Tommy Winterstein enters his second year as pitching coach for the Patriots for the 2026 season.
Winterstein helped guide the Patriots to a second place finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2025, with an overall record of 40-21 and a 20-10 mark in league play. The Patriots went 20-5 at home, 14-13 on the road and 6-3 in games played at a neutral site. George Mason advanced to the championship game at the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship played at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.
The 40 wins were the most for the program since the 2009 season and the 20 conference victories were the most that the Patriots have posted since joining the A-10 and were the most league wins for the program since 2004 when George Mason went 20-4 in the CAA.
The Patriots broke the NCAA record for runs in an inning by scoring 23 runs in the second inning against Holy Cross on March 4th at Spuhler Field. The record had stood for since 1984.
The 2025 club set seven team offensive records and five players set single-season marks. The Patriots fall team GPA was 3.54, the highest-ever for the program. The team set single-season offensive program records for runs scored (524), hits (677), team batting average (.326), on-base percentage (.429), RBIs (458), walks (316), stolen bases (167) and stolen base attempts (210). The club also posted the fifth-highest total bases (962), tied for fifth in hit by pitch (76) and tied for the 11th-best slugging percentage (.463).
On the mound in 2025, the Patriots set single-season program records for innings pitched (526.0) and lowest opponent batting average (.257), recorded the second-most strikeouts (465) and second-fewest hits per nine innings (8.83), third-best strikeouts per nine innings (7.96) and the 10th-best strikeout to walks ratio (1.96) in school history.
Eight George Mason players earned Atlantic 10 end of season accolades, with 11 awards given to those eight Patriots in five categories, the most among any school in the conference after the 2025 season. Highlighted by junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons earning A-10 Player of the Year, seven other Patriots garnered awards. Quinn-Irons was also selected ECAC Player of the Year.
All-Conference First Team included Quinn-Irons in the outfield, junior Owen Clyne at shortstop, and junior Brandon Cassedy and graduate student Connor O'Hara for starting pitchers. Sophomore outfielder Owen Hull earned All-Conference Second Team as an outfielder and designated hitter. Freshmen Lucas Alberti and Andrew Raymond were named to the All-Rookie Team, and pitchers O'Hara and Gardner Meeks earned All-Academic Team spots.
Two players were taken in the 2025 MLB Draft and two more signed free agent deals. Outfielder James Quinn-Irons was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth round (147th) and pitcher Connor Knox was taken in the 18th round by the Chicago Cubs (541st). Pitcher Brandon Cassedy signed with the Houston Astros and pitcher Connor O'Hara signed with the Cincinnati Reds.
Quinn-Irons was recognized on five All-America teams in 2025, including four first team selections. He was selected DI Baseball First Team All-American, Baseball America First Team All-America, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America First Team, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division I All-America First Team and Perfect Game College Baseball Second Team All-American. He became the first Golden Spikes Award semifinalist in George Mason baseball program history and just the third Atlantic 10 player to be named a semifinalist.
Winterstein joined the Patriots after spending the 2024 season on the staff at the University of Dayton. He helped lead the Flyers to their most wins in a season since 2009. Dayton ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in strikeouts and fifth in ERA.
Under the guidance of Winterstein, pitcher Nick Wissman became the first Flyer in program history to earn Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year honors. Wissman was also selected A-10 First Team Relief Pitcher and to the conference All-Academic Team and became Dayton's first two-time All-American pitcher. He finished the season 11-1, one victory off the all-time Flyers record for wins in a season, notched seven saves, posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 64 batters in his 25 appearances. A total of six Flyers were recognized on All-Conference and All-Academic Teams last season.
Prior to his stint with the Flyers, Winterstein spent two seasons (2021-23) as the pitching coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. As one of the top prep schools in the country, Winterstein worked as the post-graduate level pitching coordinator. The team won 33 games in 2022 and held a .692 winning percentage in 2023. In his tenure, numerous players went on to pitch at the Division I level and seven were selected in the MLB Draft. Winterstein also worked with current minor league and major league pitchers during the off season and leading up to spring training.
Winterstein was the pitching coach for two seasons at the University of Toledo (2020-21) where his pitching staff set the single-season record for strikeouts (403) in 2021 while also tripling its conference wins to leap from last place to 4th place in the MAC standings. He also mentored the 2021 MAC Player of the Year, a pitcher/first baseman drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round. While with the Rockets, Winterstein developed five pitchers who went on to play professionally, including seventh round and 17th round draft picks in the MLB Draft.
Winterstein also spent three seasons at Western Kentucky (2017-19) as the program's volunteer assistant coach and camp director, where he helped lead the Hilltoppers to their first ever Conference USA Tournament appearance in 2019. In addition to his pitching duties, he assisted with catchers and outfielders. The Hilltoppers boasted an All-American outfielder and Conference USA's first triple crown winner, who was selected by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Winterstein helped develop a Johnny Bench Award Finalist in each of his three years, served as the assistant to the strength and conditioning coach and led all workouts while the team was on the road. During his time at Western Kentucky, he coached three pitchers who went on to play professionally, including a 10th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in the 2018 MLB Draft. As camp director, Winterstein set new attendance records in each year he was there.
Winterstein graduated from Charleston Southern University where he began his coaching career as a student assistant as well as the Director of Player Development for the 2016 season upon graduation. While with the Buccaneers, he helped produce a 17th round selection by the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 MLB Draft.
As a former two-way division one baseball player, Tommy Winterstein joins the Patriot's baseball program with 12 years of college baseball experience.
