NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport baseball team will take on cross-water rival Virginia Wesleyan College (3-4) at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, as they host the Marlins in non-conference action. The Captains (3-4) have won two in a row as they take on a VWC squad that is on a three-game roll. 

The game will be the latest in a long-standing rivalry between the two programs that has seen the Captains go 24-29 all-time. CNU has won five of the last six matchups dating back to the 2011 season. 

Led by seniors Billy Steel and Justin Weaver, the Captains are hitting .300 as a team and are averaging nearly six runs per game. Steel is hitting .444 with at least one RBI in six of the Captains seven games while Weaver is at .360 with a team-high 10 RBI. Junior Tommy Vitaletti is hitting .385 out of the leadoff spot and has reached base 17 times so far this season. 

On the hill, the Captains have been led by the senior class, as Bryan Bierlein (1-1) and Nick Santalucia (1-0) have combined for five of the seven starts this season. Jacob Vaughan has also made a pair of appearances out of the pen, boasting a 2.35 ERA. 

The Marlins picked up a milestone victory in their last game, as head coach Nick Boothe notched his 600th victory becoming only the 30th coach in Division III history to reach the mark. Virginia Wesleyan had lost four straight to start the season before running off their current three-game win streak. 

Rookie Nic Kurz has led the way through the first seven games, hitting .346 with a pair of extra-base hits. Senior Brett Sutryk has three doubles, leading the Marlins, while freshman Taylor Erby has added a team-best seven RBI. 

Junior pitchers Alex Tucci and Dylan Stoskus have started four games for the Marlins and each baost sub-3.00 ERA's so far. Tucci's 1.81 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched leads the way, while Stoskus has struck out 18 batters. 

Live stats will be available at CNUsports.com.