NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The third-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team will compete for it's first ever Capital Athletic Conference championship starting Thursday, May 9 at 3:30 pm as the Captains host #4-seed Penn State Harrisburg (31-11-1) for the first game in a best-of-three format. Game two is scheduled for 11:00 am on Friday, with a third game set to be played at 2:00 pm if necessary.
The CAC will crown a first-time baseball champion this year as neither CNU nor Penn State Harrisburg has ever won the league championship. The Lions are competing in their second consecutive championship series while the Captains are making their first appearance.
Admission to the games will be $5 for adults and $3 for children. Live stats and live video will be available for all the action for fans who can not attend the games in person.
Christopher Newport, ranked No. 3 in the nation in this week's ABCA/Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com national rankings, comes into the Thursday matchup with a 33-6 overall record. It is the sixth season in program history that CNU has reached the 30-win plateau and currently stands as the finest season in terms of overall winning percentage. Penn State Harrisburg and Christopher Newport have faced 16 times with the Captains holding an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series. Earlier this year, CNU took two of three on the road in Middletown, Pa. by scores of 18-6 and 13-4. The Lions won game three, 18-13.
This season, the CNU offense has put up record-shattering numbers and have already sailed past the team scoring record for a single season with 477 runs scored. The Captains are the only team in the NCAA averaging over 12 runs per game and the starting lineup features eight players who have scored 40 or more runs already this season. Led by Conference Coach of the Year
John Harvell, CNU ranks in the top ten nationally in nine different statistical categories.
All nine starters are hitting well over .300 and have each delivered at least 28 RBI this season. Leading the charge are seniors
Nicholas Baham (.335, 19 HR, 60 RBI) and
Seth Woodard (.324, 9 HR, 57 RBI), while seniors
Jordan Mason (.359, 3 HR, 46 RBI) and
Nick DiNapoli (.390, 9 HR, 41 RBI) are also over 40 runs knocked in this season. Behind the plate, senior
Ryan Grubbs is hitting a team best .431 while boasting the nation's best on-base percentage with a .631 mark.
On the mound, CNU sophomore
Josh Husby was named a first team All-Conference starter after posting a 9-1 overall record and 3.00 ERA this season. Fellow first team arm
Tyler Jumper has gone 6-0 with a 1.16 ERA out of the bullpen with 38.2 innings pitched in a team-leading 22 appearances.
Penn State Harrisburg also features a formidable offense led by the CAC Player of the Year, Bret Williams. Williams leads the nation in runs and total bases while ranking second in hits, third in home runs, and fourth in RBI. Fellow first team All-Conference selections Travis Van Houten and Miguel Torres anchor one of the top offenses in the league. Van Houten is also one of the top pitchers in the league, earning first team All-Conference honors with 73 strikeouts and a 4.17 ERA.
Gates will open at Captains Park an hour prior to first pitch at 2:30 pm.
