NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing eachother for the first time since the NCAA Regional Championship last season, nationally-ranked Christopher Newport and Randolph-Macon will renew their rivalry on Tuesday as the Captains host the Yellow Jackets at 2:00 pm at Captains Park. The Captains (5-0) are ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation and will serve as the season-opener for Randolph-Macon, ranked as high as No. 5.
The all-time series favors the Captains by a narrow margin, as CNU is 27-25 all-time against the Yellow Jackets. Last season, the teams met twice in the postseason, including for the deciding game of the NCAA South Regional.
This year, the Captains bring one of the nation's leading offenses to the early-season matchup, averaging 13.4 runs per game through the first five contests. Senior second baseman
Austin Henry leads the nation in walks, with 10, and has a team-leading on-base percentage of .565. He has scored nine times, also leading the team, to help pace the dangerous CNU attack. Senior
Jordan Mason has a team-best eight RBI with five extra-base hits in his first seven knocks this season, while three more Captains have seven driven in already (
Seth Woodard,
Nicholas Baham,
Joseph Cutchins).
On the pitching mound, the Captains have been equally excellent, holding opponents to just seven earned runs in the first five games. The 1.40 team ERA ia highlighted by a strong start from sophomore starter
Josh Husby (2-0, 0.75 ERA) who has picked up wins in each of his two starts. Junior
Teddy Herbert (1-0, 1.50 ERA) earned a win in his first career start while
Tyler Jumper (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and
Austin Slough (1-0, 2.25 ERA) have the other two wins for CNU this season.
Randolph-Macon features three preseason All-Americans and are picked to win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after winning the league for the first time since 1987 last season. The Yellow Jackets have not been able to play a game yet this season with series against RPI and Alvernia having been cancelled last week. Returning to lead the way for the R-MC is senior Nick Roth after going 11-1 in 15 starts with a 3.13 ERA. Also earning All-Region honors last season was Reece Yeargain, a junior catcher who drove in 42 runs with 8 homers last season.
For fans unable to attend the game at Captains Park, a live video webcast and live stats will be available at CNUsports.com.
