Columbus State Baseball Ranked 11th in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll

COLUMBUS - The 2011 Columbus State Baseball team will open the season ranked No. 11 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Preseason Top 40 poll.  They also finished the 2010 season ranked 11th nationally.

Columbus State had an outstanding season a year ago posting a 44-12 record and winning the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Aiken, SC.  CSU received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament falling to Georgia College, the eventual Southeast Region winner.  The Cougars got off to a blazing start last year setting a school record by winning 21 consecutive games early in the season.

CSU is one of five Peach Belt Conference teams ranked in the preseason poll. Georgia College is the highest ranked PBC institution, coming in at No. 4. with Francis Marion ranked No. 15, USC Aiken at No. 20 and North Georgia is tabbed No. 35 in the preseason poll. Both UNC Pembroke and Georgia Southwestern received votes in the poll.

Head Coach Greg Appleton and the Cougars will begin the season on Friday, February 4th when they host the University of West Alabama for a three game series at Ragsdale Field.