully I can finish out the season that way,” said Griffith.

The relievers have been exceptional this season as a number of them currently have ERAs below 3.00. In addition to Griffith, junior pitcher Jordan Flasher is making a strong return after missing the entire 2008 season due to an elbow injury. He currently holds the all-time record for saves with 23, including five from this season.
“Flash suffered a tough injury last year and had Tommy John surgery. We have just used him once a weekend or once during the week, but he is going to get back on the mound,” said Brown. “The biggest adjustment is that his velocity is coming back with it being just a couple miles an hour off where he was two seasons ago. By the time this year is said and done, that will get back. We just need to get him out and around more and let him develop his arm strength.”

Senior pitchers Jason Koziol and Ben Reade remain as unnoticed parts to Mason’s dominant bullpen. Opposing batters are hitting below .213 against both pitchers. Especially for Reade, he enters his first and final year in collegiate baseball.
“Our bullpen has been phenomenal. You take Koziol, Reade, Griff, Brecko and Flasher, and that is why we are where we are. There is no question that we have been lights out in the back third of the game on the mound,” said Brown.

Brown mentions that “this is the culmination of a lot of years of work,” where the team is comprised of mostly juniors and seniors. Wiggins, Krieger, Weiss and senior right fielder Ryan Uphouse have played ever since they were freshmen. With patience in the development of those players in their up-and-coming years, Mason has been able to reap the benefits this season.