NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After capturing the 2024 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference regular season title last week, the top-seeded Christopher Newport baseball team will host the conference championship at Captains Park on Friday. Game one of the event will feature #2-seeded Salisbury University and #3-seeded University of Mary Washington at 10:00 a.m. before the winner will advance to take on the 10th-ranked hosts from Christopher Newport University at approximately 1:30 p.m. 

Game times have been adjusted an hour due to impending rain in the Newport News area, moving each game up one hour on Friday. The elimination game will be played on a neutral field before CNU hosts the 2024 championship game. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for both contests with links at CNUsports.com. 

Ahead of Friday's action, Christopher Newport held its position as the 10th-ranked team in the nation according to the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll. Salisbury slipped to No. 7 and carries a 28-8 overall record taking on a Mary Washington squad that was receiving votes in last week's Top 25 poll and has earned a record of 26-12. The winning team will face CNU, which owns a 25-9 record this season. Against the Sea Gulls, CNU is 34-55 all-time after capturing a 6-1 win in the regular season finale last weekend. The Captains swept the season series against Mary Washington and are now 35-11 all-time against the Eagles including a 19-4 record at Captains Park.

Prior to the conference tournament the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference announced its annual All-League honors and major awards highlighted by CNU starting pitcher Dylan Weber being named Pitcher of the Year and head coach John Harvell collecting Coaching Staff of the Year accolades. Weber (8-1, 1.48 ERA) is at the head of a pitching staff that leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings, ranks 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 11th in earned run average. Weber leads Division III with 110 strikeouts and is fourth among all active pitchers in the NCAA, including Division I, II, and III, with 374 career strikeouts. 

Backing up Weber in the rotation has been first team All-Conference starter Brandon Cassedy, who is right behind his veteran teammate with 96 K's this year, ranking sixth in Division III. The sophomore right-hander was a four-time C2C Pitcher of the Week this year and has piled up six wins in 11 starts with a 4.19 ERA. In the bullpen, first team All-Conference reliever Kyle Lewis has anchored an experienced and dominant stable of arms at the end of games. He is 3-0 with 5 saves this season while boasting a 0.86 ERA. Senior Daniel Elliott has not surrendered a run in seven appearances while striking out 11 and senior Danny Checkosky ranks second on the team with 13 appearances while boasting a 3.07 ERA. 

At the plate, the Captains have a balanced lineup that is dangerous one through nine with eight starters hitting over .285 including six at .300 or better. Sophomore Josh Reinhold, a first-team All-C2C pick at shortstop, leads the way with a .359 average with a team-best 40 runs scored this season. Junior Lincoln Lubsen, also a first-team selection at catcher, is hitting .347 with a team-high 46 RBI and seven home runs. 

Due to the C2C only fielding three baseball teams, there is no automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship at stake in the conference tournament. The winning team will hoist the conference championship trophy and all three teams will await the decision of the championship committee in the selection show scheduled for Monday, May 13 at Noon on NCAA.com.