Captains Face Elimination vs. Whitworth in NCAA Championship

CNU takes on Pirates at 1:15 pm CDT/2:15 pm EDT

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APPLETON, Wis. -- The sixth-ranked Christopher Newport University Captains (34-9) will look to stave off elimination on day two of the NCAA Division III National Championship today, taking on Washington state's Whitworth University (30-15-1) at 1:15 pm locally (2:15 pm EDT).

Whitworth is making its first appearance in the NCAA National Championship. This season, the Pirates shook off a slow start to the season and have won 12 of their last 14 games coming into Wisconsin.

About Whitworth
- The Pirates are led by First Team All-American Tyler Pfeffer, hitting .376 with 12 home runs and 59 RBI this season. No other Pirate has more than three dingers this season.
- The pitching staff is the lowest ranked of the remaining eight teams in terms of team ERA. The Pirates have a 4.57 ERA this season.
- Offensively, Whitworth is hitting .303 as a team, with seven starters over .300 on the year. Three different players have scored over 40 times this year and four have driven in 30+.

About the Captains
- CNU is playing in its seventh NCAA Tournament overall and making its third NCAA Finals appearance. In 2002, CNU finished third, and then paired that with a National Runner-Up finish in 2003.
- Pitching depth has been key for CNU this postseason, as five different players have started games in nine postseason games, including the USA South Tournament. Probable starter for Saturday's game is sophomore Bryan Bierlein, making just his second start since March 17. He returned for the NCAA South Regional, picking up the win against nationally-ranked Lynchburg College, improving to 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA.
- No All-Americans and just one All-Region selection in 2012. The Captains boast a solid starting lineup top-to-bottom, one in which no individual player has stood out more than another this year. Seven starters are hitting .297 or better, and everyone has at least 39 hits this year.
- Left fielder Connor Madden has driven in a team-best 43 runs and third baseman Luke Saunders has added 38 RBI from the cleanup spot. South Regional Most Outstanding Player Steven Keener hit three home runs last weekend, giving him a team-high six on the season, while three others have added five each.
- It's now or never for a large group of seniors in 2012. The Captains boast nine total seniors, including seven position players in the starting lineup. The senior class has tied the career record for wins with 123 and has reached three NCAA Tournaments in their run, but will be looking become the first Christopher Newport program other than Women's Track & Field to win a national championship.

How They Got Here
Whitworth won the tough West Regional in McMinnville, Oregon, despite a second-round loss to Trinity (Texas). They bounced back to drop Concordia (Texas), 5-1, in the consolation final, and then beat Trinity twice on back-to-back days, 12-0 and 9-2, to lock up their first trip to Appleton.

Christopher Newport took a unique road through the South Regional on their home field in Newport News. The Captains were the top seed and drew what looked to be a favorable matchup in the opening round, when they played the only un-ranked team in the Regional and the only sub-.500 team in the NCAA Tournament, Messiah College. The Falcons, though, upset CNU, 3-1 and put the Captains in the consolation bracket. CNU then faced elimination in four straight games, but instead sent home the other four teams in the tournament. The Captains beat #19 Lynchburg (7-1), #18 Rowan (4-2), #20 Shenandoah (9-5) and finally fifth-ranked Salisbury University (12-3) in the Regional Final.

All-Time Series
This is the first meeting between the Whitworth University and Christopher Newport University.

NCAA Div. III Baseball National Championship
The entirety of the 2012 NCAA Div. III Baseball Championships will be held at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis., home of the Milwaukee Brewers minor league affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Tickets are available at the stadium and more information is available here. All session passes are $33 for adults and $20 for senior citizens and students with a valid ID.

Directions to the Stadium

Schedule (all times local):
Friday, May 25
G1: Webster vs. #8 Wheaton (Mass.) - Wheaton wins, 3-2
G2: #2 Cortland State vs. #9 Kean - Cortland State wins, 10-5
G3: #4 St. Thomas vs. #6 Chris. Newport - St. Thomas wins, 12-7
G4: #1 Marietta vs. Whitworth - Marietta wins, 13-2

Saturday, May 26
G5: Webster vs. #9 Kean - 10:00 am
G6: #6 Chris. Newport vs. Whitworth - 1:15 pm
G7: #8 Wheaton (Mass.) vs. #2 Cortland State - 4:30 pm
G8: #4 St. Thomas vs. #1 Marietta - 7:45 pm

Sunday, May 27
G9: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7 - 1:00 pm
G10: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8 - 3;30 pm
G11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 - 7:00 pm

The remainder of the tournament is TBD based on matchups and teams remaining.

Interactive Bracket | Printable Bracket

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