Christopher Newport Softball Ranked Second in National Poll Following 4-0 Start

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Thanks to a strong opening weekend, the Christopher Newport softball team has been ranked second in the country in the first weekly poll from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). The Captains, 4-0 after sweeping Roanoke and Emory & Henry, trail only defending National Champion Texas Lutheran in the poll released Wednesday morning.

Keith Parr's squad was ranked eighth in the nation in the pre-season poll from the NFCA. The Captains received the first number one weekly ranking in program history last year en route to a 39-7 final record and a trip to the NCAA Super Regional round.

Christopher Newport was led last weekend by the strong pitching of senior Aubrey Bates, who won two of the four games. Bates did not allow an earned run in 13 innings of pitching and gave up just one hit. She threw a no-hitter in the first game of the season at Roanoke. For her efforts, Bates was chosen the Pitcher of the Week in the Capital Athletic Conference this week.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Hasty also picked up where she left off last season. The CAC's Player and Rookie of the Year had eight hits in 15 at bats over the weekend for a .533 average with a home run and seven runs batted in. Senior Grace Wild also started impressively, posting six hits in 13 at bats (.462) with three doubles and six RBIs.

The second-ranked Captains head to Raleigh, N.C., this weekend for the Grand Slam Triangle Classic. The Captains will play Arcadia University Friday at 2:30 p.m. and then Piedmont College at 5:00 p.m. to get the three-day, six-game tourney started.

Here is the complete NFCA Poll:

NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – Feb. 26, 2020

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Previous
1	Texas Lutheran (8)	8-0	200	1
2	Christopher Newport	4-0	192	8
3	Linfield	6-0	184	11
4	East Texas Baptist	7-0	176	13
5	Illinois Wesleyan	2-0	168	6
6	Emory	1-1	160	2
7	Eastern Connecticut State	0-0	152	3
8	Trine	0-0	144	4
9	Williams	0-0	136	5
10	Virginia Wesleyan	3-1	128	7
11	St. Thomas (Minn.)	0-0	120	9
12	Randolph-Macon	0-0	112	10
13	Rowan	0-0	99	14
14	DePauw	4-0	86	24
15	Mary Hardin-Baylor	6-1	85	22
16	The College of New Jersey	1-0	80	19
17	Ithaca	0-0	77	16
18	Geneseo	0-0	67	17
19	Carthage	0-0	59	18
20	Tufts	0-0	45	20
21	Salisbury	7-0	40	NR
22	Central (Iowa)	0-0	35	21
23	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	0-0	23	23
24	Manhattanville	0-0	16	25
25	Ferrum	6-0	11	NR