SALISBURY, Md. -- The top two teams in the Capital Athletic Conference baseball standings will match up in a pivotal league matchup on Wednesday afternoon, as the second-place Christopher Newport Captains (23-12, 13-2) travel to first-place Salisbury University (23-8, 14-1). First pitch from the Sea Gulls will be at 3:30 pm with live stats and a live video webcast available. 

With just three games remaining on the league schedule, the game holds massive playoff implications. If Salisbury wins, they earn a season split against the Captains and will earn at least a share of the regular season championship. CNU would earn a sweep with a win, and moves back into a tie for first place in the league standings with just Saturday's doubleheader left.  

Earlier this season, CNU captured a thrilling 5-4 win over Salisbury in 10 innings at Captains Park, as sophomore Joseph Cutchins delivered a walk-off single. Rookie Thomas Packert put together an impressive start, tossing eight innings with 10 strikeouts; junior Joe Burris finished out the game with two innings of one-hit relief to pick up the win. 

The Captains have leaned on stellar front-of-the-line pitching as senior Mike Thomas (6-2, 1.80 ERA) and Packert (5-0, 1.91 ERA) are among the league leaders in every statistical category. The back end of the bullpen has also been terrific, led by Burris (2-0, 1.29 ERA, 3 SV) and senior Caleb Myers (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 15 app). As a team, the Captains boast a 3.25 ERA with 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Offensively, CNU has been led by senior A.J. Nicely, who has driven his batting average up to a team-high .403 while riding an 11-game hitting streak. Nicely also ranks second on the team in home runs (5) and RBI (28). At the plate, CNU is averaging 7.5 runs per game while hitting .305 as a team. Craig Johnson (.374, 23 RBI, 30 R), Brandon Ginch (.328, 27 RBI, 19 R), and Nicholas Baham (.320, 35 RBI, 33 R) are also hitting over .300 through 35 games this season. 

Salisbury is coming into Wednesday's matchup with nine wins in the last ten games following the extra-inning loss to the Captains. The top two arms for the Sea Gulls are undefeated this season, as Jeff Oster (5-0, 2.91 ERA) pitched against CNU in game one, and Pete Grasso (4-0, 1.45 ERA) have combined for nine wins. Grasso leads the league with a 1.45 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work. 

Offensively, Grasso is also one of the top bats in the Salisbury lineup with a .339 average while ranking in the top three in RBI and runs scored. Jack Barry leads the squad with a .355 average with a league-best eight home runs, driving in 34 runs and scoring 35 times. 

Salisbury owns a 41-28 advantage in the all-time series. 

The game will be played at the SU Baseball Field in Salisbury, Md. Links to live stats and video will be available at CNUsports.com. Following the pivotal matchup, CNU will return home for Senior Day on Saturday, April 15 against Penn State Harrisburg.