FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - FAIRFAX, VA, August 30, 1996 ... Head baseball coach Bill Brown has announced J.J. Picollo, who enjoyed great success as a player with the George Mason baseball team in the early 1990s, has returned to the Patriots as a full-time assistant coach.

Picollo, 25, returns to George Mason after two seasons as an assistant coach at George Washington University. While with the Colonials, Picollo worked toward a master's degree in exercise science, with an emphasis on sports studies, and expects to earn his degree by May 1997.

With the Patriots, Picollo will work with the catchers and outfielders, set the outfield defense during games and coach first base. He also will assist top assistant coach Mark Leavitt with recruiting.

Picollo played two seasons with the Patriots after transferring from North Carolina State University and helped lead George Mason to its first-ever at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament in 1993 as a junior, batting .314 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in. His batting average dipped to .269 as a senior in 1994 as he battled back injuries, but he still led the Patriots with seven homers and 37 RBI. Picollo was a second-team All-CAA selection at catcher as a senior.

Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round after his junior season, Picollo elected not to sign professionally and returned to George Mason to complete his B.S. degree in communication. He signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent following his senior year and played one season at Oneonta, NY, in the Class A New York-Penn League.

In addition to his coaching duties at George Washington the past two seasons, Picollo spent his summers as manager of the Arlington Senators of the local Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League. He guided the Senators to a second-place finish in the CGL in 1995 before Arlington won the college division title at the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) tournament in Cincinnati. This past summer, Picollo led Arlington to a 34-16-1 record, the CGL championship and a runner-up finish in the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) national tournament in Johnstown, Pa.

A native of Cherry Hill, NJ, Picollo earned all-group, all-conference and all-state honors while leading Cherry Hill West High School to the 1989 New Jersey Group IV state championship. He was a two-time all-state and All-South Jersey selection, and as a senior, he was honored as a regional All-American and was drafted in the 16th round by Cincinnati.

"We're extremely excited to have J.J. back in our program," said Brown, who has an overall record of 415-360-3 in 15 seasons as head coach at George Mason. "We feel he is one of the best young coaches in the country. He had a major impact on our program as a player, and we expect an even greater impact as a coach. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge for someone so young, and we are fortunate to have him back at George Mason."