Freshman first baseman Greg Filson has been selected as the Connection Newspapers/George Mason University Athlete of the Week as well as earning the CAA's Player of the Week.
Filson, a native of Bowie, MD, and a 1996 graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, had an outstanding week as he batted .533 (8-15) to help lead the Patriots to three victories in four games to improve to 24-21 overall, 10-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
A 5-10, 180-pound left-handed hitter, Filson had two hits and a double in each of George Mason's four games last week. He also had three runs batted in for the week, one each against Delaware Friday and in the first two games against Old Dominion Saturday. For the season, Filson is second on the team with a .387 average, is tied for fourth with 27 RBI and tied for sixth with eight doubles while adding two homers.
George Mason, which has won 12 of its last 16 games and eight of its last 11 in the CAA, has experienced its resurgence since Filson has taken off at the plate. Inserted into the cleanup spot in the batting order against right-handed pitching in early April, he has thrived batting behind CAA "Player of the Year" candidate junior Mike Colangelo. Filson currently has a seven-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 contests, with a .520 batting average (26-50) with 12 runs, five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 RBI in that span.
"Our recent success coincides with Greg's success," said Patriot head coach Bill Brown. "He has really filled a hole for us in the middle of the batting order and has been very productive. As a freshman, Greg has been one of our key players, not a complementary player, all season. That can be a burden on some freshmen, but Greg has responded well to the pressure."