NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- With the regular season winding down to the final week, every game is of great importance for the Christopher Newport University softball squad. The Captains, ranked 14th in the country, play a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the University of Mary Washington. Game time for the opening game is set for 3:00 p.m. in Fredericksburg.

CNU is 26-6 overall and 7-1 in the CAC. The Eagles of Mary Washington have an overall record of 11-8 and are 4-2 in the CAC standings.

Christopher Newport is coming off a 9-1 week last week that saw the Captains play five doubleheaders in a six-day span. CNU was led last week by senior shortstop Candice Zollars, who was named the CAC Co-Player of the Week. Zollars, CNU's leadoff hitter, led the squad in batting last week with a .586 average (17 hits in 29 at bats). She also scored 15 runs and drove in six. Zollars, a Western Branch graduate in Chesapeake, has raised her batting average for the season to .458 and now tops the team's starters in that category.

CNU's pitching has been outstanding this season, as the Captains have thrown eight shutouts. Sophomore Krista Lewis was 4-0 last week and is now 14-2 with a 1.77 ERA. Sophomore Hanah Marshall is now 9-3 for the year with a 2.82 ERA. 

Following Wednesday's action, the Captains have just one more conference doubleheader remaining in the regular season (Saturday vs. Wesley at Captains Park). The Capital Athletic Conference post-season tournament begins next Thursday, April 17th, at the home field of the top seed.

Christopher Newport and Salisbury currently each have just one conference loss thanks to a split when the teams met on March 22nd at Captains Park. CNU is 7-1 while Salisbury is 5-1 in league play. If both teams win their remaining conference games, a coin flip would determine the site of the CAC Tournament.