NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For baseball romantics, Opening Day is one of the best days of the year and this year, a day made for romantics will be Opening Day as the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team will host a Valentine's Day doubleheader to start the 2025 season. Head coach John harvell announced several schedule changes to the first week of action and the Captains will now open a twin bill against Messiah University on Friday, February 14 at 11:00 a.m.

In addition to playing two on Friday, a third game against the Falcons is now slated for Saturday with time of the first pitch to be determined based on the weather. Heavy rainfall and a forecast of more forced Mount Union to abandon the long trek from Ohio as CNU and Messiah were also slated to face the Purple Raiders in the opening weekend. Instead, CNU will now play a three-game set against Messiah with the doubleheader Friday scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

On top of that change, Harvell also announced that next Wednesday's home game against Bridgewater College has been bumped up a day and the two teams will now face off on Tuesday, February 18. First pitch against the Eagles is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Captains Park. 

Heading into the season-opening weekend, the Captains have been ranked No. 11 in the D3baseball.com Top 25 and No. 14 in the ABCA Preseason Coaches' Poll. After reaching the NCAA Super Regionals in 2024, Christopher Newport concluded the season ranked No. 12 in the nation with a 29-12 overall record. Getting back onto the diamond, the Captains will feature a lot of familiar faces in the starting lineup including All-Region catcher Lincoln Lubsen and All-Region shortstop Josh Reinhold. 

In his first season with the Captains, Lubsen made an immediate impact on the offense with a team-leading seven home runs and 47 runs batted in. He had a standout defensive season behind the plate and managed the nation's leading pitching staff. At short, Reinhold has been a dominant force in his first two seasons and led the team in hitting as a sophomore with a .345 average. He has reached base in 82 of his 83 career games played including an NCAA record to start a career with 75 consecutive games reached. 

All nine starters from the NCAA Super Regional lineup return in 2025 including outfielders Ayden Stuffel, Jake Benedict, and Scott Crosson. On the infield, Doc Daniels, Sam Benedict, Aaron Maxie, Jacob Koenig, and Justin Liakos all return as possible options for Harvell.

Taking the mound will be an entirely new assortment of options in 2025 with transfers Chase Hustead and Cooper Newell join senior Jackson Baird, who returns to the rotation after missing last season with an injury. Marcus Dux, who made two starts last season, and Connor Godshalk, with one start in 2024, are also back while the bullpen includes veteran arms Colin D'Arcy, Christian Williams, Peter Hoenig, and Mitchell Mortensen. 

Messiah comes into the matchup after winning 35 games in 2024 and reaching the MAC Commonwealth Championship Series. It was the most wins in a season for the Falcons since beginning play in 1965. The team returns he MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year, Isaiah Parido, who went on to collect All-Region honors. Parido hit .358 with 10 HR, 41 RBI, and 45 runs scored in his sophomore season to lead an offense that ranked 18th in Division III in slugging.

It will be just the second matchup ever between the two programs after Christopher Newport suffered a 3-1 setback in the 2012 NCAA Regional Championship. After dropping game one to the Falcons, the Captains would rally with four straight wins to capture the regional title on their home field. 

Following the weekend set, CNU will be back in action on Tuesday against Bridgewater.