Cougars Selected Fifth in PBC Preseason Poll; Montes Named to Preaseason All-Conference Team

Columbus, Ga. -- The 2010 baseball season will get underway in just over a week at Columbus State, and with it comes the annual Peach Belt Conference preseason poll and the preseason All-Conference team. CSU was picked to finish fifth in the league by the head coaches, and returning center fielder Alex Montes was selected to the All-Conference preseason squad.

The Cougars picked up one second place vote, two each for third, fourth and fifth, three for sixth place and one for seventh. That gave CSU a total of 81 points in the poll, eight points behind fourth-place pick Georgia College. 

USC Aiken was picked as the top team in the preseason poll, getting eight first-place votes and 114 points. The Pacers were just three points ahead of Francis Marion. The Patriots picked up two first-place nods and eight for second place to finish with 111 points. North Georgia (96), GCSU (89), and CSU (81) rounded out the top five.

Teams six through 10 were UNC Pembroke, Armstrong Atlantic State, Lander, Augusta State, and Flagler. Montevallo and Georgia Southwestern rounded out the voting. 

The league, which expands to 12 teams with the addition of Flagler and Montevallo, will play in East and West Divisions for the first time in baseball in 2010. The East Division will be comprised of AASU, Flagler, Francis Marion, Lander, UNC Pembroke, and USC Aiken. The West Division will have Augusta State, CSU, Georgia Southwestern, GCSU, Montevallo, and North Georgia.

CSU head coach Greg Appleton will have a number of new faces on his squad this season, returning just four starters from the everyday lineup and one player who started just over half the games last season. The pitching staff was especially hard-hit with the only true starter returning starter being lefty Chris Snipes (3-4, 4.76 ERA). Relievers Wade Dudley (2-1, 1.61 ERA), and David Lane (2-2, 5.96) are the only other two pitchers with significant innings pitches last season.

Senior Alex Montes was selected to the 2010 Preseason All-PBC Team on Thursday and returns to lead the offense and to anchor the defense in center field. Montes batted .389 as the team's leading hitter in 2009. He had 12 doubles, four triples and one homerun on the year, finishing with 35 RBI from his leadoff spot. He will be joined by shortstop Eric Skinner who batted .362 with 14 doubles and 22 RBI as they anchor the middle of the field. Jake Lepchitz, who started just over half the games in 2009 at second base, returns, as well. Lepchitz batted .301 and scored 18 runs. Leading homerun hitter Wes Adkins (.254, 9 HR, 30 RBI) also returns, as does sophomore outfielder Ryan Lewis (.268, 4 HR) and help to make up the nucleus of players with significant playing time and at-bats last season.  

CSU opens the season on February 3 at home, facing West Georgia. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Ragsdale Field.