KINSTON, N.C., May 13, 1996 ... Junior catcher Adam Virant and sophomore center fielder Mike Colangelo of the George Mason University baseball team were honored tonight by being selected to the All-Colonial Athletic Association second team at the annual CAA baseball awards banquet at King's Restaurant.

Virant and Colangelo were each chosen for the honor in voting by the league's eight head coaches and it was the first time either had been recognized by the CAA. It also marks the third straight season George Mason has not placed a player on the All-CAA first team.

Virant, a 5-11, 175-pound catcher, has been a solid performer for the Patriots all season. A native of Omaha, Neb., and a 1993 graduate of Papillion La Vista High School, Virant came to George Mason last fall from Ft. Scott (Kansas) Community College and currently ranks fourth on the team in batting at .317 and adds six doubles, two home runs, five stolen bases and 26 runs batted in. Virant has thrown out 20 percent (13-of-65) of would-be basestealers this season, but has been more successful lately as he has caught six of the last 15 (40 percent) of the runners trying to steal against him.

Colangelo, a 6-0, 190-pound center fielder, has been George Mason's top hitter for much of the season. A native of Dumfries, Va., and a 1994 graduate of C.D. Hylton High School, Colangelo leads the Patriots with a .358 average and adds 10 doubles, six triples, five home runs, four stolen bases and 37 RBI. His six triples leads the CAA and ranks him 15th in the nation, while he is third on the team in RBI and is tied for third in doubles and home runs.

George Mason concluded its regular season with a 25-27 overall record, 12-9 and in fourth place in the CAA. The Patriots meet fifth-seed East Carolina (21-22, 10-11 CAA) in the first round of the CAA Tournament Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Grainger Stadium in Kinston.