NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Starting with a 2:00 pm first pitch on Saturday, April 6, Captains Park will play host to a pivotal three-game Capital Athletic Conference series that will break a tie atop the league standings between No. 1 Christopher Newport and No. 15 Salisbury University. After Saturday's series opener, the two teams will return to the diamond on Sunday for a doubleheader starting at Noon. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all three contests for fans unable to attend the games in person. Admission to Captains Park is free of charge. 

Coming into Saturday's opener, both teams are riding long winning streaks that has vaulted them into the conversation of the nation's elite. Salisbury is 19-4-1 overall with a 9-0 mark in conference play while riding a 13-game winning streak while the Captains are 21-2, 9-0 after a 12-game roll that ranks tied for the fourth longest in program history. CNU is 14-2 at home this season while Salisbury has played just five games away from home but boasts a 4-1 mark. The all-time series favors the Sea Gulls as CNU trails, 29-43, in one of the longest standing rivalries in program history. The Captains have won three of the last five games in the matchup.

This season, Christopher Newport leads the NCAA in scoring at any level of competition, pouring in a record-setting pace of 12.4 runs per game. An outstanding offense in their own right, Salisbury is averaging 8.8 runs per game this season. The Captains have been exceptional, leading the nation in on-base percentage, home runs, and scoring, while ranking second or third nationally in walks, doubles, and slugging percentage. 

Individually, the Captains have three players leading the country in a statistical category as senior first baseman Nicholas Baham leads the nation in total homers with 10, senior third baseman Seth Woodard leads the country in walks per game, and sophomore outfielder Conner Clark is the nation's top stolen base threat. Baham is hitting .310 with a team-high 35 RBI and 14 extra-base hits; Woodard has walked 29 times already this season while also driving in 31 with 32 runs scored; and CLark has scored a team-high 35 times to go with his 26 stolen bases. 

Beyond the national leaders, CNU has gotten production from spots one through nine in the order, as seven regulars are hitting .350 or better heading into the weekend including senior catcher Ryan Grubbs leading the way with a .460 mark. Senior second baseman Joseph Cutchins is also hitting well over .400 with a .453 mark, driving in 20 runs and scoring 20 times. 

On the mound, CNU is led by sophomore right-hander Josh Husby (5-1, 2.76 ERA), who ranks 11th nationally in wins and in the top-20 in strikeouts this season. Husby is coming off a 13-strikeout performance last weekend against Mary Washington and has whiffed 51 batters this season. A dominant bullpen has been led by Tyler Jumper (4-0, 0.43 ERA), Brian Owens (1-0, 1.04 ERA), and Austin Slough (1-0, 1.84 ERA) so far this year. 

Salisbury will counter with an offense led by newcomer Jimmy Monaghan, hitting .402 with 31 RBI so far this season. The transfer has slotted in as the regular DH and has 11 extra-base knocks. Six Sea Gulls are hitting over .350 heading into the weekend, including Cameron Hyder, at .354, who is one of only two players to start in at least 23 of Salisbury's 24 games this season. On the bump, Clayton Dwyer (5-1, 2.91 ERA) is one of the top pitchers in the league with 57 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched. Zach Amisano (4-0, 3.50 ERA) and Jimmy Adkins (2-0, 2.52 ERA) are the only other Salisbury arms who have started as many as five games this season. 

Following the three-game set at home, CNU will head out to play eight of their final 11 scheduled regular season games on the road. The Captains will take on Hampden-Sydney at 4:00 pm on April 10 to kick off the road-heavy finish, which includes back-to-back conference road trips to Southern Virginia and Penn State Harrisburg.