NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Christopher Newport University softball team is continuing pre-season workouts with the start of the 2022 season just weeks away. Keith Parr's squad is selected to finish second, behind Salisbury, in the pre-season coaches poll released Wednesday by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference. 

The Captains, who are coming off a 28-14 record last season, received 13 points and one first place vote in the poll. Salisbury totaled 16 points with four first-place nods. Mary Washington, Finlandia, and Mount Mary round out the poll.

Christopher Newport is ranked 19th in the country in the pre-season national Top 25 poll from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). The Captains advanced to their 14th straight NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid last season after being beaten by Salisbury in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament final.

The 2022 CNU squad features 15 returning student-athletes, including All-American and former National Rookie of the Year Kaitlyn Hasty, now a senior. The Captains will feature a veteran lineup, with almost every spot in the order filled by a returning player. Christopher Newport, however, will have to look to youth in the circle, as three freshmen will be relied on to handle the bulk of the pitching chores. 

CNU hosts Louisburg College for two exhibition games this Sunday, February 20th, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Captains Park. The regular season will begin for Keith Parr's squad on Saturday, February 26, when the Captains play Rowan University in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m. 

Click HERE for the complete conference softball preview.

2022 C2C Softball Preseason Poll
1. Salisbury - 16 (4)
2. Christopher Newport - 13 (1)
3. Mary Washington - 10
4. Finlandia - 6
5. Mount Mary - 5