Christopher Newport and Salisbury Set For NCAA Softball Super Regional Showdown
With four memorable matchups already in the books this spring, Christopher Newport and Salisbury are set to battle one last time in the NCAA Softball Super Regional round, beginning Friday at the Salisbury Softball complex.
The Super Regional is a best-of-three format, with game one slated for Friday at 1 p.m. Game two is on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the third and deciding game scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m., if necessary. The winner will advance to the National Finals from May 22-27 in Tyler, Texas.
The NCAA Division III tournament began a new format this year, with smaller four-team regional tournaments feeding into eight head-to-head super regionals.
CNU and Salisbury both earned berths in the Super Regionals with regional titles last weekend. Both squads posted unblemished 3-0 records in their respective regionals to advance in the NCAA postseason. Christopher Newport topped host Virginia Wesleyan 8-5 in the championship round, while Salisbury defeated Manhattanville 8-2.
The Captains (38-6) are the only team to have defeated Salisbury (38-3) this season, holding a 3-1 series edge against the Sea Gulls, including a dramatic 3-2 extra-inning victory in the CAC Championship game.
CNU enters the weekend riding a 17-game winning streak.
Junior first baseman Sabrina Hill, MVP of the regional, leads the Captains with 12 home runs and 101 total bases. She is batting .424 with 39 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .808. Sophomore outfielder Meagan Jones is batting .423 with team-highs of 46 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and 63 base hits. Senior outfielder Kristina McLaughlin has posted a .360 batting average with a team-best 50 RBI.
On the mound, freshman Krista Lewis has compiled a 20-2 record with an ERA of 1.74 and team-best 67 strikeouts, while classmate Makayla Jenkins boasts a 0.90 ERA with an 8-1 record and 54 strikeouts.
For Salisbury, CAC Player of the Year junior pitcher Rachel Johnson has been a force on the mound, posting a 23-2 mark with a 0.81 ERA and 249 strikeouts.
At the plate, sophomores Paige Knussman and Kim Dorsey have put up impressive numbers to lead the Sea Gulls. Knussman has posted a .527 batting average with 52 RBI, 10 home runs and .837 slugging, while Dorsey bats .480 with 59 RBI, 15 homers and .984 slugging pct. Three other Sea Gulls also boast plus-.400 batting averages, including junior Rebecca Hoey with a .429 average and 31 RBI.