NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - With the 2025 softball season heading into the NCAA Tournament, hopes are again high for the Christopher Newport University program. The Captains are ranked second in the nation and are heading into their 18^th straight tournament following a thrilling victory on Friday in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship over Salisbury University.
 
Softball is a sport that consists of four major categories; hitting, fielding, base-running, and pitching. Most coaches would agree you've got to be proficient in all four areas to have a chance to win it all. While Head Coach Keith Parr's team is 35-4 and has certainly shown it possesses outstanding talent in each of those areas, the Captains' ace in the hole might again actually be two aces in the circle.
 
Never before has the Christopher Newport program been fueled by two pitching standouts as strong as Kate Alger and Jamie Martin. The senior tandem has led the Captains to NCAA play each year since arriving in 2022, which just happened to be the year CNU won the NCAA Division III National Championship for the first time in program history. The Captains are 147-25 since their arrival for an almost unfathomable 85 percent winning clip.
 
Alger, a right-hander from Staunton, Va., and Martin, a lefty who hails from Lorton, Va., earlier this season became the first Christopher Newport pitchers to ever record more than 500 career strikeouts. They will finish their careers once the NCAA Tournament run is complete, and will rank as the top two in a number of pitching statistics in school history.
 
"It's hard to argue they aren't one and two on the list of CNU's greatest pitchers ever," Parr acknowledged. "What order you rank them is up for debate, but they have obviously done spectacular things. I have personally coached many great pitchers in a CNU uniform, and I will put them both at the top of the list. We have truly been blessed as a program, and with Kate and Jamie, their overall career numbers do not lie."
 
Those numbers are indeed remarkable, made even more impressive by just how similar the two seniors' career statistics stack up. Alger, who is 17-2 this season, is 64-13 in her career. Martin is 15-2 so far in 2025, and 61-11 overall. Martin's earned run average is 1.30 this year, and 1.35 over her career. Alger's ERA this spring is 1.38 and her career number is 1.40. Alger's 559 strikeouts tops Martin's 526, but Martin has 146 this year to Alger's 114. In the innings pitched column, Alger has thrown 490 to Martin's 442.

Along the way, there have been numerous awards, honors, and acclaim. They were both again named first team All-Conference last week by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, and Martin was voted the Pitcher of the Year in the conference for the second straight year. There have been perfect games (Alger threw one against Roanoke in the NCAA's two seasons ago, and Martin notched another this year with a five-inning gem against Meredith that saw her strike out all 15 batters she faced) and no-hitters as well. While they've been dominant, Parr is quick to mention the success of the rest of the staff as well over the last four years, a 22-1 combined record from Captains who haven't been in the spotlight as much.

"It says a lot about the whole staff, and Jamie and Kate have had a great impact on their fellow pitchers," Parr continued. "We have been fortunate to have some tremendous talent the past four years that has obviously been overshadowed. It's important to remember Jamie and Kate got some great support from Olivia Kim, who is 11-1 over the four-year span, and four others (Abby Rochette, Haylee Callahan, Mia Aiello, and Hailey Butler) who have combined to go 11-0."
  
HOW IT STARTED
 
The Christopher Newport softball program was considered one of the best in the nation when CoVID shut down the 2020 season. Parr's squad had a record of 12-1 at the time, and the team had the look of one that might just break through for the program's first national title. CNU was ranked third in the country in the final poll following the shortened season. When the Captains returned to action in 2021, there was a bit of a drop-off, but the team still managed to make the NCAA Tournament and compile a record of 28-14. However, CNU was knocked out of the NCAA's very quickly with back-to-back losses at a regional in Seguin, Texas. While the team averaged 6.3 runs per game in 2021, pitching was clearly lagging a bit behind. CNU's team earned run average was 2.81, and the priority for the recruiting class of 2022 was clearly to add help in the circle.
 
 "I started recruiting Jamie at a pretty early point because her high school coaches were both fathers of former CNU softball players," Parr remembered. "I was able to watch her quite a bit throughout her high school career at South County High School and I also saw her pitch with her travel ball team…it was evident pretty early on she would be an asset for our program. The recruitment process with Kate happened a little later, during the summer going into her senior year at Buffalo Gap High School. Getting involved with Kate was also enhanced because she was coached by the father of a CNU player at the time. We were fortunate certainly to have them both join our program, but little did we know just how much of an impact they would have. "
 
Alger and Martin hit the ground running as freshmen at Christopher Newport in the 2022 season, joining a team that had plenty of great hitters returning. The batting order included All-American Kaitlyn Hasty, who is currently an assistant coach on Parr's staff, and Brooke Greaver, who was then just a sophomore and is now a fifth-year senior third baseman for the Captains. Greaver is currently fourth all-time in school history in home runs and runs batted in, and was named the Coast-To-Coast Player of the Year this season for the second time in her career.
 
Not many freshmen step into an already-established program like CNU's and make the splash that Alger and Martin did. Early in the season, they established themselves as the clear starters, and ended up beginning 37 of the team's 48 games played. CNU won its first 23 games before falling in the second game of a doubleheader at Averett. From there, Parr's team sailed the rest of the way, winning its final 24. Martin was named the National Freshman of the Year after posting a 22-1 record and 1.12 earned run average. Alger, despite starting nine fewer games due to injury, still went 15-1 with a minuscule 0.97 ERA. The dynamic duo shared time on the rubber in a national semifinal 6-3 win over Trine in Salem, Va., and a day later Martin threw a complete game shutout, again over Trine, for the program's first National Championship and a 47-1 final record.
 
The reliable and dominant numbers have continued year after year, but their last two NCAA Tournaments ended prematurely. In 2023, the Captains got back to the Nationals in Texas, but dropped two straight games. Last year, CNU fell in the Super Regionals at Rowan. With their final dance about to start, Alger and Martin are aiming for another crown to book-end their careers.
 
DELVING DEEPER
 
Wayne Vick is one of Keith Parr's assistant coaches, and joined Parr in the CNU dugout ten years ago. He has been around softball fields most of his life, and has many duties working with the Captains, most notably handling the pitching staff.  While he agrees Alger and Martin have many similarities, he's also been around them enough to see some big differences as well.
 
"In a lot of ways, they're complete opposites," Vick said recently. "The obvious difference is Jamie is a lefty, and Kate is a righty. But their styles are certainly different…Jamie throws a little harder, and can reach back and let it fly. Kate can spot pitches wherever she wants to put them and has pinpoint control. Kate's best pitch is probably her change up, while Jamie relies more on the rise ball and curve. Jamie is very cerebral and likes to talk about her performance during games, while Kate is more stoic, and tends to go off on her own. She internalizes things a bit more. But the bottom line is, they're both incredibly hard working and analytical. They battle hitters…and find a way to win most of the time."
 
Vick also recognizes just how special it has been to have the pair for the last four seasons.
 
"We've had the luxury and the comfort of having two hard-working teammates who really respect each other and feed off each other. It's been so much fun coaching them. I look back and also have to think about their first year in the program in 2022 and the senior veteran catcher at the time, Bailey Roberts, who did a lot to bring them both along through that amazing season. It helped get them off on the right foot, and the maturation process has continued as has the great success of the team."
 
More on Bailey Roberts later. Parr agrees with his longtime assistant and has been impressed with their gutsy demeanors in the circle.
 
"They're both ultra-competitive and always want the big moment," Parr admitted. "They never shy away from the spotlight, and that trait was evident early on. Along with their obvious abilities, that's also what has made them both special. They are always determined to develop and are working hard on their craft to this day."
 
FAMILIES OF PITCHERS
 
It's not all that surprising to learn that Kevin Alger, Kate's father, was a pitcher…and a good one. A lefthanded reliever, Alger spent parts of the 1992-94 seasons pitching for minor league teams in the Philadelphia Phillies organization (Spartansburg, Martinsville, and Clearwater). Those stints followed a successful college career at Ferrum College, where he pitched with Billy Wagner, who will become a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer this summer.
 
"I got into softball because of him," Alger laughed. "He asked me if I wanted to be a pitcher, and was a great teacher. He bought some videos and books and we worked on specific aspects of pitching. Playing softball and pitching at the college level became a dream of mine from an early age."
 
Martin also spent plenty of time on the softball field as a youngster.
 
"Both of my older sisters played softball, and both pitched, so I grew up around the game," Martin remembered. "It was almost an inevitability that I would play because my sisters took it so seriously. I remember thinking that I wanted to be the one with the ball, in the circle pitching, controlling the game. Probably from the age of eight, I've devoted a lot of my time to pitching."
 
While Alger and Martin have excelled on the field, they've also had remarkable academic success. Both went through early graduation ceremonies held for student-athletes on Tuesday morning, and both have secured positions to begin their careers. Alger, a communications major with a minor in business administration, will head to Richmond for an outstanding opportunity in the sales world. Martin, a neuroscience major with minors in leadership studies and chemistry, will go to work as a medical assistant, and plans to go to medical school in the near future. 
 
"They are both strong thinkers and have strong softball IQ's," Parr, a former pitcher himself on the CNU baseball team, continued. "Sometimes, as a pitcher, that can work to your advantage…and sometimes it can also get in the way because you try to process too much. I think they manage that pretty well overall, and I'm glad they bring a strong mindset and great preparation into each game they pitch."
 
BAILEY'S INFLUENCE
 
The mention of Bailey Roberts makes both Alger and Martin break into big smiles. Roberts was the catcher on CNU's National Championship team, a senior who took both young pitchers under her wing. The impact she made, on and off the field, is clearly visible. 
 
"She's the best, she was my rock freshman year," Martin said. "To this day, she's been so supportive, I can't say enough. She set the tone from the start, and made us all better. It was my first experience with a catcher that really held me accountable, she made me better than I thought I could be."
 
"She is truly one of a kind, a great person all the way around," Alger agreed. "She told me there's no other option but winning. She was such a great leader on that team, and did so much to help me getting started here."
 
The impact of Roberts on Alger and Martin clearly has carried on for three years since Roberts' departure. Those early lessons learned were taken to heart.
 
THE TASK AT HAND
 
If you haven't had the opportunity to watch Kate Alger and Jamie Martin pitch, you still have the chance. NCAA Tournament play begins Thursday at Captains Park. It's the start of a four-team regional beginning at 11:00 a.m. as the Captains begin their post-season journey with Farmingdale State (NY). Games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday as well. For Alger and Martin, it's their fourth straight tourney, and a chance to finish with the same kind of flourish their collegiate careers began with.
 
"There's a lot about this team that reminds me of our team my freshman year that won it all," Alger said. "We have a great group of seniors, and a lot of them never had the opportunity before and they're really stepping up. We're motivated, and we want it really badly. Last year was tough, but this is kind of like a revenge tour."
 
"We've got such a big and talented group of seniors, we're all chomping at the bit," Martin added. "Everybody you play this time of year has had a good season, so you can't take anybody lightly. It's such an exciting environment to be in, and it's great to be playing at home."
 
While it takes a balanced attack most of the time to achieve greatness in any sport, the presence of a shut-down pitcher in softball can make up for deficiencies in many other areas. When such a pitcher has truly dominating stuff and is sailing through a game, a poor or average team can appear to be respectable…and a good or great team can appear to be downright unbeatable. With Alger and Martin leading the way in the pitching circle, the Captains appear to be capable of a climactic finish.