NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After the best start in program history, the Christopher Newport baseball team has been rewarded by the voters at D3baseball.com, moving the Captains (8-0) into the Top 25 in this week's poll. CNU is ranked 24th in the nation after the scorching hot start, and is one of four teams in the Capital Athletic Conference represented in the Top 25. D3baseball.com also released it's National Team of the Week, listing CNU designated hitter Brandon Ginch among the country's elite for last week's action. 

Mary Washington also moved into the Top 25 this week, listed at No. 18, while Salisbury, at No. 7, and Frostburg State, at No. 6, remain firmly entrenched among the nation's top teams. The Top 25 is the first release of the regular season. 

Ginch is the third Captain to be named to the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week already this season, joining Tommy Vitaletti and Brandon Walker in the first release last week. In three games at Captains Park, Ginch reached base 10 times in 12 plate appearances for an absurd .833 on-base percentage. He was 3-for-5 officially, and showed off an impressive eye at the plate with five walks and two free passes via hit-by-pitch. He slugged 1.400 thanks to an RBI double and a solo home run against Susquehanna, while scoring five times and earning one stolen base during the week. 

Christopher Newport has featured some of the most dominating bats in the country early this season, ranking among the nation's top ten in batting average, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The offense has outscored opponents 94-33 through the first eight games and the Captains are hitting .349 as a team. 

Leading the attack has been senior outfielder Tommy Vitaletti, with a .613 average in 31 at-bats. Vitaletti has driven in 15 runs and scored 15 times while going 9-for-9 on the basepaths. Brandon Walker (.400), Connor Henderson (.391) and Ginch (.389) are also impressing early this season, with a combined 23 RBI and 27 runs scored. 

On the mound, Blake Ream, Craig Johnson and Jaxn Lane have each posted solid starts for the Captains this season, while the bullpen has been a lockdown unit so far this season. The team ERA is 2.88, bolstered by a bullpen ERA of 1.98. The relievers are led by senior closer Adam Emerson, who has allowed just one hit in four appearances this season with two saves, and junior Caleb Myers, who has already pitched in five games, striking out seven in 9.0 innings of work. 

Christopher Newport is back in action today, hitting the road for just the second time this season. The Captains travel to face Hampdeny-Sydney College to wrap up the season series against the non-conference foes, with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 pm. The Tigers are 7-4 this season and CNU captured a 9-3 victory against H-SC at home in the season opener on February 11.