2015 George Mason Preview

George Mason had a very solid year in 2014, going 22-21, yet they did not advance to the Atlantic 10 Tournament. That was despite having the best ERA in the conference and the third best batting average. The Patriots will need to shake off that disappointment in 2014 and finish 2015 on a high note.

Casey Herring (photo by George Mason Athletics)

Pitching
Staff ace Anna Blessing has graduated, but the Patriots do return a talented trio of pitchers. Christina Gabriele is back after a solid season, which saw her go 5-6 with a 2.92 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 60 innings, while opponents hit just .221 against her. Coach Joe Verbanic is going to look to her for big innings this year. Casey Herring is also back after a decent 2014 season, which saw her go 5-5 with a 3.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 48 innings. Gabriele and Herring should lead the way, but Sarah Kleinfelter and Jess Middleton also figure to see significant time in the circle as well. If the Patriots are going to lead the conference in ERA again, someone is going to need to step up and be the ace.

Catching
Senior Angela Maioran is back at catcher for George Mason. Maioran has manned the dish for the last two seasons, so it would be a surprise if she wasn't back there again in 2015. Katie Kitts and Heather Ferguson should also compete for playing time behind the dish. Coach Verbanic may be looking for more offensive production out of his catchers this year.

Brooke Blankenship (photo by George Mason Athletics)

Infield
The Patriots return almost their entire infield from last year, headlined by Brooke Blankenship. Blankenship had a stellar season in 2014, hitting .394 with 54 hits, 7 HR, 49 RBI, and 12 steals. Blankenship is a legitimate contender for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and George Mason will need another big year from her if they want to make the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Shortstop Mary O'Connor also return after an excellent junior season, both in the field and at the plate.  O'Connor hit .308 with 28 hits, 10 RBI, and 8 steals. Perhaps, her most impressive stat though was her .952 fielding percentage at shortstop. Casey Price is back at first base after a solid 2014. Price hit .328 at the plate with 42 hits and 26 RBI. Coach Verbanic is going to need his infield to lead the way if they are going to advance to the Atlantic 10 Tournament this year. George Mason may look to Liz Seymour or Brianna Boyd to hold down the fort at second base.

Outfield
Tiffany Webb and her immense offensive production are gone, but George Mason does bring back some solid talent in the outfield. Julia Czarnecki returns to lead the outfielders both at the plate and on defense. Czarnecki hit .331 last year with 45 hits, 14 RBI, and 9 steals. The Patriots are going to need her to keep up that production this season. There will be a whole host of players competing for the final two spots in the outfield. One thing is clear though, George Mason must get solid production from those other two spots.

Designated Player
Boyd saw some significant action at designated player last year, but the position may be up for grabs if she starts at second base. The Patriots are going to need production from this position, hopefully of the power variety.

Schedule
George Mason has a fairly manageable nonconference slate. The Patriots will have a very tough opening weekend against UCF and Boston College, but after that the nonconference schedule eases up quite a bit. The Patriots will have 23 straight home games from February 27-March 23 and they will need to take advantage that. George Mason has a favorable conference schedule as they will face Fordham, UMass, St. Joseph's, and La Salle at home. They do not have to face Atlantic 10 Tournament team Dayton and their only road trip against an Atlantic 10 Tournament team is a trip to St. Louis. George Mason will also hit the road to take on George Washington, St. Bonaventure, and Rhode Island.

Outlook
George Mason could be a team that surprises in 2015. They have the pitching and some stars offensively, but they need other players to step up. Brooke Blankenship is going to need some protection in the lineup or opposing pitchers are going to pitch around her. The Patriots are a fast team that likes to run, but they are going to need more power in 2015. George Mason had 9 home runs as a team, three players are on Fordham had more than 9 home runs last year. If the power numbers don't increase, it is hard to see George Mason advancing to Amherst for the Atlantic 10 Tournament.