YORK, Pa. -- The Capital Athletic Conference baseball regular season will come to a close on Saturday, as Christopher Newport University travels to face the regular season champion York College of Pennsylvania Spartans. The Spartans (19-3, 13-1) locked up the league title on Wednesday, and will host next week's CAC Tournament as the top seed. The Captains (19-12, 11-4) are currently in second place, but seeding will be determined by Saturday's results. 

The doubleheader is set to begin at Noon on the campus of York College, with live stats and a live video webcast available at CNUsports.com. 

A pair of senior arms have headlined the Captains pitching staff this year, as Nick Santalucia (6-0, 0.96 ERA) and Bryan Bierlein (4-3, 1.19 ERA) are the probable starters for Saturday's twin bill. Both players have been sensational this season, combining for 86 strikeouts in 16 starts this year. Santalucia, a lefty, has allowed just two earned runs over his last seven outings, while Bierlein has tossed three complete games in his last five starts. 

Offensively, the Captains have exploded in the second half of the season, averaging nearly nine runs per game over the last 15 contests. Since March 15, CNU has registered ten games with double-digit hits, averaging nearly 13 per contest in that stretch. Leading the way are the top of the order in junior outfielder Tommy Vitaletti and, out of the two-hole, senior shortstop Billy Steel. Vitaletti is riding a 19-game hit streak and is among the nation's leaders in doubles. The Williamsburg, Va. native has 15 two-base hits this year, leading the Captains, and has scored 31 times. Steel is having one of the finest seasons in CNU history, hitting .432 with a team-best 37 RBI and 39 runs scored. He ranks second in the nation in home runs, with ten, and has 23 extra-base hits this season. 

Senior Curtis Pittman has caught fire lately, and has hit a career-high four home runs in 16 starts this season. Taking over a starting spot because of injury, Pittman has taken advantage, hitting .429 in 63 at-bats, driving in 15 runs and scoring 13 times. As a team, CNU is hitting .314 and slugging .500, leading the nation in home runs with 36 blasts this season. 

The Captains will be taking on a talented Spartans team that has just one loss in its last 17 games. The impressive run has seen York climb into the D3baseball.com national rankings, currently listed as the 24th-best team in the country. A talented offense leads the way, with four players hitting over .400 and a balanced attack that has seen the team hit .351 combined this year. Senior Brad Wenzel is hitting .433 for the Spartans, with a team-high 32 RBI, while Colin Porter and Derek Pitzer are also over .400 with a .411 and .410 mark, respectively. 

David Walker and Elliot Mortimer are the probables for York, each boasting strong seasons for the Spartans. Walker is 4-1 in six starts, posting a team-best 1.87 ERA, while Mortimer has a 2.02 ERA and a sterling 4-0 record in 35.2 innings of work. Mortimer leads the team with 24 strikeouts, while walking just three batters this season. 

Following the game, the CAC Tournament seedings will be finalized and next week's conference tournament schedule set. The top three seeds will host a first round game on Tuesday, April 15, and then all six playoff teams will advance to York College (Pa.) for the remainder of the double-elimination tournament.