SALISBURY, Md. -- After almost three weeks off, the No. 28 Christopher Newport baseball team will return to action this weekend at the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament hosted by top-seeded Salisbury University. The Captains will be the #2 seed and will open the three-team tournament against #3 Mary Washington at Noon on Friday, May 13.
The Captains (24-10) last appeared in a doubleheader sweep against the Eagles on April 23. Since, four games were taken off the schedule and Christopher Newport has been idle awaiting postseason play. There will be two games played on Friday, with the #1 Sea Gulls set to take on the game one loser at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday's schedule will start with Salisbury taking on the game one winner at Noon and the remainder of the tournament slate will be determined by how many teams remain in the double-elimination format. Regardless, the second game will be played around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday with game five of the event scheduled for Sunday, May 15 at 12:00 p.m.
Despite the time off, the Captains have remained in the Collegiate Times/ABCA National Rankings, listed at No. 28 in the nation this week. Salisbury (27-8) is currently ranked No. 13 in the ABCA poll and No. 9 in the D3baseball.com Top 25.
The Christopher Newport pitching staff remains one of the toughest in the country, ranking second nationally in strikeouts per game (12.1) and 13th in earned run-average (3.39). The Captains limit hits and walks, ranking 32nd in the country in WHIP with a 1.35 mark. Leading the way is sophomore reliever
Daniel Elliott, who ranks second in the country with a 19.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Sophomore starter
Jay Cassady ranks 30th nationally in total strikeouts, with 85, and enters the weekend with a 2.44 ERA.
Dylan Weber has also had a strong season with a 3.16 ERA and 12.1 K/9.
Offensively, junior transfer
Justin Bowers has had a standout season in his first year wearing the Royal Blue and Silver. Bowers ranks fourth nationally in slugging percentage with 13 home runs while leading the team in nearly every statistical category. He is slashing .378/.540/.929 with 26 extra-base hits and a team-high 38 RBI and 35 runs scored. Elliott has also contributed offensively, ranking second on the team with a .352 average. Fifth-year senior
Conner Clark broke the all-time record in career hits earlier this season and enters the weekend with a .312 average and a perfect 17-for-17 mark on the basepaths.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all the action courtesy of the Salisbury athletic department. Links can be found on the CNU Baseball schedule at CNUsports.com.
