Shawn Camp enters his fifth season overall and second as head coach of George Mason baseball for the 2024 season.
In 2023, Camp guided the Patriots to a 36-27 overall record, including a mark of 13-10 against Atlantic 10 opponents in his first season as the skipper of the Patriots. Mason went 15-11 at home, 14-11 on the road and 7-5 in games played at a neutral site.
The sixth-seeded Patriots went 5-1 at the 2023 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships held at The Diamond in Richmond, Va., including three elimination game victories to claim the league title for the second time in program history. Mason last won the A-10 title in its inaugural season in the conference in 2014.
Camp led Mason to its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2014. The Patriots defeated Northeastern and Maryland in the Winston-Salem NCAA Regional and advanced to the Regional Final for the first time in program history. Mason won two games in one NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Patriots defeated the Huskies, 11-3, and downed the Terrapins, 11-10. The 11 runs against Maryland were the most that the Patriots have scored in a NCAA Tournament game in program history, eclipsing the previous high in the 1992 East Regional in a 10-2 win over Rider in Gainesville, Fla.
Starting pitcher Chad Gartland, reliever Owen Stewart, catcher Connor Dykstra and outfielder Alex Knapp were selected to the Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team. Gartland was named Atlantic 10 Conference Pitcher of te Year and selected to the A-10 All-Championship Team.
Mason recorded 36 wins on the season, the most for the program since 2009. The Patriots also set a new program single-season records for stolen bases (164) and strikeouts (516). Starting pitcher Ben Shields finished the season tied for 31st in the nation in strikeouts (107). Among NCAA stolen base leaders, infielder/outfielder South Trimble tied for 27th (30) and outfielder Derek Wood tied for 31st (29).
The Mason pitching staff finished first in the Atlantic 10 Conference in ERA (5.02) and saves (15) while posting the lowest opponent batting average (.258) in school history. The Patriots pitching staff also set single-season program records for strikeouts (516) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.36). The team dropped the overall ERA from 6.44 in 2022 to 5.02 in 2023.
The Patriots won 13 of their final 19 games of the regular season in 2023, with six of the victories by one run. Including the NCAA Tournament, Mason won 20 of its last 26 games of the season.
Camp joined the Patriots as assistant/pitching coach for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and was elevated to associate head coach for the 2022 season.
The Patriots finished the 2022 campaign with a 13-11 record in Atlantic 10 play and qualified for the A-10 Baseball Championship. Mason went on to defeat Rhode Island, 7-3, in the opening round.
Under Camp's direction, senior pitcher Jared Lyons became the 47th player in program history selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, when he was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
The baseball team produced off the field as well, earning a 3.08 GPA for the 2021-22 academic year. Ten players made the Dean's List and 19 student-athletes earned the A-10 Commissioner's Award in Spring 2022.
The Patriots finished the 2021 season with a 14-29 overall record. Junior pitcher Jared Lyons was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team starting pitcher, A-10 All-Academic Team and Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Second Team starting pitcher. Lyons became the first Mason baseball player to earn A-10 First Team and All-Academic honors in the same season since the Patriots joined the league in 2014. He finished the season 6-2 with a 3.73 ERA and among A-10 leaders during the 2021 season, ranked second in lowest opponent batting average (.192), tied for third in wins (6), fourth in both innings pitched (72.1) and strikeouts (76), and eighth in ERA (3.73).
The Patriots 2020 season was canceled after 15 games due to the Covid-19 virus.
Camp, a Fairfax native, was a catcher in high school at James W. Robinson and converted to a pitcher while at Mason. He played for the Patriots from 1995 through 1997.
Camp was selected in the 16th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres and played professionally from 1997-2014 for nine different organizations.
In his 11 seasons in the majors, Camp appeared in 541 major league games for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He finished his MLB career with a 29-33 record, 12 saves and compiled 405 career strikeouts.
During the 2012 season, Camp led the MLB with a career-high 80 appearances for the Cubs.
"I am extremely excited to reunite with Coach Brown and the George Mason University Baseball staff," Camp said. "Coach Brown was a huge influence on my career as a young athlete and taught me from an early age the importance of hard work and dedication to the game of baseball. I was truly blessed to play 18 years of professional baseball and spend 11 seasons in the Major Leagues. With my experience in the game and to be able to teach collegiate players the lessons I learned is something I am looking forward to."
Camp ranks among the top-15 in Mason program history in numerous categories. He holds Mason all-time record for strikeouts per nine innings (9.21), is tied for sixth in lowest opponent batting average (.258) and is tied for eighth in saves (7). Camp also ranks ninth in Mason program history in both winning percentage (.636) and complete games (7), 11th in strikeouts (175), 14th in wins (15) and 15th in appearances (53).
Camp went 6-2 for the Patriots during the 1996 season and holds Mason’s single-season record for winning percentage (.750) and is fourth on the all-time list in strikeouts per nine innings (10.6). His 78 strikeouts during the 1997 season are tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history.
The Shawn Camp Baseball Academy has developed numerous players that have gone on to play collegiately and professionally, including Jake Agnos and Nick Wells.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT SHAWN CAMP
Joe Maddon – Manager, Chicago Cubs
“Shawn’s ability to adapt made him a highly effective major league reliever. I felt like he got better as he went along. He was able to figure things out and adjust as his career progressed. He was durable, a great teammate and it didn’t hurt that he had a keen sense of humor.”
Dave Martinez – Manager, Washington Nationals
“I’ve known Shawn for many years. As I look back at our time together, I think of what a fierce competitor he was. He was always willing to learn and strive to get better. Shawn is a student of the game and developed into a team leader who was a positive influence in the clubhouse. He will be a tremendous asset to the student athletes, the baseball program and George Mason University.”
Scott Proefrock – Assistant General Manager, Philadelphia Phillies
“Shawn continually made adjustments throughout his career in order to continue to perform and compete at the highest level of his profession. Once his career was finished, he looked to give back and help others work towards their goals in the game. His ascension to this position with his alma mater is no surprise. He will have a positive impact on the athletes as performers and more importantly as people.”
Javier Lopez – Four-time World Series Champion
“I am very happy for Shawn. Everything has come full circle for him with his return to George Mason. He is not far removed from playing so he will do an outstanding job connecting with his players. He knows the area very well and has a strong baseball acumen. Shawn has the great ability to help with the mental state of the game and with the overall preparation. He has tremendous energy and will do an outstanding job with the George Mason baseball program.”