NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off a three-game homestand this week, the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team is set to take on the second-ranked Hornets from the University of Lynchburg (20-3-1) on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Captains are 20-7 overall this season after picking up a 2-0 shutout against nationally-ranked Salisbury University on Saturday afternoon.
The Captains have won four of the last five and ten of 12 coming into the Wednesday afternoon tilt against the Hornets. Lynchburg has won 12 in a row dating back to a 9-9 tie against Washington and Lee on March 7 and have not lost a game since March 4 versus Maryville (TN). The matchup will be the 21st game in the all-time series with CNU trailing the head-to-head series, 9-11. Last season, the Hornets won both games but Christopher Newport captured both in 2024. In 2023, when Lynchburg won the national championship, the Captains split the home-and-home series with the Hornets as each team won the game at home.
Admission to Captains Park is free of charge. For fans unable to attend in person, live stats and a live video webcast will be available online at CNUsports.com.
This season, the Captains boast one of the best team batting averages in program history, hitting .319 to rank sixth-highest all-time at CNU. The team slugging percentage, .478, ranks seventh all-time and the Captains' .419 on-base percentage ranks as the fifth best in program lore. Defensively, the Captains have been solid and rank third nationally in double plays (27) and boast the eight-best fielding percentage in program history (.963).
At the top of the juggernaut offense has been
Jake Benedict and
Sam Benedict hitting 1-2 in the lineup for the majority of the season. J. Benedict leads the team in hits (45), runs (38), doubles (11), and home runs (6), while S. Benedict has the highest batting average (.385) among active players while leading the squad in stolen bases (9). Hitting behind the Benedicts, senior shortstop Josh Reinhld has continued to add to his historic career with a .348 average and 12 walks, becoming just the second CNU player ever to record over 100 walks in his career.
On the mound, the Captains have gotten an exceptional season from graduate student
Jackson Baird (4-2) with a 2.44 ERA over eight starts this year. Baird has 55 strikeouts over 44.1 innings pitched and ranks 11th nationally in total strikeouts. Senior
Cooper Newell (4-0) and senior
Ryan Morrison (2-0) have filled out the rotation with 58 strikeouts over 69.2 innings pitched combined. Also picking up two starts and 10 relief appearances, junior
Mitchell Mortensen has a 1.59 ERA with 18 K's over 22.2 innings pitched.
Lynchburg will counter with one of the best pitching staffs in Division III in 2026. The Hornets have a 2.77 ERA, ranking fourth in the nation, while holding opponents to just 7.59 hits per nine, ranking in the top ten. Meanwhile, the offense is also one of the toughest to beat, ranking fifth nationally in scoring (11.2 runs per game) and second in on-base percenge (.484).
Brandon Garcia leads the nation in walks and ranks second in runs scored (46) while teammate Jack Pokorak ranks second in the country in RBI (50). Benton Jones has added 38 runs, ranking in the top-25 nationally, and 41 RBI, ranking 11th.
Following the mid-week matchup against Lynchburg, the Captains will welcome Mary Washington to Captains Park on Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m. before hosting Regent University at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 12.
