NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Christopher Newport softball program stands alone in the field of 62 teams preparing for this year's NCAA Tournament which gets underway Friday. Keith Parr's Captains are the only team in the field playing in the tournament for the 12th straight season. CNU will open play against Messiah Friday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. at Captains Park. Gettysburg and top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan will play at 2:30 p.m. in Friday's second game of the double-elimination regional, which will continue through Sunday's Championship.

Christopher Newport is 35-8 and ranked 11th in the country this week. The Captains captured the Capital Athletic Conference's Championship last Saturday by beating Salisbury twice in the final. Overall, this marks the 16th trip to the NCAA's for CNU, and the Captains are 32-30 all-time in NCAA action.

CNU and Messiah have played eight games in all, and the Falcons hold a 5-3 edge in the series. Messiah, the 2009 National Champions, beat the Captains twice to win the Newport News Regional in 2016. The Falcons are 27-16 this season and Champions of the MAC/Commonwealth Conference.

The four-team field also consists of last year's National Champion, Virginia Wesleyan. The Marlins are 45-2 this year after going 54-3 last year en route to the title. The Marlins this year again won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference crown and have been ranked as the top team in the country for 19 straight weeks dating back to last season.

Rounding out the regional is Gettysburg, a 24-14 squad that won the Centennial Conference title. The Bullets will be making their first NCAA appearance since 2007. 

Tickets for the games will be available at Captains Park each day through the weekend. Tickets will be $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and children. CNU students with valid ID will be admitted free.

All games will be streamed live on CNUsports.com/live with video and live stats available. 

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