SALISBURY, Md. — Defending their first ever Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference title secured in 2024, the Christopher Newport baseball team will travel to the 2025 version of the postseason event a day early as the Captains (20-17) will play the conference tournament at Salisbury University on Thursday, May 8 starting at 11:00 a.m. CNU, seeded #3 in the 2025 edition of the C2C Tournament, will face off against #2 Mary Washington in the semifinal round at 11:00 a.m. and the winning team will advance to the championship game later in the day, tentatively scheduled at 2:30 p.m.
Rain in the forecast around Salisbury, Maryland forced the tournament to move up a day earlier as it was originally scheduled for Friday. The Captains are seeking their second straight and third overall championship since joining the league in 2013-14 while also looking to capture the team’s eighth overall conference crown.
CNU will be taking the field for the first time in 11 days as they last played on April 28 against Hampden-Sydney College. The Captains won that game, 21-11, with a season-best offensive performance against the Tigers that included eight doubles. The potent CNU offense has scored in double figures in three of their last five games and rank second in the league with 7.7 runs scored per game.
Taking on the Eagles for the 50th time in the all-time series, Christopher Newport owns a 36-13 advantage in the matchup. This season, Mary Washington trimmed that lead with a pair of wins during the regular season, but prior to 2025, the Captains had won 15 of the previous 16 games against the Eagles including last year’s conference championship. Should CNU advance to the title bout, the Captains would be taking on top-seeded Salisbury for the 92nd time.
Christopher Newport has leaned on the top half of their lineup all season long including leadoff hitter Jake Benedict, boasting a top-ten single-season batting average in Christopher Newport history hitting .408 coming into Thursday’s final day of the season. He has recorded 62 hits and 20 of them have gone for extra bases as Benedict boasts a team-high .618 slugging percentage during his junior season. With 50 runs scored, he is among the nation’s elite in runs per game as the middle of the order has continuously brought him around to score.
The aforementioned middle of the order includes Aaron Maxie, hitting .398 with a team-high 40 RBI, Josh Reinhold, reaching base in all but four games this season, and Doc Daniels, closing in on 200 hits over his four-year collegiate career while hitting .364 this season. Maxie has showcased a patient eye at the plate while holding a dangerous bat and is currently in the top-five all-time at CNU with a .528 on-base percentage. His 30 walks are a league-high in 2025 and he has been dominant defensively, boasting the highest fielding percentage by a first baseman in program history.
Mary Washington will counter the CNU attack with one of the top pitching staffs in the nation this season. Ranking 10th in Division III team ERA, the Eagles have posted a 3.38 mark while allowing under eight hits per game in 2025. Brendan McComber (1.64 ERA) and Justin Ritz (1.84 ERA) have led the way for the Eagles and CNU saw both of them on the mound during the regular season. Offensively, Ty Lowe (.333) and Bobby Ayscue (.326) lead the way for Mary Washington with a combined 65 RBI and 56 runs scored.
Salisbury has won a league-best 18 baseball titles as members of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, formerly known as the Capital Athletic Conference. Mary Washington ranks second on the list, looking to capture the ninth in program history. With two wins on Thursday, the Captains would move into a tie for third all-time with York College of Pennsylvania with three baseball crowns.
Live stats and live video will be available for all the action at Sea Gull Stadium. Links can be found on the CNU baseball schedule at CNUsports.com.
