NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The stage is set as the top-ranked Captains of Christopher Newport University head into play in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament Finals. The Captains, 42-1 and riding a 19-game winning streak, will be the top seeded team in the eight-team bracket, and will open play Thursday morning at 11:00 AM vs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
While the Captains are the top seed, the Engineers are the eighth seed, and will be making their first-ever trip to the National Finals. This will be the third trip for the Captains to the finals, and the first since 2012.
Christopher Newport advanced to the final eight on Saturday by beating Virginia Wesleyan University at Captains Park, 5-2 in nine innings. The Captains had beaten the Marlins, 3-2, on Friday in the opening game of the best-of-three Super Regional. WPI, located in Worcester, Mass., came back after losing to Tufts on Friday and swept a doubleheader Saturday to advance. The Engineers are now 35-15 on the season.
The other six schools in the field include second-seeded Salisbury, a fellow member of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference. The Sea Gulls will play Thursday at 4:00 PM vs. Millikin, the seventh seed. The third seed is Eastern Connecticut State, who will open play Thursday at 6:30 PM vs. sixth-seeded Trine. The fourth and fifth seeds, Texas Lutheran and Berry, will play Thursday at 1:30 PM.
All games will be played at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, and games are scheduled to continue until a champion is crowned on Tuesday, May 31st. The Salem bracket can by viewed by clicking the link at the end of this story, and you can also view the updated complete bracket by clicking below.
Christopher Newport is playing in its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament, and 19th in the 38-year history of the program. CNU advanced to the National Championship game in 2012 before losing to Linfield in Salem.
Keith Parr's team opened the 2022 season with 23 straight victories before falling at Averett on March 27th in the second game of a doubleheader. The Captains have since won 19 straight, including three in the Newport News Regional (one over Wilson and two over Messiah), and then two over Virginia Wesleyan, the defending National Champions, in the Super Regional. The Captains did not lose a game all season at Captains Park, posting a 26-0 record on their home field.
Christopher Newport has matched a school mark for wins in a season with 42. The Captains have set a new school record with 70 home runs this year, led by 18 from senior
Kaitlyn Hasty, who leads the country in long balls.
Thursday's game vs. WPI will be the first-ever for the Captains and Engineers. Here are the all-time records vs. each team in the National Final field:
2) Salisbury (48-43-2) and 4-0 this year
3) Eastern Connecticut State (3-1)
4) Texas Lutheran (1-1)
5) Berry (0-0)
6) Trine (1-0) game played this year on March 4 in Columbus, Ga.
7) Millikin (0-0)
8) WPI (0-0)
SALEM BRACKET
OVERALL UPDATED BRACKET
