NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With rain expected in Newport News on Saturday, head coach John Harvell has announced a change in the baseball schedule for the weekend as the Captains will now host Penn State Harrisburg in a doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch for the first game against the Lions is slated for 11:00 a.m. at Captains Park. 

The Captains (10-5) were originally slated to face PSH in two games on Saturday and one more on Sunday, but with inclement weather forcing a change, CNU will now only play two games this weekend. The team will welcome in Penn State Harrisburg (3-6) for the 20th game in the all-time series. 

CNU owns a 13-6 advantage in the series that dates back to the 2012 season. The two teams faced eachother six times during the 2019 campaign including twice to win the Capital Athletic Conference Championship in May. The last time the teams faced was during the 2019 title game in which CNU captured a 16-5 win to hoist the conference championship trophy. 

Christopher Newport is coming off a 9-5 setback to Randolph-Macon on Thursday afternoon after winning seven straight. The Captains have leaned on excellent pitching from the starting rotation and a powerful lineup that has 47 extra-base hits in the first 15 games. On the mound, CNU boasts a 3.04 team ERA and 201 strikeouts in 133.1 innings pitched. Offensively, a trio of +.400 hitters have combined for 24 of those 47 extra-base knocks. 

Jay Cassady (3-0) leads the rotation with a 1.48 ERA while striking out 45 batters in 24.1 innings pitched. Out of the pen, Daniel Elliott has appeared in seven games with a 2-0 record and 2 saves over 15.2 innings pitched. He has 28 strikeouts and a 1.15 ERA. 

Conner Clark sits three hits shy of moving into the top-five all-time at CNU behind Derek Riebel's 214 set in 2000. After going 1-for-3 against the Yellow Jackets, Clark now has 211 hits and is hitting .328 as the active leader in Division III in stolen bases and runs scored continues to lead the Captains' attack from the top of the lineup. With Clark setting the table, the middle of the lineup has been productive, highlighted by 13 extra-base hits from newcomer Justin Bowers. Bowers has 10 RBI and 13 runs scored while hitting .425. Scott Crosson, hitting .414, and Daniel Elliott, with a team-high .441 average, are also off to strong starts this year. 

Penn State Harrisburg is coming off a big win over No. 5 Salisbury on Thursday, 6-4, and are now 3-6 overall on the season. The Lions will play one more at Salisbury on Friday before traveling to Sunday's doubleheader against the Captains. Junior outfielder Dallas Hite, hitting .357, is leading the offense with five doubles and a home run. Hite has a team-high eight RBI and also leads the team in stolen bases with five. The former conference rivals have enlisted five different players to start games on the mound in nine games with senior Drew Harshbarger leading the way with a 1.80 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched. 

Live stats will be available for both games from Captains Park. To view the live stats, click here or find the link on the baseball schedule at CNUsports.com. 

Following Sunday's doubleheader, the Captains will return to action on Tuesday, March 15 against Roanoke College at 2:00 pm. 

Advisory: This weekend begins Daylight Saving Time. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and fans are reminded to 'spring ahead' to be at the field in time to see all the action.