CSU baseball team announces five additions

COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University baseball program is putting the finishing touches on its 2017 signing class, as head coach Greg Appleton announced five incoming players on Wednesday.

Clayton Duncan, Chase Brown, Andrew Hayes, Garrett Kirkwood and Chandler Pethel will join the Cougars for the 2018 season.

Duncan, a Columbus High grad, was 8-3 with a 1.59 ERA playing for former Cougar Chad Mathis. The southpaw was an All-Region 1-4A honoree this year and was selected to the Georgia-Alabama All-Star Game.

Brown, a first baseman, played two seasons at Independence Community College in Kansas, where he hit .328 with 37 runs scored and 35 RBIs. Over two years, Brown totaled 20 doubles and 13 home runs.

Athens Christian teammates Hayes and Pethel closed out their high school careers by helping their team to a state semifinal appearance and a 25-8 record. Hayes, a left-handed pitcher, was a three-time All-Region selection and named the Region 8A Pitcher of the Year as a senior. Pethel was the Athens Banner Heral Best of Preps 2017 Player of the Year and a Georgia Dugout Club Top 100 selection.

Kirkwood keeps the tradition going of standout players arriving from Colby Community College in Kansas, joining former All-Peach Belt Conference selections Ryan Ihle and Brandon Koehler. A native of Calgary, Kirkwood led CCC with a .379 average, 48 RBIs and 17 stolen bases as a sophomore. More than half of Kirkwood's hits went for extra bases this season, as he ranked third in the country with 26 doubles.

Columbus State was 29-21 in 2017 and tied for fourth place in the PBC.

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "CSU baseball team announces five additions."