NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a new postseason format starting this year in the Capital Athletic Conference, the second-seeded Christopher Newport baseball team will host a three-team first-round pod with the winning team advanced to a best-of-three championship series next weekend. The three teams will come together at Captains Park on Friday, May 4 with three games scheduled at 9:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 4:00 pm. The first weekend will conclude on Saturday, May 5 with games at 11:00 am and possibly 2:00 pm. 

Christopher Newport, ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation, will host #3-seed Penn State Harrisburg (28-10) and #5-seed Southern Virginia (18-16) this weekend. Top-seeded Salisbury University welcomes Frostburg State and York (Pa.) in the other three-team pod, with the two winning teams advancing to face off at the highest seed remaining next weekend. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all games this weekend, with links at CNUsports.com/live. 

The Captains open play with a 31-8 overall record after concluding the regular season with a 6-3 loss at No. 1 Randolph-Macon College on Tuesday. The offense has been led by junior Seth Woodard and senior Brandon Ginch as CNU is hitting .314 as a team. Woodard has 25 extra-base hits, a .392 average and has driven in 57 runs this season. He scored his 50th run last week, becoming just the fourth player in CNU history to post a 50-RBI, 50-run season. Ginch has delivered a career year in his final campaign, hitting .371 with 15 doubles, 7 HR, and 40 RBI. 

On the mound, CNU has a 3.62 team ERA led by a strong rookie year from Josh Husby (4-0, 2.54 ERA) and a dominating second season from Thomas Packert (8-0, 2.97 ERA). Packert has 84 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched, ranking 15th nationally in total K's this season. Husby ranks second in the CAC in ERA and leads all freshmen. 

Penn State Harrisburg comes into the contest having split with the Captains in the regular season en route to the best record in program history. The Lions have won more games this season than ever before, coming in with a chance at 30 wins. Bret Williams is tied with Woodard for the league lead in home runs and ranks fourth nationally with 11. He also has driven in a team-high 43 runs while leading the offense for Penn State Harrisburg. 

Southern Virginia is making the program's first ever Capital Athletic Conference Tournament appearance and will face the Lions in game one at 9:00 am. The infield defense is among the best in the conference with a league-best 30 double plays turned this year. Stetson Kay, a freshman, has been involved in 16 while another rookie, Nate McCallum, has helped turn 12. At first base, Cole Critchfield has factored into 26 of those double plays, while he also paces the attack at the plate. Critchfield is hitting .354 this season with 3 HR and a team-high 32 RBI. 

Following the action on Friday, the tournament schedule for Saturday will be posted on the CNU baseball page at CNUsports.com.