ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Three weeks to the day since their last game action, the Christopher Newport baseball team will head to North Carolina for a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday, taking on former conference rivals, N.C. Wesleyan College (2-8). The Captains (3-1) have seen winter storms in Hampton Roads delay the bulk of their early season schedule, to the tune of 11 straight games being either cancelled or postponed. With clear skies and projected temperatures near 80 in Rocky Mount, CNU hopes to end the drought against the Bishops with first pitch set for 1:00 pm.
Before the scheduling woes, CNU opened the season with a 3-1 start, picking up three victories in one-run games. The offense is averaging five runs per game, led by first baseman
Connor Henderson, hitting .438 with five runs scored and a pair of extra-base hits. Junior shortstop
Kyle Corwin is hitting .375 and outfielder
Brandon Ginch is also over .350 in the early going, with a team-best five runs driven in.
On the mound, CNU will be looking to shake off the rust in a pair of seven-inning games on Wednesday. The bullpen has been strong, going 3-for-3 in save opportunities, including one from CAC Pitcher of the Week
Caleb Myers. Myers (1-0) has appeared in three of CNU's four contests and has yet to allow a hit, striking out a pair in four innings of work. In the starting rotation
Joe Burris (0-0) has two starts for CNU, while
Blake Ream (0-0) and
Cameron Parker (0-1) have each posted one.
The Captains and Battling Bishops were originally slated to face off at Captains Park on March 4, but field conditions would not allow the game to get started. NC Wesleyan has won just two of their first ten games, already in the thick of conference season with a 2-7 record in league play. Ciro Norzagaray leads the offense with a pair of home runs, hitting .357 with 7 RBI and 8 runs scored. The junior has also started two games on the mound for head coach Charlie Long, striking out 11 in 14.1 innings of work.
Live stats will be available from Bauer FIeld, and can be found by
clicking here.
