Captains Baseball Coaching Staff

John Harvell

John Harvell is in his 23rd year as coach of the Christopher Newport University baseball team. Under his leadership, CNU has achieved tremendous success at both the conference and national level. The CNU program is annually considered one of the top programs in the nation in Division III. In 2019 the program earned another #1 ranking in the country. Harvell's impact on the program continued its steady rise with his third CNU team In 2003, he led the Captains all the way to national championship day at the NCAA Division III World Series, where they finished #2 in the country. In 2011, Harvell's Captains set a new program record by winning 26 straight games. CNU also achieved its first-ever national #1 ranking during the 2011 season. Harvell was selected the Regional Coach of the Year following CNU's 39-7 season in 2011. For his efforts John has been named USA South Athletic Conference coach of the Year three times. John graduated from Christopher Newport, where he was well-known to CNU fans as both a baseball and basketball player. He played three years of baseball and two years of basketball after transferring from Howard University, where he had played baseball and was a kicker on the football team.

After serving as Associate Head Coach for a three-year stint at his alma mater, Virginia Wesleyan College, Andy Wissinger returned to the Christopher Newport dugout in 2015-16. From 2002-12, Wissinger was a major part of CNU baseball's success, including three NCAA Division III College World Series appearances.

Beginning his 19th year as an assistant for the Captains, he has helped guide the Captains to nine NCAA Tournament appearances and four conference tournament championships. He helped lead the Captains through a program-record 26-game winning streak in 2011, and CNU averages over 33 wins per season with Wissinger on staff.  In 2020, the Wissinger-led offense shattered program and conference records while recording the fifth most runs per game in NCAA Division III history. 

A four-year starter for the Marlins at a variety of positions, he was a first team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) choice at shortstop in 1998 and second team at shortstop and second base in 1997 and 1999. He also caught some in his junior year.

Wissinger helped lead Virginia Wesleyan to a pair of ODAC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances and tied the school records for a season in stolen bases (42) and walks (33). He was a career .325 hitter. He then joined the Marlins' staff as a coach in 2000, working with the pitchers. In 2001, he was infield coach and both years worked as a base coach as well before joining the CNU staff in 2002. 

During the summer of 2005 he was coach of the Peninsula Pilots of the highly-regarded Coastal Plains League for college underclassmen.

Ron Frazier returned to Christopher Newport in 2018 and has now been an assistant in 20 seasons as CNU's pitching coach. Ron is in his third stint with the Captains after serving as assistant coach from 1990-92, as the program recorded its first 20-victory seasons in history, again in 1999-2013, including all of CNU's world series appearances, and now again starting in 2018.
 
Frazier first left to become a coach at Menchville and Denbigh High Schools, before returning for his second tenure as CNU’s pitching coach, beginning in 1999. After the 2013 season, he traveled to Europe to manage Technika Brno in the Czech Republic and the Solingen Alligators in Germany. He also served as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals. 
 
Under his guidance, the CNU pitching staffs have led the Captains to 20-plus wins in 18 of his 20 years on the bench. Frazier’s staffs posted five amazing seasons of 30-plus wins, including a record 39 wins in 2011. His staff also recorded two amazing years of 35 and 38 victories as the Captains reached the NCAA Division III College World Series, finishing third in 2002 and second in 2003.
 
Frazier has coached a Division III Pitcher of the Year, four All-Americans and 12 all-South Region selections and one of his pitchers was named to the D3baseball.com All-Decade Team. In addition he has had a USA South Pitcher of the Year, 25 who earned all-conference recognition, and one all-Division III College World Series honoree. 

A Word from Coach:

Our Camps are designed to provide organized instruction while providing access to our first class facilities at CNU. These camps are a tremendous recruiting tool for our program. The chance to evaluate and identify players as potential college athletes as well as who they are as people will take place during these two day camps.

Please join us for these exciting weekends of professional skill instruction while exposing yourself to the CNU baseball staff and campus!