ASHLAND, Va. -- Carrying a 13-game win streak into the matchup, the Christopher Newport baseball team will return to action on Tuesday afternoon, facing 12th-ranked Randolph-Macon College on the road. The Captains (22-9) will look to avenge a 7-5 loss to the Yellow Jackets earlier this season, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 pm.
Live stats and video will be available as Randolph-Macon brings a 17-7 overall record into the Tuesday afternoon tilt. Links can be found on the baseball schedule at CNUsports.com.
The game kicks off a six-game road trip for the Captains as they near the end of the regular season. It is also one of just two remaining non-conference matchups on the slate for CNU.
Christopher Newport is one of the hottest team's in the nation, riding the longest active win streak in the country with 13 straight. The third longest roll in program history has been powered by strong pitching and an explosive offense. CNU pitching has registered a 3.12 team ERA this season, with four shutouts. The staff has 284 strikeouts in 279.2 innings of work.
The bullpen has been sensational, with a combined 2.70 ERA this season. Junior
Joe Burris (2-0, 0.47 ERA, 3 SV) leads the etam in appearances with 15, and senior
Caleb Myers (0-0, 1.59 ERA, 1 SV) is right behind with 14. Sophomore
Austin Slough has also been dominant out of the pen, boasting a 1.93 ERA in relief appearances.
Offensively, the Captains are hitting .311 this season with a well-balanced attack averaging 7.5 runs per game. Senior
A.J. Nicely leads the team with a .404 mark, while three Captains rank in the top ten in the league. Juniors
Craig Johnson, at .376, and
Brandon Ginch, at .352, are next up among the Captains' leading hitters. Sophomore
Nicholas Baham leads the run production with 34 RBI, ranking second in the CAC.
Randolph-Macon is led by sophomore Jeff Butler and junior Cole Migliorini with 22 combined extra-base hits. Butler is hitting a team-high .381 this season, while scoring 27 runs with 18 RBI. Migliorini has blasted six home runs with 25 RBI and 26 runs scored, Four different Yellow Jackets have driven in at least 25 runs this season for the potent offense, as Stuart Brown, Jay Patti, and Rick Spiers join Migliorini.
On the mound, R-MC boasts a 3.81 ERA this season, led by rookie Michael Zubovich (3-0, 2.25 ERA). Out of the pen, Spiers has four saves and a 1.42 ERA while striking out 23 batters in 19.0 innings of work.
Following Tuesday's matchup with Randolph-Macon, the Captains will return to CAC play at Southern Virginia on Wednesday, April 5. CNU and the Knights will face off at 2:00 pm at Western Albemarle HS in Crozet, Va.
