Live Video // Live Stats // Ticket Info // NCAA Online Program
ALLIANCE, Ohio - Christopher Newport University begins play in the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament Thursday afternoon at the University of Mount Union. The Captains, 28-11 and Champions of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, will play Penn College in an opening round game scheduled for 1:30 p.m. It will be the first meeting ever of the schools, and the Wildcats are 33-7 and Champions of the United East Athletic Conference.
Host school Mount Union will open the day with an 11:00 a.m. game vs. Lebanon Valley in the double-elimination regional, which will continue Friday and Saturday.
The trip to the NCAA's will be the 19th straight for the Captains, and the 23rd in the 42-year history of the program.
Keith Parr, now in his 23rd season leading the Captains, most recently beat the University of Mary Washington on Friday in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference title game, 8-1. CNU is led by junior centerfielder
Candace Slaw, who is batting .482 and needs just nine base hits to match the school's all-time career record. Slaw has recorded 214 career base hits in just three seasons, and is chasing Sabrina Hill's all-time mark of 223. Slaw is presently tied for 16th in the nation in hits (68), and also tops the team in runs scored (45), and doubles (13).
The Captains are fourth in the country in home runs per game (1.23) and have hit 48 in 39 games played. Juniors
Simone Thompson and
Brooke Zuber have each hit ten to lead the squad this season, and Zuber crushed a grand slam in the C2C Championship game on Friday. She also tops the team in runs batted in with 43.
In the pitching circle, the Captains have been led by sophomore
Caroline Alger, who has a 7-0 record and an earned run average of 1.39 heading into NCAA action. Alger has posted six of those victories since returning from an injury that kept her out of action for almost two months of the season.
Following Thursday's two games, three more are scheduled for Friday, including two elimination games, and the regional championship is set to be decided on Saturday.
Links are provided at the top of this story to access the live video, live stats, and ticket information.
