NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Following a historic campaign for the slugger, Christopher Newport junior first baseman Justin Bowers has been named a D3baseball.com All-American as announced by the media entity on Wednesday morning. Bowers was named a fifth team All-American, becoming the first CNU All-American at first base since Gary Malarkey earned third team ABCA honors in 1990. 

Bowers is the 18th different player in program history to earn an All-American certificate from both D3baseball.com and the ABCA post-season honors. He is the ninth player to collect D3baseball.com All-American plaudits since the organization started releasing their postseason awards -- this is the 15th rendition dating back to 2022. 

The CNU newcomer is the first All-American since the 2019 season when Joseph Cutchins and Seth Woodard hauled in D3baseball.com plaudits and Nick DiNapoli was named an ABCA selection. On Tuesday, it was announced that he earned All-Region honors from both organizations, including a first team selection by D3baseball.com. 

Playing for the Royal Blue and Silver for the first time in his career, the junior slugger made an immediate impact to the Captains' lineup in historic fashion. With 29 extra-base hits including 14 home runs and 13 doubles, the transfer from Division I N.C. Central obliterated the previous records for slugging percentage (.851) and OPS (1.334). Adding 34 free passes with a terrific eye at the plate, Bowers also ranked third in program history in on-base percentage ( with a .532 mark.

His single-season slugging percentage record at CNU ranked ninth in Division III this season and his 14 home runs rank in the top-20 nationally as well. It was tied for the fourth most home runs in program history, matching Chris Phaup's 2002 campaign and only trailing Matt Turner (17 in 2002, 15 in 2003) and Nicholas Baham (19 in 2019). 

Bowers finished hitting a team-high .364 and led the team in virtually every statistical category including runs scored (40), runs batted in (42), doubles (13), triples (2), homers (14), and total bases (103). Hitting in the middle of the Captains lineup, Bowers delivered 13 multi-hit performances and a team-best 12 multi-RBI games. He pushed five or more runs across in a game on three different occasions and carries a 15-game reached base streak into next season.

While a dominant force at the plate, Bowers was also a stalwart defensively, making just a pair of errors in 189 total chances this season. He played most of the year at first base but also saw opportunities in left field and at third base; no matter where he was, Bowers was a brick wall, eliminating chances with the glove and his arm. At first base, he swallowed up 160 of his 162 total opportunities including 15 double plays. 

With Bowers leading the way, Christopher Newport finished the year with a 27-14 overall record. The Captains reached the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship Series and was selected as an at-large qualifier into the NCAA Division III National Championship. CNU advanced to the regional title game before closing out the season against Marietta in the final game of the year.