NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport baseball team is back in action on Thursday, March 13, as they host the Southern Virginia University Knights (1-8). The Captains have lost two in a row, dropping their overall record to 7-8 this season. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm, with live stats available at CNUsports.com. 

The offense continues to be led by senior shortstop Billy Steel, who picked up his second National Team of the Week designation earlier this week. He is hitting .448 and leads the team in nearly every statistical category. He has scored 17 times, driven in 14 runs, stroked six doubles and popped four home runs. His torrid start to the season includes a .543 on-base percentage, reaching first base in 38 of his 70 plate appearances.

Fellow senior Justin Weaver is also off to a strong start through 15 games, hitting .345 with 11 walks. The first baseman has driven in 13 runs with 14 runs scored and nine extra-base hits. As a team, the Captains are hitting .298 with 47 extra-base knocks. 

On the hill, seniors Bryan Bierlein (1-2), Nick Santalucia (2-0) and Jacob Vaughan (2-0) have led the way in 2014. Bierlein has lowered his career ERA to a paltry 2.34, ranking second on the all-time list at CNU, tossing a pair of complete games and striking out 19 in 29.1 innings of work this season. Santalucia and Vaughan have stepped up in big situations and are each off to the best starts of their career, with a 1.59 ERA and 2.96 ERA, respectively.

The Knights are coming off a 14-0 loss to Washington College as they take on their first Capital Athletic Conference foe in CNU. The game will not count in the official CAC standings, as Southern Virginia is still under an NCAA provisional period because of its transition to Division III.

Senior Tyler King leads the Knights with a .333 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage. Junior C.J. Andreus has eight hits this season while Mitch Mantle leads the team with seven run batted in.