AUGUSTA, Ga. - After a deep postseason run in 2021, the Columbus State University baseball team has been named the favorites in the Peach Belt Conference as the Cougars sit atop of the 2022 PBC preseason coaches' poll.

Additionally, three Cougars earned spots on the 12-player preseason All-PBC team. Steven Minter, Isaac Bouton and Robert Brooks got the nod on the team after impressive 2021 seasons. 

CSU edged out the University of North Georgia for the top spot in the poll. The Cougars received six first-place votes for 78 points, while the Nighthawks garnered three first-place tallies for 74 points. Georgia College (60) and Young Harris College (60) were tied for third.  

Minter played a key role in the Cougars' run to the 2021 PBC Tournament championship, hitting .500 with two homers and nine RBIs in the tournament to earn tournament MVP honors. He ended the year with a .325 average, 14 doubles, 16 homers and knocked in 54. The Powder Springs, Ga. native had 22 multi-hit games and collected three or more hits in eight. 

Bouton will be looking to one-up his first full season with CSU after earning All-American accolades from two different organizations in 2021. The shortstop hit .347 last year with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. He ranked fifth at the DII level with 50 doubles and scored the eighth-most runs in the nation (60). The reigning PBC Freshman of the Year, Bouton recorded six hits in the first game of the PBC Championship series against the University of North Georgia to set a tournament game record and also tied for the second-most ever in conference history. Earlier this week, Bouton was named to the preseason 2022 NCBWA All-Southeast Region team. 

One of the leaders of the team, Brooks returns for his final season in a Cougar uniform. The graduate student is one of the most dangerous sluggers in the nation as the catcher hit 22 home runs in 2021. His homer mark was the second-highest in the nation and the third-most in Cougar history. He finished in the top-five at the conference level in batting average (.396), slugging percentage (.835), on-base percentage (.515), hits (72), RBIs (56) and home runs. The Marietta, Ga. native was an All-Southeast selection by the ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA. 

Columbus State had a postseason to remember in 2021. After capturing the PBC Tournament title, the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Southeast Region championship game before falling to eventual NCAA DII champions Wingate University. CSU went 31-16 overall last season and will begin the year ranked inside the top-25 in multiple polls. The Cougars are 12th in the NCBWA poll and 16th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings. 

The Cougars open the season next week with a three-game set against the University of West Alabama. CSU and UWA will start the series on Friday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. in Livingston, Ala.