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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon as the 2024 NCAA Division III Softball Championship gets underway. The third-ranked Captains of Christopher Newport University host the Bloodhounds of John Jay College in the opening game of a four-team, double elimination regional at Captains Park.

Keith Parr's squad is 30-5 and making its 17th straight NCAA appearance. CNU won its first National Championship two seasons ago in 2022, and have won 15 straight games heading into the regional. The Captains are Champions of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference after winning both games vs. Salisbury last weekend at Captains Park in the C2C Tournament. 

Christopher Newport is led by junior pitchers Jamie Martin and Kate Alger. Martin is 11-1 on the year with a 0.77 earned run average, and has struck out 98 batters in 73 innings while issuing just ten walks. She was named the National Pitcher of the Week the last two weeks by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), and was the C2C's Pitcher of the Year after receiving seven Pitcher of the Week honors this year. Alger, meanwhile, is 14-4 with an earned run average of 1.83. She has struck out 120 batters in 115 innings of work, and walked just 25. Alger was named the Pitcher of the Week in the C2C three times, and was the National Pitcher of the Week earlier this season.

At the plate, the Captains are led by freshman Candace Slaw, who tops the team in batting average (.472), runs scored (38), hits (58), and stolen bases (36 of 40). The leadoff hitter, who anchors the outfield in center, was named the Rookie of the Year this year in the C2C. Senior third baseman Brooke Greaver, who missed the first dozen games of the season due to injury, has raised her batting average to .407 and has hit three home runs and driven in 26 runs in just 23 games played. Greaver was named the Most Valuable Player of the C2C Tournament last weekend.

Parr, who is in his 21st season leading the Captains, now has a career record of 696-206-1 for a winning percentage of .771. The game on Friday to open the regional will be the first ever between the two programs, and the Captains are the top seed in the four-team field. The Bloodhounds of John Jay are the fourth seed. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is located in New York City, and the Hounds are Champions of the CUNYAC. John Jay has a record of 32-12 on the year.

Ramapo and Pfeiffer will play on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the second game of the day. The Roadrunners of Ramapo College, located in Mahwah, N.J., received an at-large bid into the 62-team NCAA field. Ramapo is the #2 seed, and fell in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship game last weekend. The Roadrunners are 31-10 entering the regional at Captains Park.

The Falcons of Pfeiffer University are the third seed in the CNU regional. Pfeiffer, located in Misenheimer, N.C., won the Championship of the USA South Athletic Conference this season. The Falcons are 43-2 and have won their last eight games heading into the regional.

Tickets for the games will be on sale each day at Captains Park, cash only. Tickets will be priced at $10 for adults, and $5 for students. CNU students with proper ID will be admitted free of charge.

All games this weekend will be streamed live on CNUsports.com and can be accessed with the link at the top of this story. Live stats will also be available with the link above, and you can read the NCAA Softball Tournament Program as well as the Captains Park Roster Card with the links above.