NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the second time this season Christopher Newport University grad student Jackson Baird has been named to the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week. After earning C2C Pitcher of the Week plaudits, Baird added national team of the week honors to his ledger following an exceptional start against nationally-ranked Penn State Harrisburg.

It is the third selection to the National Team of the Week for Christopher Newport this year as Baird's second pick is paired with Cooper Newell also earning the honor. 

Taking on the nationally-ranked Lions from Penn State Harrisburg, Baird carved up the lineup to the tune of seven shutout innings on Saturday afternoon. After allowing a one-out double in the top of the first, Baird retired eight batters in a row including seven straight strikeouts. He then surrendered his second hit of the outing before sitting down six more in a row with another punchout. 

In the top of the sixth, he allowed a leadoff walk but promptly retired the runner with a double play to the right side. He showed off his athleticism by sprinting to cover the bag and, while on the run, he needed to make a tough pick on a short-hop throw while simultaneously finding the base to beat the batter-runner by half a step. After the exciting twin killing, Baird got a groundball to get out of the sixth.

In his final inning of work, Baird left little to be desired when he needed just 14 pitches to strike out the side for a dominant finish on the hill. He racked up 11 strikeouts, marking the first time since 2023 that he had recorded double-digit K's, and he left the game with a 17-0 lead. 

Earning his first win of the season, Baird improved to 1-1 with a team-low 2.53 ERA over 21.1 innings pitched this season. He has struck out 27 batters while holding opponents to just a .171 batting average against. 

Christopher Newport is hosting the US Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, March 11 at 2:00 p.m. Following the mid-week matchup, the Captains will also host Wittenberg for a three-game series at Captains Park this weekend.