Spring Baseball Fever '09

Story by Broadside Sports Editor Brian Chan

The George Mason baseball team opens their season this weekend in Spartanburg, S.C. as they take on the USC Upstate Spartans, UNC Asheville Bulldogs, and the SIU Edwardsville Cougars. Southpaw Mike Modica, who led Mason with 78 strikeouts last season, is one of seven seniors on the 35-man roster.

The Patriots battle the host Spartans on Friday. The Spartans had a 17-8 home record last season despite posting a 25-29 overall record. Senior catcher Phillip Morgan will be one of the team’s key returning players as he finished second on the team with four home runs and 34 RBIs.

Mason takes on UNC Asheville in a Saturday doubleheader. The Bulldogs are led by junior pitcher Justin Schumer and senior catcher Reed Kreiser. Kreiser slugged .512 as he led the team last season with 12 home runs. The Bulldogs outscored their opponents 59-49 runs in the first inning, but struggled in the middle innings.

Mason wraps up their four-game series in South Carolina against SIU Edwardsville. The Cougars have a solid offense with senior infielder Josh Street and junior outfielder/first baseman leading the way. Both players hit over .360 and posted a .400-plus OBP last season. Street was named to the 2008 Rawlings/ABCA All-North Central Region Second Team after setting the school record with 26 doubles. His .407 BA led the Cougars, while Hopkins led the team with a .996 fielding percentage.