NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After slipping to No. 9 in this week's national rankings, the Christopher Newport baseball team will take on Southern Virginia University (14-13, 6-6) at Captains Park on Wednesday afternoon, wrapping up the regular season series with the Knights. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm as the Captains (27-6, 11-2) look to stay atop the conference standings. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live at the start of play. Links to both can also be found on the baseball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

Christopher Newport has climbed the national rankings all season long with a 15-2 record since the start of March. A top ten team in the ABCA national rankings and D3baseball.com Top 25, the Captains are averaging 8.9 runs per game this season while hitting .316 as a team. After an 18-game winning streak, CNU raced to the top of the CAC standings and are now tied with Salisbury for first place with just five games left to play. 

Offensively, CNU has featured some serious firepower all season long, leading the nation with 33 home runs and ranking fourth nationally in doubles with 79. Leading those efforts is a dangerous foursome in the middle of the lineup that features a pair of juniors and a pair of seniors. Juniors Seth Woodard (.407, 8 HR, 48 RBI) and Nicholas Baham (.301, 7 HR, 35 RBI) lead the the team in RBI while Woodard also paces the group in runs scored with 41. The senior duo is Brandon Ginch (.370, 7 HR, 36 RBI) and Craig Johnson (.297, 5 HR, 32 RBI), and Ginch is tied for the team lead in doubles with 13. 

On the pitching mound, the Captains have solidified its rotation for the year with Logan Harrelson (3-1, 3.75 ERA), Thomas Packert (6-0, 3.33 ERA), Gray Goodrich (5-2, 4.91 ERA), and Josh Husby (3-0, 2.70 ERA). The latter two are rookies that have burst onto the scene for the Captains in a combined 12 starts this season during their first year. Husby has struck out 34 batters in 30 innings of work, including a 7-inning, 9-K effort last week that saw him assist in the Captains' fifth shutout of the year. 

CNU defeated Southern Virginia, 14-7, on April 4 in Buena Vista, behind a powerful display that included four home runs in the contest. The Captains improved to 12-2 all-time against the Knights with the win. 

This season, Southern Virginia has been led by sophomore Cole Critchfield, hitting .347 with a team-high 22 RBI and 20 runs scored. Rookie Bridger Taylor is also hitting a team-best .361 during his first year while delivering 14 RBI. The pitching staff has a 5.21 team ERA, but senior Tayler Peterson is 5-1 with a 3.74 ERA to lead the way for the Knights. Reliever Jonathan Hodges is 2-2 with 3 saves while posting a 3.32 ERA out of the pen. 

Following Wednesday's home action, CNU will travel to Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday for a doubleheader against the Lions.