INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- For the 13th time in program history, the Christopher Newport baseball team earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament as the Captains secured an at-large berth into the 2026 regional championships and will begin the postseason on Friday, May 15 against Maryville College (Tenn.) (27-17) on the campus of University of Lynchburg.

The host Hornets (36-6-1) will face Penn State Behrend (31-10) in the other first round matchup on Friday. The double elimination regional format will be played from Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17 with the winning team advancing to the Super Regional round from May 22-23. There are 16 four-team double-elimination regionals set to begin this weekend. 

This year's NCAA Tournament appearance is the fourth in the last five seasons  for the Captains which matches a program record over a five-year stretch after CNU first accomplished the feat from 2008-12. Christopher Newport reached the NCAA Super Regionals in 2024 after back-to-back regional championship game appearances in 2022 and 2023. 

The Captains earned the bid with an NPI ranking of No. 45 after falling in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Semifinals to 7th-ranked Salisbury. CNU heads into the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 24-15 against the third-ranked strength of schedule in Division III over the course of the 2026 season. CNU competed against eleven teams who also qualified for the NCAA postseason this year with 23 of the 39 games played in 2026 coming against national qualifiers. 

This season, Christopher Newport has been led by a balanced offensive unit that leads the C2C with a .314 team batting average. Junior first baseman Aaron Maxie leads the way with a league-leading .414 average that ranks in the top-75 nationally. Maxie also leads the team with 38 RBI while slugging .631 with a .481 on-base percentage. Seven CNU players are hitting over .300 including Gus Croll (.388), Sam Benedict (.370), and Cameron Slough (.362). Rounding out the group are seniors Jake Benedict (.348) and Josh Reinhold (.324) along with rookie Logan Adams (.310). 

On the mound, the Captains have been led by senior Cooper Newell (5-0, 3.41 ERA) and graduate student Jackson Baird (4-4, 3.70 ERA). Baird ranks among the nation's elite with 82 strikeouts, 17th in the nation, ranking just outside the top ten for a single season in program history. His 191 career punchouts rank just one shy of Rob Dye for ninth all-time at CNU. Out of the pen, junior Mitchell Mortensen (5-0, 1.23 ERA, 1 SV) has led the way for the Captains. 

Maryville enters the tournament with an at-large berth after being eliminated in the CCS Tournament by fellow NCAA participants Piedmont and Belhaven. The Fighting Scots are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third overall in 2026. This season, Maryville has been led by Det Dettwiller with a .396 average and a team-high 40 RBI with 20 extra-base hits. On the mound, the Scots are led by Titus Torbett (5-3, 2.70 ERA) leading the league in ERA while Kyle Timko ranks in the top-40 nationally in wins with seven. 

More information on game times, ticket information, and game coverage will be available on this page when it is made available.