RICHMOND, Va. -- The Christopher Newport baseball team featured a pair of All-State honorees in 2026 as junior first baseman
Aaron Maxie and junior reliever
Mitchell Mortensen each hauled in second-team plaudits.
It marks the eleventh consecutive season that Christopher Newport has garnered multiple All-State selections. It is the second career All-State pick for Maxie and the first for Mortensen. The recognition comes after both helped lift the Captains to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in 26 seasons under head coach John Harvell and guided the team to the regional final for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Maxie put together one of the best overall individuall seasons in program history in 2025 after hitting .422 for the season and entering his name sixth on the all-time single season chart at Christopher Newport. That marks the highest batting average for a Captain since Hall of Famer Billy Steel hit .427 in 2014.
The third-year first baseman also led the team in RBI with 45 and slugging with a .625 mark over 36 games played. He registered 54 hits with 14 doubles and four home runs, including a blast with light-tower power against perennial power Marietta at the D3 Showcase in Greensboro College. After returning from an injury that held him out of action for three weeks, Maxie closed the season on a tear by hitting .453 (29-64) with 21 RBI over a 16-game hitting streak. In the postseason, the veteran was 8-for-17 (.470) with 7 RBI, 2 doubles, and 4 walks.
Defensively, Maxie closed the book on the finest season in program history at first base. He posted an errorless campaign with 269 total chances, marking the most in a season without an error. He played a role in 24 double plays and added 15 assists.
On the mound, Mortensen also registered a banner season for the Captains while primarily coming out of the pen. He logged a 5-0 overall record with a 1.53 ERA over 35.1 innings pitched. Mortensen struck out 26 while allowing just six earned runs in 17 total appearances.
Mortensen appeared as a long relief option through the majority of the season and continued to gain traction as one of the lockdown back-end options for the Captains. In a shutout at nationally-ranked Salisbury, he threw two scoreless innings in relief of
Jackson Baird to close out a save and earn just the second ever shutout against the Sea Gulls. In the postseason, Mortensen put together a heroic start against one of the top teams in the nation by tossing a career-high five innings at Lynchburg with just two earned runs allowed.
The Captains finished out the season with a 26-17 overall record and registered the 18th 25-win campaign since Harvell took the reins in 2001.
| Individual Award Winners |
| Coach of the Year: |
Ben Jones |
Apprentice School |
| Player of the Year: |
Jack Pokorak |
Lynchburg |
| Pitcher of the Year: |
Logan Tapman |
Lynchburg |
| Rookie of the Year: |
Alex Caywood |
Washington and Lee |
|
|
|
| First Team |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Logan Tapman |
Lynchburg |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Nick Redman |
Apprentice School |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Tyler Kaltreider |
Lynchburg |
| Relief Pitcher: |
Grant Stratton |
Apprentice School |
| Relief Pitcher: |
Liam Stewart |
Shenandoah |
| Catcher: |
Sean Pokorak |
Lynchburg |
| First Base: |
Jack Pokorak |
Lynchburg |
| Second Base: |
Benton Jones |
Lynchburg |
| Third Base: |
Evan Schick |
Marymount |
| Shortstop: |
Brandon Garcia |
Lynchburg |
| Outfield: |
Quincy Via |
Marymount |
| Outfield: |
Quinn Madden |
Lynchburg |
| Outfield: |
Jaime Padilla |
Shenandoah |
| Designated Hitter: |
Zack Chadwell |
Bridgewater |
| Utility: |
Nathan DeWitte |
Washington and Lee |
|
|
|
| Second Team |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Ben Smallwood |
Marymount |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Nick Mattfield |
Lynchburg |
| Starting Pitcher: |
Evan Bert |
Bridgewater |
| Relief Pitcher: |
Mitchell Mortensen |
Christopher Newport |
| Relief Pitcher: |
Trent Judd |
Lynchburg |
| Catcher: |
JP Williams |
Shenandoah |
| First Base: |
Aaron Maxie |
Christopher Newportt |
| Second Base: |
Alex Caywood |
Washington and Lee |
| Third Base: |
Ashton Smith |
Bridgewater |
| Shortstop: |
Aidan Miller |
Eastern Mennonite |
| Outfield: |
Patrick Sido |
Mary Baldwin |
| Outfield: |
Chris Johnson |
Bluefield |
| Outfield: |
Bryce Suters |
Bridgewater |
| Designated Hitter: |
Michael Hetzel |
Roanoke |
| Utility: |
Zack Geertsen |
Southern Virginia |
