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PATRIOTS SIGN 4 BASEBALL RECRUITS

December 2, 1997

Head baseball coach Bill Brown has announced four players have signed national letters of intent to attend George Mason University for the 1998-99 academic year.

The four recruits include Brian Anderson, a catcher from Chesapeake, VA; Marcus Davis, a right-handed pitcher from Midlothian, VA; Travis Hardman, a left-handed pitcher from Waynesboro, PA; and Teddy Puitz, a shortstop from Pennsville, NJ.

Anderson, a 6-2 senior at Great Bridge High School, is a left-handed hitter and was the most valuable player for Great Bridge's state runner-up squad last season that featured first-round draft picks Michael Cuddyer and John Curtice. Anderson batted .424 with one home run and 39 runs batted in, and was successful on all 11 of his stolen base attempts.He was an All-Southeastern District first-team selection as a third baseman after batting .419 as a sophomore, and he was the MVP for American Legion Post 280 each of the past two seasons.

Davis, a 6-5 senior at Clover Hill High School, was 5-2 with a 3.34 earned run average and struck out 51 batters in 42 innings last season as he earned first-team all-district and all-region honors. He also received all-district first-team accolades at first base as he batted .375 with two home runs and 24 RBI. Davis was his team's MVP and earned American Legion all-star honors for Post 186.

Hardman, a 6-3 senior at Waynesboro Area Senior High School, is a product of the same program that produced Matt White, a highly touted prospect with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Last season, Hardman was 11-0 with a 1.24 ERA and struck out 88 in 67 innings while walking just 13, and he earned Mid-Penn Conference and Patriot News Big Eleven first-team honors in addition to being selected honorable mention All-USA by USA Today. Last summer, he played for the Oriolelanders, a Mid-Atlantic Region showcase team sponsored by the Baltimore Orioles, and also was the MVP of the Dover American Legion Tournament as a member of the team from Post 15.

Puitz, a 6-2 senior at Pennsville Memorial High School, comes from the same school that produced former Patriot star Chris Widger, now a catcher with the Montreal Expos. Puitz batted .454 with five home runs and 38 RBI last season after hitting .404 with three homers and 30 RBI as a sophomore. He is a two-time All-Tri County selection and earned All-South Jersey first-team honors last season. Puitz was twice named to the Carpenter Cup All-Star Team, and he was invited to play with Team USA in Florida during the summer.

George Mason concluded the 1997 season with an overall record of 29-24, and the Patriots were 10-11 and finished in fourth place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Email baseball contact, Ben Trittipoe (993-3263)