Columbus State notes: Columbus State, Augusta meet in battle for first place
The top two baseball teams in the Peach Belt Conference open a series on Friday night as No. 26 Columbus State visits No. 24 Augusta.
CSU, which has won eight straight, is 15-6 in the conference (30-10 overall). Augusta is a game ahead at 16-5 (27-11 overall).
The Cougars have not lost since being swept at Flagler late last month.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars have lost since a series-opening loss at Georgia Southwestern on March 25. Included in their nine-game win streak is a sweep of Flagler.
The series begins at 3 p.m. Friday. It will continue with single games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
“Obviously, this is a big weekend with first place on the line,” CSU coach Greg Appleton said in a news release. “We have to go in there with the mindset that we are going to win the series and, if that happens, things will play out how they are supposed to. The only thing we are concerned with is winning ballgames.”
Golf championships
The Columbus State men’s and women’s golf teams will begin competition on Friday in the Peach Belt Conference championships.
Flagler is the host for both events, which will be played on the Slammer &Squire Curse at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.
Four PBC teams are ranked in the top 25 with USC Aiken at No. 11, Flagler at No. 12, Georgia Southwestern at No. 15 and Young Harris at No. 25.
CSU won the season-opening Aflac/Cougar Invitational back in September.
The Lady Cougars have four top-10 finishes this season.
All-Academic honors
The Peach Belt Conference has been announcing its All-Academic teams recently.
The softball team had seven members.
They are Sydney Barker, Kailey Boone, McKenzie Fagioli, Lee Anne Rees, Kia Smith, Calli Star and Katie White.
The track teams had 11 make the team.
The seven women were Amber Braswell, Rachel Dixon, Rayna Green, Lexus Houston, Kaitlynn Howard, Olivia Ivings and Kayla Parsons.
The four men were Christopher Miles, Hussen Sadik, Timothy Thompson and Jalen Tolbert.
Robert Mize made the men’s golf team. It was the third straight year the former Brookstone standout earned the honor.
The tennis teams had eight honored.
They were Marco Almorin, Maciej Kierkus, Jorge Vargas, Benedikt Wilde, Martynas Zakaitis, Beatriz Leon, Kirsa Utech and Giorgia Vitale.
To be eligible for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Columbus State notes: Columbus State, Augusta meet in battle for first place."