COLUMBUS - Burger King Stadium will host a top-25 showdown this weekend as the No. 24 Columbus State University baseball team welcomes in No. 21 North Georgia for a crucial three-game Peach Belt Conference series.

The opener will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, with the two teams playing a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday will also be Newks Fan Appreciation Day with the first 50 fans receiving free entree and drink coupons from Newk's Eatery. 

Columbus State will be allowing fans inside Burger King Stadium on Wednesday. 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

Bombs Away 
The Cougars will carry an impressive streak into this weekend's series. CSU's lineup has hit two or more homers in five straight games and has produced 12 multi-homer games so far this season. Columbus State hit seven in the series against Claflin University last weekend to up their season total to 31. CSU is 15th among all DII schools in homers and 17th in homers per game (1.63).

Homer Watch 
Robert Brooks has been a mainstay in the Cougar order since he arrived in Columbus for the 2018 season. The fourth-year junior has developed into one of the best power hitters in program history as he ranks tied for eighth with 33 career home runs. He has 10 this year, including hitting four over the last five games, and is fourth among all DII players this season in the category. 

Keep Them Coming
Matthew McDade had a game for the ages in the Cougars' 14-2 win on March 27 against Claflin. The second baseman drove in eight runs with a 3-for-3 performance, including hitting a grand slam to help CSU break the game open. The eight RBIs were just shy for the most by any DII player this season. Over the past five games, McDade is hitting .471 (8-for-17) with five extra-base hits. 

Race Is On 
The regular season has entered its last full month, and the postseason race is heating up inside the PBC. It will be as difficult as ever to reach the PBC Tournament in 2021 as only the top four teams will earn a spot to this year's tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the Cougars hold the fourth spot with a 10-7 PBC record, while North Georiga is 18-6 and second in the standings. UNC Pembroke is atop of the league with a 15-3 conference mark. The 2021 PBC Tournament begins on May 7 with the best-of-three semifinal series.

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 97-27 and carry a .782 winning percentage. The success in Columbus is nothing new as the Cougars have a .744 winning percentage (198-68) at home over the past decade. Columbus State is 7-1 so far at home in 2021 and has won 19 of its last 22 in Columbus. 

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

ERA
Tyler Cadenhead - 6th (3.38)

Opposing Batting Average
Tyler Cadenhead - 4th (.222)

Saves
Brady Kais - T-5th (2)

Slugging Percentage
Robert Brooks - 3rd (.890)
Isaac Bouton - 8th (.641)
Will Wilbanks - 9th (.628)

On-Base Percentage
Robert Brooks - 4th (.511)
Isaac Bouton - 10th (.479)

Doubles
Isaac Bouton - T-8th (8)

Triples
Robert Brooks - T-4th (2)

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

Hit By Pitch
Robert Brooks - 3rd (10)

Sacrifice Bunts
Connor Kirley - T-2nd (4)

Cougars in the Polls
The Cougars are inside the top-25 in two of the three major NCAA DII baseball polls. CSU moved up a spot to 24th in the latest edition of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Coaches Poll, while dropping to 22nd in the Perfect Game DII rankings. Columbus State has been ranked all year, including being as high as ninth in early March.   

Collegiate Baseball - 24th (March 29)
Perfect Game - 22nd (March 31)
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association - Not Ranked (March 31)

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 833-440 record at CSU and is 40 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 1,734-960-5 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
Isaac Bouton's on-base streak reached 30 games last weekend as the second-year freshman continues to impress for the Cougars. David Meadows has been hot recently, reaching base in 15 straight games and upping his on-base percentage to .371 in 2021. 

Hitting Streaks (min. 5 games)
Steven Minter - 5 games 

On-Base Streaks (min. 7 games)
Isaac Bouton - 30 games
David Meadows - 15 games

• North Georgia is hot coming heading to Columbus as the Nighthawks have won four in a row to improve to 19-7 and 18-7 in PBC play this season. UNG swept a series from Flagler College last weekend in Dahlonega, Ga. before a 5-1 midweek win over Anderson University on Tuesday.

• Like the Cougars, the Nighthawks have played better at home with 15 of UNG's 19 wins coming at Bob Stein Stadium in 2021. North Georgia is just 4-6 on the road and has lost four of the past five.

• Eight players are hitting over .300 for the Nighthawks, with Nik Levensteins leading the way. Levensteins is on the shortlist for PBC Player of the Year as he is hitting .356 with 10 doubles, nine homers and 38 RBIs. He leads the PBC and is third in the nation in RBIs and eighth in homers.

• Also in the lineup is Andres Perez. Perez is currently one of three players at the DII level with 11 home runs on the year to go along with his 31 RBIs and 32 runs. He holds a 1.125 OPS and is on a 12-game hitting streak entering Friday.

• Crews Taylor (1.052 OPS, 8 HRs, 28 RBs), Tim Conway (.995 OPS, 7 HRs, 28 RBs) and Jake Howard (.939 OPS, 4 HRs, 24 RBIS) can also hit the ball out of the park for the Nighthawks. As a team, UNG is second in the nation with 47 total homers.

• Cade Heil is tied for the nation's lead with six victories on the mound but holds a 5.52 ERA in 44 innings of work. Parker Morrison (3-3, 4.10 ERA) leads the PBC in strikeouts with 64 in 52.2 innings.