NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Captains Park will play host to four games this weekend as the Christopher Newport baseball team is set to welcome Susquehanna University and Oswego State University in non-conference action. First, the Captains will take on Susquehanna at 2:00 pm on Friday and again at 1:00 pm on Saturday; the weekend will conclude when Oswego State travels to Newport News to face Susquehanna at 11:00 am Sunday morning before taking on the host Captains at approximately 2:00 pm. 

Both Susquehanna and Oswego State are listed among D3baseball.com's Preseason national rankings, with the former receiving votes in the poll and the latter checking in at No. 11 nationally to start the year. Neither team has played a game yet this season with Susquehanna opening the year against CNU on Friday and Oswego State starting with a game against Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday. 

The Captains have already played seven games, earning a 5-2 start to the year behind overall strong pitching. CNU has outscored their opponents 54-21 this season, including a dominating 17-0 victory over Virginia Wesleyan in their last game. In that contest, Jordan Mason notched five hits and Nicholas Baham drilled a grand slam to highlight the offensive performance, while five different pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout. 

So far this season the offense has been led by Mason, hitting .419 with three extra-base hits, 7 RBI and 7 runs scored. Newcomer Seth Woodard is also hitting .304 with a team-best 9 RBI while junior catcher Ryan Grubbs has a team-best .429 average in four starts. 

On the mound, Thomas Packert (1-0) and Logan Harrelson (0-0) have led the way with five starts in the first seven games. Packert boasts a 0.00 ERA in 12.2 innings while Harrelson has struck out a team-high 15 batters in 11.0 innings of work. Sophomore Brian Owens leads the bullpen with 13 K's in 5.0 innings of work in four appearances this spring. 

Last season, Oswego State won their first SUNYAC regular season and tournament championship since 1996 to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Lakers captured the regional championship. After advancing to the College World Series, Oswego State closed the season with a 32-11 overall record. 

Susquehanna is favored to win the Landmark Conference after winning two of the last four seasons. The River Hawks return five players selected as 2018 Collegiate Baseball Players to Watch, including senior Cole Luzins. Luzins hit .307 with four home runs last season. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live for all four games.