Tournament Information Page

MARIETTA, Ohio -- Making the program's tenth NCAA Regionals appearance, the Christopher Newport baseball team will open play in the 2022 version of the event on Friday at 2:30 p.m. against Mount Aloysius College (27-13). The neutral site matchup will be game two at the Marietta, Ohio Regional, where the top-ranked hosts will take on Kalamazoo College at 11:00 a.m. in the weekend opener. 

The Captains (25-12) will be making the team's third postseason appearance in the last five years after earning trips in both 2018 and 2019. Despite the recent success, only two CNU players, in veteran outfielders Conner Clark and Michael Martorano, were members of the Captains in the team's last appearance when Christopher Newport hosted the 2019 Regional. 

Christopher Newport reached the 25-win plateau for the 17th time in program history and the fifth time in the last seven years. The Captains faced one of the toughest schedules in the country during the 2022 season, ranking 15th in the country and sixth among team's that made the NCAA Tournament field. 

Christopher Newport faced seven of this year's national tournament qualifiers and won four games against them, including a 7-2 victory over Marietta on February 25. CNU also faced Cal Lutheran, Penn State Harrisburg, Salisbury, Keystone, Birmingham-Southern, and Lynchburg, who will all begin competition in their respective regionals on Friday. 

Heading into postseason play, Christopher Newport ranks second nationally in strikeouts per nine innings as the pitching staff has punched out an average of 11.8 batters per game this season. All-Conference performers Kyle Lewis (13.5), Jay Cassady (13.08), Daniel Elliott (12.64), and Dylan Weber (11.8) lead the staff in that respect, while the team also ranks 17th nationally in team ERA with a 3.68 mark. 

Offensively, junior transfer Justin Bowers has had one of the finest seasons in program history with the highest slugging percentage in the 41-year history of the Captains baseball team (.873). He also boasts the third-best on-base percentage (.532) and ranks tied for fifth with the most home runs hit in a single year (13). Bowers leads the team with a .373 average, 40 RBI, and 27 extra-base hits.

While Elliott has held down the back end of the bullpen, he has also served as the team's second-leading hitter (.351) with 40 hits this year. He is one of six regulars hitting over .300 for the year, including Alec Reilly (.329), who has three home runs this season, and Scott Crosson (.319), who leads the team in runs scored. 

Mount Aloysius is entering the tournament for the first time after winning the AMCC behind standout freshman Tyler Quade. The rookie was named the League Player, Pitcher, and Rookie of the Year earlier this week, becoming the first player in conference history to sweep the awards. He is hitting .435 at the plate while leading the league in slugging (.794) and total bases (50). On the mound, he has a 4-1 record with a 1.29 ERA while tossing five complete games in five starts this season.

The Mounties featured five All-Conference selections and the League Coach of the Year. Junior Douglas Cannon was a first team All-AMCC reliever and is one of the most accomplished pitchers in program history, ranking second in career wins and saves. Sophomore Tyler Suder also earned first team All-Conference honors as a shortstop. 

The Marietta Regional will continue on Saturday with an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. between the two losing teams. The Friday winners will then matchup on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with a third game slated between the game three and game four winners at 6:00 p.m. 

Marietta, ranked No. 2 in the final D3baseball.com Top 25 of the regular season, comes into the weekend as the nation's leading offense with a .386 average as a team. They lead the country in doubles and total hits while also boasting a terrific defense that ranks third nationally in fielding percentage and second in doubles plays turned. Formidable in all three phases, the Marietta pitching staff ranks sixth nationally in ERA and tenth in WHIP. 

Kalamazoo will take on the Pioneers first, coming into the NCAA Regional as the champions of the MIAA. The Hornets rank 16th nationally in slugging percentage and 19th in the country in on-base percentage. Blake Bean is fourth in the country in OBP while ranking in the top 25 in doubles per game, slugging percentage, and HBP per game. On the mound, Thomas Sylvester earned first team All-Conference honors after ranking second in the conference with 53 strikeouts. 

Tickets are on sale now for fans to purchase in advance and avoid the line at the field. All tickets for the Regional Tournament will be sold via cashless transaction online through the Marietta College athletic website (https://pioneers.marietta.edu/sports/2020/10/12/online-ticketing.aspx). Tickets for all games are available for purchase at this time. Single-game ticket prices will be $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. No All-Tournament tickets will be sold, and the stadium will be cleared after each game.

The games will be played at Don and Sue Schaly Field at Pioneer Park in Marietta, Ohio. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all the action with links found on the tournament website or on the baseball schedule at CNUsports.com.