HARRISONBURG, Va. -- After an 8-0 start to the season, the Christopher Newport baseball team continues to climb the national rankings, picking up one first-place vote and vaulting to No. 3 this week. The D3baseball.com Top 25 was released late Monday night listing the Captains at their highest ranking since April 8, 2012 when CNU was pegged No. 2 in the nation. 

The ranking comes ahead of a Tuesday afternoon non-conference matchup at Eastern Mennonite University set for a 2:00 pm first pitch. Live stats will be available from Harrisonburg, Va. as the Captains look to extend their season-opening win streak. 

In the second poll of the 2019 regular season, the Captains are picked behind Wooster (0-0) and Rowan (1-0), and CNU is one of five teams to pick up a first-place vote. CNU scored 530 points in the voting, ahead of Trinity (Texas) (8-3) and Swarthmore (0-0) to round out the top five. Fellow CAC member institution Salisbury also moved up in the most recent rankings, now tabbed at No. 17. 

The Captains are 8-0 to start the year for the second time in the last four years to match the longest season-opening win streak in head coach John Harvell's 19-year career. Christopher Newport is coming off a pair of wins over the weekend as they dropped Marietta College, 11-5, and Gallaudet University, 14-1. The high-powered CNU offense is now averaging 12 runs per game while hitting .324 as a team. 

The top of the lineup continues to do a majority of the damage for the Captains as lead-off hitter Jordan Mason and two-hole batter Conner Clark have combined for 24 RBI and 19 runs scored. Clark is also 8-for-8 on the basepaths while hitting .375 to rank second on the team. Mason has delivered a team-best eight extra-base hits including a pair of home runs and five doubles. The offense flourished up and down the lineup, including Austin Henry ranking fifth in the nation in total walks, with 12, while reaching base at a .457 clip. 

On the mound, the Captains are led by sophomore Josh Husby (2-0, 1.50 ERA) and a bullpen that has combined for three wins and a 1.45 ERA over 31.0 innings of work. Tyler Jumper has made five appearances out of the pen with five strikeouts and a 1-0 record without giving up an earned run to lead the relief efforts. Brian Owens has also made three appearances without allowing a run, striking out four and picking up a win. 

CNU and Eastern Mennonite faced off earlier this season with the Captains taking a 6-1 win at home. Nathan Clements led the pitching effort, striking out six while allowing just one hit over 5.0 innings of work. Jumper picked up the win in relief while an RBI double by Seth Woodard in the 6th inning sparked a six-run burst for CNU in the late innings. Nicholas Baham also had a two-run single in the game. 

The Royals are 5-5-1 to start the season but have surged over the last four games with a 2-1-1 record, including a 15-3 win against Oneonta in their last outing. Sophomore Jaylon Lee was named ODAC Player of the Week after driving in 11 runs and scoring 7 times for Eastern Mennonite in five games last week.