NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Making up a game that was originally scheduled to be played on February 12, the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team will host Bridgewater College (6-2) at 2:00 pm on Thursday afternoon. The Captains (8-1) are coming off their first loss of the season after falling to Hampden-Sydney on Tuesday, while the Eagles come into Thursday's tilt for their final prep before conference play begins in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference on Saturday.  

Bridgewater is receiving votes in this week's D3baseball.com Top 25, while the Captains vaulted into the national rankings for the first time since late April of the 2013 season. CNU and Bridgewater haven't played since 2014, when the Eagles captured a 5-1 win at home over CNU. The Eagles hold a 27-20 advantage in the all-time series, but CNU has won six of the eight matchups at Captains Park, which opened in 2004. 

The CNU offense has been scalding hot, outscoring opponents 96-38 so far this season, for an average of over 10 runs per game. Senior outfielder Tommy Vitaletti is hitting .571 with 16 RBI and 15 runs scored already this season, and fellow senior Connor Henderson is riding an eight-game hitting streak. 

On the hill, reliever Caleb Myers has appeared in six of CNU's nine contests, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.64 ERA. Junior Jaxn Lane leads the team in strikeouts (12) and ERA (0.90) but is unlikely to appear in Thursday's game after starting against the Tigers on Tuesday. 

Bridgewater opened the season with four straight wins, outscoring opponents 39-5, but have split their last four with wins over Penn State Harrisburg and close losses to nationally-ranked Mary Washington and Stevenson. Junior Kenner Berry has seven extra-base hits already, including three home runs, and leads the team with a .424 batting average. Senior Ryan Leake ranks second on the team in RBI and is also a top starter for the Eagles, with eight strikeouts in 10.1 innings of work. 

The Eagles' pitching staff boasts a 1.39 staff ERA and has allowed just 16 runs in the first eight games. Senior Brady Cockerham is another dangerous starter for Bridgewater, allowing just one unearned run in two starts this season with 11 innings of work. 

Live stats will be available at CNUsports.com/live