COLUMBUS - The No. 9 Columbus State University baseball team will play its first home game in nearly a year on Friday when Augusta University arrives at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series.

Friday's first pitch will be at 5 p.m., with the two teams meeting on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Columbus State will be allowing fans inside Burger King Stadium this weekend. Spectators must wear masks/face coverings at all times (unless eating or drinking) and adhere to physical distancing guidelines. Stadium seating will be limited. Admission is free of charge.

Cougar fans can watch the series live on Cougar Sports TV and listen on 88.5 WCUG with Scott Miller calling all the action from Burger King Stadium. Live statistics will be available at CSUCougars.com.

Back at Home, Finally 
It's been 358 days since the Cougars last took the field at Burger King Stadium. CSU was off to a great start at its home park before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season, going 12-2 in Columbus in 2020. 

Opponents Beware
Burger King Stadium has been a house of horrors for Columbus State's opponents. Since the renovation of Ragsdale Field for the 2016 season, the Cougars are 90-26 and carry a .776 winning percentage. The success in Columbus is nothing new as the Cougars have a .740 winning percentage (191-67) at home over the past decade. 

Be Aware of the Long Ball
The Cougars haven't been shy about launching homers to begin the year. CSU has nine long balls in five games to rank 11th at the Division II level in home runs per game (1.80). The timing of the home run hasn't been great as eight of the nine homers have come with no one on base. 

Making a Quick Impact
Junior college transfer Steven Minter quickly has made an impact in the Cougar lineup. The third-year sophomore is leading CSU in doubles (3) and is tied with Isaac Bouton for the most RBIs (7) on the team. He has driven in a run in four of the five games, including picking up two RBIs in three outings. Minter is hitting .316 with a 1.118 OPS on the season.

Moving On Up
Robert Brooks continues to build his CSU legacy. The fourth-year Cougar is climbing in the Columbus State record book following his outstanding start to 2021. Brooks is now tied for 10th with 27 career homers, thanks to his four big flies this year. He is also moving closer to second place all-time in hit by pitches. The catcher has been plucked 35 times in 130 career games in a Cougar uniform. Brooks will begin the weekend with the third-highest slugging percentage (1.105) and tied with the sixth most homers in the PBC.

Collecting the K's
The Cougar pitching staff has struck out at least seven hitters in four of the five games this year. CSU is averaging over 8.1 punch-outs per nine innings, with a season-high 12 coming against Flagler College. However, CSU has allowed 10 or more hits in four straight games. 

Cougars in the Polls
The Cougars dropped out of the latest NCBWA poll following losing two-out-of-three to Lander University last weekend. CSU remained ninth in the latest Perfect Game Poll, while the first regular-season edition of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll hasn't been released yet. 

Collegiate Baseball - 9th (preseason)
Perfect Game - 9th (March 3)
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association - Not Ranked (March 3 )

Preseason Favorites
The Cougars earned nine of the possible first-place votes to grab the top spot in the preseason PBC coaches poll. It's the second straight year that CSU has been tabbed as the preseason favorites. The University of North Georgia was second followed by UNC Pembroke and Georgia College.

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 824-435 record at CSU and is 49 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 1,725-955-5 for a winning percentage of .643. 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
Multiple Cougars will carry over active on-base and hitting streaks from the 2020 season into this weekend.

Hitting Streaks (min. 5 games)
Dane Bullock - 10 games

On-Base Streaks (min. 7 games)
Isaac Bouton - 16 games
Robert Brooks - 13 games
Dane Bullock - 10 games

• Augusta will be playing its second series of the year after dropping two of three at Flagler College last weekend. The Jaguars are 1-3 overall.

• Ben Markiewicz and Trent Maddox have been hot to begin the year. Markiewicz is 6-for-14 with four doubles and a team-high four RBIs, while Maddox is 5-for-14 with the Jags lone homer so far in 2021. As a team, AU is hitting .203.

• Noah Fritz hasn't recorded a decision in two starts for AU on the hill. In eight innings, he has allowed five runs on nine hits. Right-hander Will Cantrell tossed seven innings of one-run ball against FC in the series finale.

• The Jags defense has been a little shaky in the field. AU averages two errors per game and hasn't played a clean nine innings this year.

• Augusta is in search of its first winning season since going 29-22 in 2016. The Jags were 4-16 in 2020 during the shortened year.

• The Jaguars have struggled against the Cougars in years past. Columbus State is 100-24 all-time against Augusta and hasn't dropped a series to the Jags since 2011.