NEWPORT NEWS — Christopher Newport University Captains baseball is ready to hit the field, and ahead of Friday’s home opener, John Harvell, head coach of Captains baseball sat down with WYDaily to discuss the 2025 season.
John Harvell is no stranger to the diamond at Captains Field — both as a baseball alum and now entering his 25th season as head coach. Harvell hopes to continue Captains baseball’s winning ways.
2024 saw Harvell and the Captains with the majority of the 2023 lineup back for another season. CNU went 29-12 and won the regular season championship, the conference tournament, and advanced to the Super Regionals in the NCAA tournament before falling to Misericordia University, the eventual winners of the national title.
“Our pitching was really good. Position wise, we did what we needed to do. I was really even more impressed with what our 2024 squad did because we just unveiled our new indoor hitting facility, but last year we couldn’t get into it so all of our hitting was done on the field,” Harvell said.
As the 2025 season gets underway, Harvell would love to bring a title home to Newport News.
“Our goal every year is to win a national championship. If it wasn’t, I feel like we’d be shortchanging the athlete here. We want to be the best, and to say that 25 years ago may have been a little farfetched. Having been to three World Series and played for the National Championship in 2003 and in 14 NCAA tournaments, I feel comfortable telling any kid that steps foot on this campus, if you want a great education and you want a chance to compete for a national championship, this is the place to be,” Harvell said.
Harvell has kept much of his roster intact despite losing All-American pitcher Dylan Weber. Weber pitched over 238 innings for the Captains before he transferred to pursue his graduate degree at the University of North Carolina.
A member of the Coast to Coast conference, CNU does not earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The team must schedule games against tough opponents in order to qualify for a shot at the national championship.
“Last year, our schedule was ranked No. 3 in toughness in the nation. We do play in the DIII showcase and traditionally, the six teams that are in it have been to the World Series and at least four have won the national championship. Those games alone help out a lot,” Harvell said.
With 25 years under his belt, Harvell said he still approaches coaching like he did when he was a driver’s education teacher.
“As a drivers ed teacher, when kids get in the car, they are already nervous. It was always my job to make them comfortable because the more comfortable they are, the better they will drive. They’ve got my life in their hands. I want my players to feel the same way, where they know that when they go on that field, we’re there to support them and we are pulling for them,” Harvell said.
A topic that the team discusses frequently is motivation.
“Motivation comes and goes. They have to be disciplined, they have to be focused. If there is any type of motivation they want to look at, especially for our returners, look where we were last year, look what happened, and think about what could have happened. We’re doing everything we can to remind them that they must motive themselves from within,” Harvell said.
The 2025 team could become the first baseball team in CNU history to qualify for four straight regional competitions.
The Captains will open the 2025 season on Feb. 14 against Messiah University with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
For more information on Captains baseball, visit CNUSports.com.