No. 7 Columbus State hosts No. 25 Lander in big Peach Belt series

The Columbus State baseball team is on a torrid offensive pace, having averaged more than 13 runs a game over the past five outings.

For the season, the Cougars, who are 20-5 and ranked No. 7 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll , are averaging better than 10 runs a game.

The Cougars take their red-hot offense into in a big Peach Belt Conference series this weekend at Burger King Stadium against No. 25 Lander.

Columbus State heads into Game 1 of the series Friday (6 p.m.) with the best PBC record at 8-1. Lander is second at 12-3 (20-5 overall).

“It has been a pleasant surprise,” CSU coach Greg Appleton said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know how this team would play offensively.

“I thought we might have to find ways to manufacture runs. But the news guys have blended in well with the guys who have been here — Mike McClellan, Jackson Oliver, Blake Edwards and Matt Nettles.

“We are playing with a lot of confidence since we have had some come-from-behind wins. These guys just find a way to win.”

In their past five games, the Cougars are batting .375 (75-for-200) with 67 runs scored. They have hit 14 home runs.

Nettles leads the Cougars in homers with eight and RBIs with 31. Edwards leads in batting at .416 and doubles with 10.

McClellan, a preseason all-America pick, is second on the team in homers with six and RBIs with 30. He is batting .398. Oliver is hitting .359 with nine doubles, three homers and 24 RBIs.

“As good as we have been offensively, we didn’t hit the ball well at all during the fall,” Appleton said. “But we have a nice blend of speed and power.”

The offense has been so good it has helped to cover for a pitching staff — in particular the bullpen — that has struggled to a 5.54 ERA, the second-worst in the conference.

The three weekend starters — Caleb Kutsche, Albert Harless and Brandon Koehler — have pitched well, going 10-0 with a 4.12 ERA. The rest of the staff has an ERA of 7.05.

“I like outr starting pitchers on the weekend,” Appleton said. “Our bullpen has been a question mark. It has been a struggle to get guys out in the last three innings.

“We have some talented guys in those roles, but they just haven’t been in those situations.”

Lander heads into the series as the hottest team in the league with 13 straight wins, including sweeps in its last three PBC series.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 4:26 PM with the headline "No. 7 Columbus State hosts No. 25 Lander in big Peach Belt series."