NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Carrying an 8-3 record into the weekend, the 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team will face another stiff test at Captains Park as the Captains welcome in 21st-ranked Penn State Harrisburg (5-1) for a three-game series. The top-25 showdown will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m. followed by a Noon first pitch on Sunday, March 8.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all three games. Links to both can be found on CNUsports.com.
CNU has won three in a row including a pair of victories against nationally-ranked Messiah University last weekend. The Captains are coming off a 12-2 road win at Averett earlier this week. Penn State Harrisburg is 5-1 to start the season with a neutral site matchup against eighth-ranked Rowan University at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
The all-time series favors the Captains, 18-9, but the Lions have won three in a row coming into the weekend. CNU last defeated Penn State Harrisburg in a 15-9 final on March 12, 2023.
Senior
Cooper Newell (3-0, 3.18 ERA) has led the pitching staff for Christopher Newport so far this season. He earned a spot on the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week after tossing seven no-hit innings against the Falcons last weekend to pick up his third win of the season. Also starting three games already this season have been
Jackson Baird (0-1) and
Ryan Morrison (1-0). The senior rotation has combined for 46 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched between the three arms.
Offensively, the Captains are averaging 8.8 runs per game while being led by a veteran core at the top of the lineup. Senior
Jake Benedict and junior
Aaron Maxie rank sixth nationally with seven doubles already this season and the pair have combined for 29 RBI and 25 runs scored. Senior shortstop
Josh Reinhold is hitting .375 with 11 walks in 11 games played to post the highest on-base percentage on the team with a .545 mark. Additionally,
Cameron Slough is slashing .375/.490/.575 while starting all 11 games behind the plate for the Captains.
The Lions opened the season winning two of three from North Carolina Wesleyan and added a three-game sweep of UMass Dartmouth. Also featuring a high-scoring offense, Penn State Harrisburg is pouring in 10.2 runs per game so far this year. Coy Schwanger, hitting .417, leads the attack with a team-high eight RBI while adding seven runs scored. Tim Haftl, at .364, and Demetre Koutras III, at .348, are also off to hot starts this season. On the mound, Sam Thompson (1-0, 2.00 ERA) and Fisher Druck (1-1, 3.37 ERA) are leading the way for the rotation. Bradyn Eckert has a pair of saves in three appearances as the Lions early season closer.
Following the three-game set against the former conference rivals, the Captains will host the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, March 11 to kickstart a six-game run over six days with just one day off.
