ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell baseball team returns to the Commonwealth of Virginia in a final tune-up for Ivy League play when it plays George Mason at Spuhler Field this weekend in Fairfax, Va.

Series Information

SATURDAY, MARCH 18 - GAME ONE - 11 A.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Von Baker (0-1, 4.61 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Shields (3-0, 1.71 ERA)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoMason.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 18 - GAME TWO - APPROX. 2:30 P.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Ethan Hamill (0-3, 12.27 ERA) vs. RHP Chad Gartland (2-0, 1.71 ERA)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoMason.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 19 - 1 P.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: TBA vs. LHP Konner Eaton (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoMason.com

Last Weekend Rewind

Cornell was swept in its three-game series against VCU last weekend at the The Diamond in Richmond, Va.

Senior outfielders Sam Kaplan and Wils Guy, as well as junior infielder Matt Barnhorst all had four-hit weekends for the Big Red. Sophomore John Quinlan, Barnhorst, and sophomore infielder Max Jensen all scored three runs in the trio of setbacks for Cornell.

Despite being the losing pitcher in last Sunday's contest, senior left-handed pitcher Spencer Edwards struck out eight VCU batters over 5.2 innings of relief in a pair of outings.

Tough to Touch

Over five relief outings so far this season, senior left-handed pitcher Spencer Edwards has been tough to touch so far this season.

Edwards enters this weekend with opponents batting just .170 off of him (eight hits on 47 at-bats), which paces the Ivy League and ranks 84th nationally, through games completed this Monday.

Last weekend, Edwards allowed three hits in his 5.2 innings of relief against VCU. He previously did not concede a hit in his previous 7.1 innings of work over three outings.

20 Years | 334 Miles | 7 Meetings

Cornell and George Mason have played seven times prior to this weekend's series. The Patriots have a slight 4-3 edge in the all-time series, despite Cornell winning three of the last five contests.

The Big Red took two of three games from the Patriots in its last series in Fairfax during the 2017 campaign.

Cornell is playing its second consecutive Atlantic 10 opponent after playing VCU last weekend in Richmond, Va.

It is the first time the Big Red are playing multiple opponents from the Atlantic 10 since 2019. That year, the Big Red played a three-game series against VCU and single games against Fordham — at a neutral site in Towson, Md. — and twice against St. Bonaventure. Cornell went 2-4 in those contests, with the victories coming against Fordham, 1-0, and St. Bonaventure, 8-1. 

Waugh(tch) List

Junior catcher Nathan Waugh was one of 65 players named to the watch list for the 2023 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, it was announced by the Wichita Sports Commission last Friday (March 3).

Waugh, the lone Ivy League catcher named to the list, is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he batted .310 with five doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 18 RBI. He also registered an OPS of .973 in his first true collegiate season after the 2021 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The watch list will be narrowed down to semifinalists that will be announced May 22. The national voting committee will vote on three finalists that will be announced June 6. Following a final vote among the national committee members, the 2023 Buster Posey Award winner will be announced June 29.

When It Runs, It Pours

When Cornell strikes in the scoring column, it tends to come in bunches. Of the Big Red's 37 runs scored this season, 32 have come in multi-run innings (86.4 percent of its run production).

Cornell has had seven two-run innings so far this season, while also recording a trio of three-run innings and adding a four- and five-run frame.

Of the Big Red's 37 runs scored to open the 2023 campaign, 19 have come over the first two innings, comprising 53.1 percent of its scoring output this year.

The Big Red has scored the game's first run in six of its nine contests, and has scored in the first inning in five  of the those games.

Three of the Big Red's last four contests (at #5 Wake Forest, last Friday at VCU, and last Saturday at VCU) has featured Cornell giving its starting pitcher run support before they tossed their first pitch.

Stringing Hits Together

Senior outfielder Sam Kaplan is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, which matches his career long for a third time in his career.

During his six-game hitting streak, Kaplan is batting .348 (8-of-23) with three doubles and an RBI.