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ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Taking on their first ranked opponent of the season, the Christopher Newport baseball team will travel to 24th-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan College (8-2) on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Captains (5-1) travel to face the Battling Bishops, who have won seven of their last eight including two out of three against then-No. 2 Randolph-Macon, whom CNU will face at home on Sunday.
Christopher Newport fans will not be permitted to attend the contest in adherence with the USA South Outdoor Sport Spectator Policy, but North Carolina Wesleyan will provide live stats and a live video stream of all the action starting at 3:00 p.m.
The Captains will look to continue a four-game winning streak that has improved their overall record to 5-1 early in the 2021 campaign. The young squad has impressed in tight games this year, winning three contests by one run including a pair of last-inning rallies. Friday's game will also be the fifth game in one week for the Captains, who have remained busy since the start of the season.
Offensively, sophomore second baseman
Ethan Weaver has paced the Captains attack from the nine hole, hitting .467 with seven hits in 15 at-bats. He has walked six times and has three extra-base hits while leading the team in slugging (.733) and on-base percentage (.619). Weaver has also scored a team-best seven times this season.
The middle of the Captains order has been tough to retire this season as well, with 3-4-5 hitters
Eric O'Brien,
Kyle Schofield, and
Michael Martorano all hitting over .350 in the early going. The trio has combined for 12 RBI and 13 runs scored in six games so far this season.
On the mound, freshman
Matt Gaither (2-0, 1 SV) has appeared in four of the six games this season and has impressed in his collegiate debut with a 1.69 ERA.
Danny Checkosky and
Jack Rosenberg have also appeared in four contests out of the pen and have combined for 18 strikeouts. In the rotation,
Josh Husby (1-0, 1.38 ERA) and
Dylan Weber (1-0, 2.08 ERA) have started twice while
Jay Cassady (0-0, 3.60 ERA) and
Jack Braley (0-0, 11.57 ERA) have toed the first inning rubber once.
The Bishops are a patient team at the plate ranking 10th nationally in walks with three players ranking in the top 25 already this season. Tyson Bass leads the way with 11 free passes so far while also ranking 14th nationally in runs scored and 13th in stolen bases. The speedster is hitting .387 and has a double, triple, and home run this year. Sophomore Davie Morgan has been blistering the baseball with a .386 average and nine extra-base hits already. His four doubles, two triples, and three home runs have helped lead him to a team-high 18 RBI.
The N.C. Wesleyan pitching staff is 8-2 with a 5.53 team ERA led by junior southpaw Derrick Carter (1-0, 3.94 ERA). Carter has struck out 16 batters in in 16 innings of work while rookie C.J. DiBenedetto has added 10 whiffs in 15.0 innings while boasting a team-best 3.00 ERA.
Live stats and video links can be found at the top of this page and on the CNU baseball schedule at CNUsports.com. Following Friday afternoon's matchup, the Captains will return home to host No. 11 Randolph-Macon at 2:00 p.m. this Sunday, March 14.
