Quick Hits
• The fourth-ranked Central Missouri Mules get the 2013 season underway with four games in Houston, Texas at the Astros in Action D-II Invitational at Minute Maid Park.
• UCM is ranked No. 4 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll and is ranked in all four polls.
• Central Missouri is the preseason favorite to win the MIAA as chosen by the league coaches.
• The Mules were 48-9 a season ago, their 14th consecutive season with 40 or more wins.
Central Missouri opens 2013 season
Central Missouri will open the 2013 season against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday at 1 p.m.
The Mules will then play Abilene Christian on Saturday at 7 p.m., Arkansas Tech on Sunday at 4 p.m. and UCM will wrap up the tournament against Arkansas-Monticello on Monday at 1 p.m.
The Series
Central Missouri leads the series with Texas A&M-Kingsville 4-0, including 1-0 during the Tom Myers era. The Mules beat the Javelinas 10-5 in last season's South Central Regional.
The series between UCM and ACU is tied 1-1 with both games being played during Tom Myers' tenure. The teams split a pair of games at the 2010 South Central Regional in Warrensburg. ACU won the first game 11-5 before the Mules eliminated the Wildcats with an 11-4 win in the championship game.
UCM is 8-6 all-time against Arkansas Tech and 2-1 under Tom Myers. Central Missouri took two out of three from the Wonder Boys in Russellville, Ark.to open the 2009 season.
The Mules are 2-0 all-time against Arkansas-Monticello. The teams have not met during Tom Myers' time in Warrensburg.
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Texas A&M-Kingsville enters the season as the No. 2 pick in the Lone Star Conference preseason coaches poll. The Javelinas were 31-18 a season ago, including an 18-10 mark in conference play, good enough for a second place finish in the LSC.
TAMUK qualified for the NCAA-II South Central Regional in Warrensburg last season. The Javelinas are receiving votes in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball News preseason poll.
Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian returns 14 letterwinners from the 2012 squad that finished 26-28 and 11-17 in Lone Star Conference play. The Wildcats are picked to finish sixth in the LSC preseason coaches poll. The Wildcats are receiving one vote in the Collegiate Baseball News preseason poll.
Arkansas Tech
Arkansas Tech finished 26-27 overall in 2012 and were 13-11 in the Great American Conference, good enough for a fourth place finish in the regular season. The Wonder Boys are picked to finish third in the GAC preseason coaches poll. They return the 2012 conference player of the year, Jonathan Finnegan, who hit .398 with 12 home runs and slugged .739 last season.
Arkansas -Monticello
Arkansas-Monticello finished the 2012 season 18-26 overall and 7-16 and in eighth place in the Great American Conference. The Boll Weevils are picked to finish eighth in the GAC preseason poll.
The Mules
Central Missouri returns 16 letterwinners and six starters from the 2012 squad that finished 48-9 overall, captured the third straight MIAA title and 23rd in school history and hosted the South Central Regional.
The Mules return five all-conference players and one all-region selection to a team that is shooting for their fourth trip to the NCAA-II World Series in six years.
MIAA batting champion
Ben Cox returns after hitting .406 in the regular season in 2012, he also led the conference and was 20th in the nation with a .509 on-base percentage.
Other starters returning include All-MIAA selections
Jon Cotter,
Chase Graskewicz,
John Oropeza and
Kurtis Schuyler.
Cotter was an honorable metion pick at second base after batting .331 and driving in 29 runs. Graskewicz was the second team all-league catcher, making 50 starts behind the plate. Oropeza was an honorable mention pick at first base after batting .323 with a team-high six home runs and 43 runs driven in. Schuyler was a second team all-league starting pitcher after going 9-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 14 starts.
Worth Noting
• The Mules have scored at least one run in 298 of the 302 games played under head coach Tom Myers.
• UCM won 22 straight MIAA games to end the 2012 season.
• The Mules have won seven straight conference series.
Mules picked to four-peat in 2013
Central Missouri was the unanimous pick to finish first in the MIAA according to the 15 league coaches in the preseason poll. The Mules received all 14 possible first place votes and tallied 196 points to claim the top spot. Missouri Western received one first place vote and tallied 175 points to come in second.
Emporia State was picked to finish third, followed by Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State to round out the top five.
UCM opens MIAA play Feb. 16 and 17 with a three-game series at Fort Hays State. The Tigers took three of four games from UCM in Hays last year, before the Mules beat FHSU twice in the conference tournament in Kansas City.
In the new 15-team MIAA, the Mules will play the other four teams in their pod (Lincoln, Lindenwood, Southwest Baptist and Truman State) four times, two at home and two on the road in midweek doubleheaders. UCM will play all other teams in three-game series on the weekends.
Mules in the Polls
Central Missouri is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll. The Mules are ranked in all three preseason publications including sixth in the College Baseball Lineup poll and ninth in the D2BaseballNews.com poll. The NCBWA poll has not yet been released.
The Mules have been ranked in the Collegiate Baseball News top 25 for 76 consecutive weeks with their No. 4 preseason ranking. UCM finished last season ranked sixth in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll.
The last time UCM was unranked was April 21, 2008, but the Mules finished that season ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Mules in season-openers
Central Missouri is 4-1 in season-openers under sixth-year head coach Tom Myers. The Mules beat Ouachita Baptist 9-4 in Arkadelphia, Ark. to open last season. The Mules are 30-18 in season-openers since 1965.
Mules in non-conference action
Central Missouri is 82-28 in non-conference games during the Tom Myers era. The Mules were 14-5 against non-conference competition last season including 1-0 against Texas A&M-Kingsville, who UCM will play in the season-opener.
Mules in MIAA play
Central Missouri is 158-34 in MIAA play under head coach Tom Myers. The Mules were 34-4 in conference play last year as they captured their third straight MIAA regular season crown and 23rd in school history.
Mules on the road
The Mules were 25-4 on the road last season and are 109-27 in road games during the Tom Myers era.
Mules in Texas
Central Missouri is 4-0 in games played in Texas during the Tom Myers era. UCM went 4-0 at the 2011 South Central Regional hosted by St. Mary's in San Antonio.
The Myers way
Central Missouri head coach Tom Myers has a 240-62 record as he enters his sixth season leading the Mules' program. The Mules have won at least 44 games in each of his first five seasons and recorded 52 wins during the 2010 campaign.
The Mules have had 20 first team All-MIAA selections and 11 All-Americans during Myers' tenure.
Mules Baseball history
In the 57th season of UCM baseball the Mules have compiled a 1,689-657-9 (.719) record in 2,355 games played. The Mules have won 40 or more games 17 times, including 14 straight seasons and have won 50 or more games nine times.
The Mules have won or shared 23 MIAA championships, 16 regional titles and two national championships.
Mules Baseball by the Numbers
• 26 NCAA Regional Appearances (last 19 in a row)
• 23 MIAA Titles (15 of the last 19)
• 20 MIAA Tournament Titles (16 of the last 19)
• 16 Regional Championships
• 15 Regionals as host site
• 13 Top five national finishes
• 4 Third place finishes
• 1 National Runner-Up
• 2 National Championships
UCM Alumni to host pregame reception on Saturday
There will be a pre-game UCM Alumni and Friends reception before Saturday night's game against Abilene Christian. The reception will be from 5-7 p.m. in the Insperity Club located behind home plate on the main concourse at Minute Maid Park. The event is free of charge once inside the stadium. Fans may RSVP for the event by calling 660-543-8000 or online at www.ucmo.edu/houston.
Mules Baseball: Winningest Team of the Millenium
The Central Missouri baseball program has had unprecedented success in the last 20 years and has been even more impressive since the year 2000. The Mules have a 657-145 (.819) record since 2000, the most wins of any program in NCAA Division I, II, or III. That is an average of 50.5 wins per season over the last 13 years.
A Tradition of Excellence in the Athletic Arena
• At the conclustion of the fall 2012 athletic season, Central Missouri has won a combined 191 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• During the 2011-12 school year UCM captured seven MIAA regular season and three tournament championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 137 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003) and seven national championships overall.
A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• The 500+ Central Missouri student-athletes received 245 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2011-12 academic year.
• 195 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 32 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned All-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 18 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 10 student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors, including Shawn Boss being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Track & Field.
Up next
• The Mules open MIAA play Feb. 16-17 at Fort Hays State. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
• UCM hosts Lindenwood in the MIAA home opener Wednesday, Feb. 20 for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
