FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Taking on their first games in the freshly rebranded Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, the Christopher Newport baseball team will play a pair at Mary Washington (1-5, 0-0) this weekend. The Captains (5-4, 0-0) will take on their conference opponent at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday followed by a Noon first pitch on Sunday against the Eagles.
The two have been matching up as conference opponents since 2014 season in the Capital Athletic Conference but this year's series will be the first since the league announced it's new name in November. The Captains own a 20-9 advantage in the all-time series and are 10-3 against the Eagles in league action. Christopher Newport is currently riding a seven-game winning streak in the matchup.
Ethan Weaver leads the Captains offense so far this season with five multi-hit games on the young season. The second-year second baseman is hitting .440 with a team-leading eight runs scored. Five CNU players are hitting over .300 including senior
Eric O'Brien, at .324, with a team-leading 12 hits and seven RBI.
On the mound, senior
Josh Husby (1-0) has been a stalwart for the rotation with a 1.35 ERA in three starts. He has 17 strikeouts in 20.0 innings pitched with a .183 batting average against.
Dylan Weber (1-1) and
Jay Cassady (0-1) also each have multiple starts this season for CNU. The bullpen has featured excellent production from veterans
Nathan Clements (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and
Gray Goodrich (0-0, 2.25 ERA) in four appearances each. Rookies
Colby Shriner (0-0, 1.50 ERA) and
Matt Gaither (2-1, 1 SV) have also contributed mightily early in their collegiate careers.
Mary Washington is coming off its first win of the season with a 10-4 victory at Washington College on Sunday, March 14. The Shoreman won three of four against the Eagles last weekend after dropping two games to Shenandoah on opening day. Junior Norman Holcomb is leading the offense with a .476 average with five stolen bases. Senior Garrett Lyons is leading the squad with six runs and also has five swipes while hitting .381.
For the Mary Washington pitching staff, rookie Brendan McComber has the lone win on the year while striking out seven in 8.1 innings of work. He has a 3.24 ERA.
The University of Mary Washington has announced a limited spectator policy for the spring -- visiting fans will not be permitted to attend. Fans will be able to watch the game on a live video webcast with live stats also available. Links can be found at CNUsports.com
