NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With five overall selections, the Christopher Newport baseball team tied for the most All-State selections in 2022 as the Captains picked up two first-team and three second-team honorees in a release by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) on Tuesday morning. First baseman Justin Bowers and second baseman/relief pitcher Daniel Elliott each earned first team accolades while Conner Clark (OF), Jay Cassady (SP), and Kyle Lewis (RP) each collected second team honors. 

Fifth-year senior outfielder Conner Clark earns his second career VaSID All-State recognition alongside sophomore starter Jay Cassady, who also picked up his second certificate. Bowers, Elliott, and Lewis were each honored for the first time. 

Earning first team All-State honors at first base, Justin Bowers continues to add to an extensive list of postseason honors after a terrific first year with the Captains. Bowers was named a fifth-team All-American by D3baseball.com after earning All-Region honors from both the ABCA and D3baseball.com. The CNU newcomer made an historic first impression in the Royal Blue and Silver, setting a program record for slugging percentage (.851) and OPS (1.334) while ranking third all-time in on-base percentage with a .532 mark. 

Bowers slugged 14 home runs to rank in the top-20 nationally and put his name tied for fourth in the CNU single season record book. He hit a team-best .364 and led the team in virtually every statistical category including runs scored (40), RBI (42), doubles (13), triples (2), homers (14), and total bases (103). He added 34 walks while delivering 13 multi-hit performances and a team-best 12 multi-RBI games. 

Also earning first team All-State honors was fellow All-Region selection Daniel Elliott. Earning the honor at Utility, Elliott was one of the team's most dangerous hitters in 2022 while also serving as a lock-down reliever late in games. The starting second baseman proved to be a tough out for opposing pitchers with a .336 average in 36 starts this year. The switch hitter posted seven multi-hit games in his first 13 outings of the year, including a 4-for-5 effort against Roanoke that swa him drive in a season-high five runs. During the season, he reached base a team-high 17 games in a row and never saw his batting average dip below .328. 

On the mound, Elliott logged top-ten marks in program history for ERA, lowest opponent batting average, fewest walks allowed per nine inning game and most strikeouts per nine. He was 4-0 with eight saves and a 2.20 ERA while appearing in a team-high 20 games this season. He struck out 61 batters in 45.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .214 batting average against. Pairing his 61 punchouts with just four walks, Elliott also ranked fourth in the country in K/BB ratio with a 15.25 mark. 

Moving to the second team All-State selections, Conner Clark wrapped up his illustrious career as a record-breaking performer for the Captains. The outfielder was a first-team All-Conference selection became the all-time leader in hits, games played, games started, sacrifice bunts, and at-bats during his final season. Already the team's all-time leader in steals, Clark also finished just one run shy of the record in career runs scored with 200 in his career. This season, Clark hit .299 with a team-high 52 hits as one of only two players to start all 41 games this year. He scored 32 times and drove in 21 while posting a perfect 22-for-22 in stolen base attempts. 

On the mound, sophomore Jay Cassady enjoyed another standout season for the Captains as a starting pitcher. Until his final outing of the season, an outlier, Cassady held his ERA under 3.00 throughout the year while striking out batters at an unprecedented rate. The first-team All-Conference arm was 6-4 overall with a 4.17 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 22 walks issued. Cassady ranked 31st nationally in total strikeouts and registered the second highest K/9 in program history with 12.39. The 95 K's are tied for the third most in a season in the last 20 years and ranks tied for seventh all-time at CNU. 

Finally, first-year reliever Kyle Lewis also garnered second team All-State recognition following the 2022 campaign. He ranked second on the team in total appearances with 17 and was 1-0 with a 4.28 ERA at the end of the season. Lewis struck uot 42 batters in 27.1 innings of work and held opponents to a .232 batting average against. 

Christopher Newport finished the 2022 season with a 27-14 overall record and advanced to the team's 10th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Captains competed in the C2C Championship Series and reached the NCAA Regional Championship against then-No. 1 Marietta College before concluding the season just shy of a trip to the finals. CNU ranked 4th nationally in K/9 and 17th in the country in team ERA. 


2022 VaSID All-State Baseball College Division Awards
Player of the Year
Avery Neaves (OF) – University of Lynchburg
 
Pitcher of the Year
Grayson Thurman (RP) – University of Lynchburg
 
Rookie of the Year
Nick Mattfield (SP) – University of Lynchburg
 
Coach of the Year
Kevin Anderson – Shenandoah University