Playoff baseball will return to Augusta this week when the GreenJackets play host to the Asheville Tourists in the first round of the South Atlantic League playoffs.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series will be played at Lake Olmstead Stadium, at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday. The other two games are scheduled for McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C., on Friday and Saturday.

One of the biggest differences between the two teams is their respective venues. The dramatic size difference between Lake Olmstead Stadium and McCormick Field has impacted how the GreenJackets have prepared for the first-round matchup.

"Asheville's a different place. It's a much smaller field, and once runners get on, the home run comes into play, and a game can change just like that, because it's easier to hit it out there," GreenJackets first baseman Nick Noonan said. "Here, you can't do that."

The GreenJackets, who rank fourth in the league with 163 stolen bases and second with 36 triples, have an offense well-suited for Lake Olmstead Stadium. The park boasts an outfield that runs 400 feet to dead center field, with an extended wall that keeps many potential homers in play. The GreenJackets finished the regular season 48-22 in Augusta, easily the best home record in the league.

"It's an advantage for us when we play here, because he have a lot of line-drive, gap-to-gap hitters, and that's good for this park," Noonan said.

That style isn't as effective in Asheville. GreenJackets manager Andy Skeels said playing in McCormick Field is like "arena baseball" compared to Augusta's ballpark.

The Asheville stadium is a power hitter's dream. The deepest dimension is only 373 feet, in center field. The right-field wall stands a mere 297 feet from home plate.

Skeels said he hoped his hitters could adjust to such a setup when the team traveled to Asheville this past weekend to wrap up the regular season with an otherwise-meaningless three-game series against the Tourists.

"It's good for our hitters, because they need to get used to hitting in that park," Skeels said. "It's so much smaller, and they have to get used to that."

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.