NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With just three games left before postseason play, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team will close out the home portion of the regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader against Wesley College. The final games of the Capital Athletic Conference season for both teams will prove crucial in tournament seeding as the Captains can finish anywhere from first to third in the league standings; the top two teams host first-round pods in this year's postseason tournament. 

First pitch is scheduled for Noon at Captains Park, with live stats and a live video webcast available at CNUsports.com. The second game will be played approximately 30 minutes after the first game's conclusion, tentatively scheduled for 3:00 pm. 

The Captains (29-7, 13-3) are seeking the program's fifth 30-win season and first since 2012. Wesley has already been eliminated from contention for the conference championship and will look to spoil the Captains' hopes at a regular season championship. The Wolverines come in with a 10-21 overall record and 4-12 mark in conference play. 

This season, the conference tournament format has changed, with the top two seeds hosting first-round pods with three teams. The two winning teams will then advance to play a best of three series the following weekend. Christopher Newport can clinch one of the top two spots with a single win on Saturday, as the Captains are currently locked in a first-place tie with Salisbury atop the standings. 

Christopher Newport has been strong in all three phases of the game this season, ranking in the top 25 nationally in offense, pitching, and fielding. Offensively, CNU ranks sixth in runs scored, fourth in home runs, and second nationally in walks. On the mound, the Captains are sixth nationally in K's per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio, while also ranking 14th in WHIP. Defensively, CNU has put together one of it's finest seasons in recent history, ranking 23rd with a .969 fielding percentage. 

Individually, junior third baseman Seth Woodard ranks in the top 10 nationally in runs batted in, driving in 51 so far this season. He also ranks 16th nationally with 45 runs scored and 11th in home runs, with 9, while pacing the Captains attack. Senior Brandon Ginch is also putting together a career year hitting .367 with 38 RBI and 33 runs scored. Sophomore reliever Brian Owens ranks second nationally in pitching appearances, having tossed in 24 games already this season, and the lefty also ranks 7th nationally in K/9 with a 14.32 mark. 

The Wolverines are hitting .291 as a team, led by the league's leading hitter in senior Chris Seibert. Seibert is hitting .468 with 21 extra-base hits, eight home runs, 39 RBI and 30 runs scored to lead Wesley in nearly every statistical category. The pitching staff is anchored by senior Alex Marrs, with a 4.38 ERA and team-leading three wins this season. Marrs has one complete game and has struck out 54 batters in 51.1 innings of work. 

Following the conference doubleheader, CNU will travel for one more regular season game as they head to fourth-ranked Randolph-Macon College in non-conference action next week.