Baseball Picked Fourth in A-10 Preseason Poll
2/12/2025 2:43:00 PM | Baseball
WASHINGTON – The George Washington baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Preseason Poll, the conference announced on Wednesday. The Revolutionaries received one first-place vote and are coming off a 2024 season that saw the program make its first trip to the A-10 Championship since 2018.
GW's 2025 squad is highlighted by the depth it returns to the starting pitching rotation, namely Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honoree Michael Foltz, who looks to follow up a breakout campaign a season ago. As the team's ace, Foltz finished with a 5-1 record on the mound, tossing 74.1 total innings and a team-best 2.92 ERA. He also held opposing batters to a career-best and team-low .176 average and pitched GW's only complete game in a 9-1 win over Dayton in the second round of the A-10 postseason tournament. Other notable returnees on GW's pitching staff include Teddy Brennan, Max Haug, Graham Jeffries and Shugy Klein.
On offense, the Buff & Blue will lean on the bats of Ellis Schwartz, Robbie Lavey and Sam Gates who all return following stellar 2024 seasons. Schwartz was the team leader in batting average, boasting a .356 line in 56 games. He recorded 72 hits, including 18 for extra bases, 43 RBI and 45 runs scored. Lavey was a welcome addition to the squad as a rookie last year, tallying a .318 average with 54 hits. He drove in 24 runs and scored 32 of his own. Gates, who set the program record with 24 doubles last season, slashed for a .307 line with 74 hits. He tallied 41 RBI, 45 runs scored and a team-best seven home runs.
Head Coach Gregg Ritchie, the program's all-time leader in coaching wins, returns to the GW dugout for his 13th season at the helm. Ritchie will guide the GW Revs into the 2025 season this Friday, as the Buff & Blue make a trip to the West Coast for a three-game set against USC. Friday's Opening Day contest is set to begin at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Buff & Blue's home opener is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21, against Holy Cross at 2:30 p.m. The full 2025 Atlantic 10 Baseball Preseason Poll results can be found below.
The number in parenthesis indicates first-place votes.
T1. VCU – 125 (4)
T1. Richmond -125 (1)
3. Saint Louis – 124 (5)
4. George Washington - 104 (1)
5. Davidson – 80 (1)
6. Dayton - 75
7. Rhode Island - 71
8. Saint Joseph's - 66
9. George Mason - 58
10. Massachusetts - 44
11. Fordham - 35
12. St. Bonaventure - 29
