Live Video // Live Stats // Game Program
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Christopher Newport University softball season begins Saturday afternoon at Captains Park, as CNU hosts the Panthers of Ferrum College for a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m.
The Captains begin their 40th season of action ranked eighth in the country in the pre-season poll of coaches from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Keith Parr's team ended the season last year ranked eighth in the final poll from the organization. CNU last season posted a 31-13 record, and advanced to the National Finals for the fourth time in program history.
Parr begins his 21st season leading the Captains and has an all-time record of 666-201-1 for a winning percentage of .768. He has guided the Captains to 15 straight NCAA berths, and was named National Coach of the Year in 2022 after CNU won its first National Championship.
Leading a group of 16 returners from a season ago is senior third baseman
Brooke Greaver, the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year last year. She hit a team-high 13 home runs and also led the squad with a .396 average, 42 hits, and 41 runs batted in. Her slugging percentage of .830 was 15th in the country. Greaver is one of five seniors on the roster back from a year ago.
CNU also has great depth in the pitching circle, where juniors
Kate Alger and
Jamie Martin both figure again to be key contributors. Alger recorded a record of 16-6 with a 1.31 earned run average for the Captains last year. She struck out 185 batters in 154.2 innings pitched, while allowing just 35 walks. Martin, meanwhile, returned from a foot injury and posted a record of 11-6 for CNU as well as an earned run average of 1.96. She struck out 111 batters in 92.2 innings pitched last year. Martin was named the National Pitcher of the Year in 2022 following CNU's national title.
Ferrum will also be opening its season on Saturday. The Panthers have two very familiar faces leading the way. Head Coach Josh Freeman, who's beginning his first year at Ferrum, was a CNU assistant coach from 2018-2020. Panthers assistant coach Bailey Roberts is a CNU graduate and played for the Captains from 2019-2022. Roberts was the Most Outstanding Player in the National Finals in Salem when the Captains captured the National Title.
The Captains and Ferrum College have played 72 games all-time, and CNU holds a 57-15 advantage in the series. Last year, the Captains swept a doubleheader at Ferrum on April 16th by scores of 5-2 and 4-1. CNU has now won four straight games over FC, and the Captains are 24-3 all-time at Captains Park vs. the Panthers.
Links are provided at the top of this story to watch the live video, live stats, or look through the game program for Saturday's twin bill.
