COLUMBUS - The No. 16 Columbus State University baseball team hits the road looking to grab its third straight Peach Belt Conference series this weekend against Georgia College.

The three-game series will begin on Friday, March 19, at 6 p.m. at  John Kurtz Field and will conclude with a Saturday doubleheader.

There will be limited seating in bleachers at Kurtz Field, with all fans required to wear face masks and follow social distancing guidelines.

Cougar fans can watch the games live on the PBC Sports Network and follow along with live statistics. 

The Machine 
After driving in nine in three CSU wins, Isaac Bouton was named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The second-year freshman hit .381 (8-for-21) with five doubles and a game-tying homer in the ninth against USC Aiken. The Cougars eventually won the game over the Pacers in 15 innings. Bouton had at least two hits in every game and scored five times. 

Cougars Win...Finally 
Columbus State and USC Aiken played one of the longest games in Peach Belt Conference history on March 13 when the two teams battled in a 15-inning affair. It fell one inning shy of tying the PBC mark for the longest game between conference teams and was CSU's longest game since February 2010. It's tied for the longest game at the Division II level this season and the second-longest across all three NCAA divisions. 

Shutting Them Down
Tyler Cadenhead has been keeping hitters guessing in his three appearances. The fifth-year senior is third in the PBC in ERA (2.19) and sixth in opponent batting average (.213). Since the start of the 2020 season, Cadenhead is 4-1 with a 1.27 ERA in over 35 innings of work. 

Bombs Away 
The Cougar lineup continued to blast home runs last weekend against USC Aiken. CSU hit five more homers in the three games, including three in the series finale. Columbus State is 15th in the nation in total home runs with 20, while ranking 16th in home runs per game (1.67). The Cougars have hit at least one homer in nine of their 12 games this season and have seven multiple homer games. 

The Killer Bs
Colby Brabston, Isaac Bouton, Robert Brooks and Dane Bullock have been pests in the Cougar order for opposing pitchers. The quartet has combined for 30 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs, while driving in 48 runs. Bouton (1.189), Brooks (1.304) and Bullock (1.099) all have an OPS over 1.000 in 2021 with Brabston having two go-ahead hits already to his ledger.

In the PBC...
A few Cougars are scattered among the conference's leaders in numerous offensive categories. Tyler Cadenhead and Noah Windhorst represent CSU's pitching staff in the rankings. 

ERA
Tyler Cadenhead - 3rd (2.19)
Noah Windhorst - 10th (3.46)

Opposing Batting Average
Tyler Cadenhead - 6th (.213)

Slugging Percentage
Robert Brooks - 3rd (.830)
Will Wilbanks - 6th (.750)
Isaac Bouton - 10th (.714)

RBIs
Isaac Bouton - 6th (19)

Doubles
Steven Minter - 3rd (7)
Isaac Bouton - T-5th (6)

Home Runs
Robert Brooks - T-2nd (6)
Dane Bullock - T-10th (4)

Hit By Pitch
Robert Brooks - T-4th (5)

Cougars in the Polls
The Cougars moved closer to being included in all three major NCAA DII baseball polls after receiving votes in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. In the other two, CSU climbed two spots in the Perfect Game poll to seventh, while coming in 16th in the first regular-season edition of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. 

Collegiate Baseball - 16th (March 15)
Perfect Game - 7th (March 17)
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association - Receiving Votes (March 17)

Head Man in Charge
Head coach Greg Appleton is now in his 24th season in charge of the Cougar program. Already the winningest coach in Columbus State and PBC history, Appleton holds an 830-436 record at CSU and is 43 wins away from 1,000 in his collegiate coaching career when adding his totals from Young Harris College. Under Appleton, the Cougars have made four trips to the Division II College World Series, including a national championship in 2002 and appearances in the national title games in 2007 and 2018.

One of the Bests
Since the inception of the program in 1970, the Cougars have put together an all-time program of 1,731-956-5 for a winning percentage of .644. CSU has reached 26 NCAA Regionals and eight NCAA DII College World Series, with a national championship in 2002. Columbus State is one of two NCAA DII programs to finish inside the top-20 in wins in each of the past five decades. 

Active Streaks
Isaac Bouton and Dane Bullock still carry active streaks from the 2020 season into this weekend's series against Georgia College. Bouton's on-base streak has soared into the 20s, while Bullock will reach the mark if he reaches base in all three games in Milledgeville. 

Hitting Streaks (min. 5 games)
none

On-Base Streaks (min. 7 games)
Isaac Bouton - 23 games
Dane Bullock - 17 games
Connor Kirley - 8 games
David Meadows - 8 games

• The Bobcats (8-5, 7-5 PBC) enter the weekend in a slump. GC has lost four straight, including being swept by UNC Pembroke last weekend in North Carolina. Georgia College had a midweek game against Anderson University postponed due to rain on Tuesday.

• GC couldn't slow down UNCP's bats, allowing double-digit runs in both the series opener and finale. The bullpen especially struggled, allowing 14 earned runs in 12.2 innings of work.

• Josh Hudgins has been a standout on the hill despite last the staff's struggles last weekend. He ranks inside the top-10 in the PBC in ERA (2.92), opponent batting average (.207), strikeouts (27) and innings pitched (24.2). In four starts, Hudgins has a 2.92 ERA with a 2-1 record.

• Connor Darling (1-0, 3.48 ERA, 10.1 IP) and Forrest Wilson (1-0, 3.86 ERA, 7 IP) are also pitchers to watch for the Bobcats.

• Georgia College scores over 9.1 runs per game as the Bobcats pack a dangerous lineup. GC is second in the conference in slugging percentage (.493), third in hitting (.308) and fourth in homers (17).

• Cal Gentry and Cassius Young is a dangerous duo. Gentry is leading the team in hitting (.407) and RBIs (14), while Young has a team-high five homers to go along with a .321 average. Cam Hill and Noah Mendlinger each have 11 RBIs as well.

• The Bobcats were ranked as high as eighth in the nation before falling out of the national polls. GC is currently tied for fifth in the PBC standings.