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Quick Hits
• The fifth-ranked Central Missouri Mules travel to Edmond, Okla. for a three-game series against MIAA newcomer Central Oklahoma. The series gets underway with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. and wraps up with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• UCM is ranked No. 5 in this week's ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll and the Mules are ranked in the top 10 in all four national polls.
• Central Missouri was the unanimous 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.

The Series
• Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma have met 26 times on the diamond with the Mules holding a 15-11 lead in the series.
• The Mules are 0-1 against the Bronchos during the Tom Myers era.
• UCO handed UCM a 9-3 loss in Edmond in the third game of Myers' first season.

Central Oklahoma
• The Bronchos come into the series at 16-10 overall and 13-10 in MIAA play after being swept in a doubleheader by Pittsburg State on Tuesday in Edmond.
• UCO is batting .298 as a team and is led by Matt Johnson's .349 average. Tyler Crabtree is batting .341 with a pair of home runs, while Jared Wright is hitting .326 and leads the team with nine home runs and 29 RBI.
• The Broncho pitching staff has a 5.15 team ERA allowing 139 runs, 117 earned, in 204.1 innings. Edgar Lopez is 3-1 with a 3.63 ERA in six appearances including five starts. Mason Justice also has three wins on the year to go along with a 5.14 ERA in 11 appearances. Ethan Sharp is 1-0 with three saves and a 1.00 ERA in five relief appearances.
• Opponents are batting .287 against Broncho pitching.
• The pitching staff has issued 103 walks and struck out 200 in 204.1 innings.
• Central Oklahoma has committed 33 errors in the field and sports a .962 fielding percentage.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enters the series at 18-4 overall and 15-3 in MIAA play after splitting a doubleheader at Southwest Baptist on Wednesday afternoon.
• The Mules are batting .335 as a team and are led by John Oropeza's .429 average. Kyle Grieshaber is hitting .395 and leads the team with seven home runs. Oropeza leads the team with 33 RBI. Brad Wilson is batting .366 with three long balls and 31 runs batted in.
• The UCM pitching staff has an ERA of 3.84 and opponents are hitting .254 against them. Dany Coulombe has a 2.04 ERA and two wins in six total appearances. Travis Higgs is also 3-0 with a 3.54 ERA in five starts and leads the team with 26 stirkeouts in 28.0 innings. Jake Heissler is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 25 K's in 11 relief appearances. Kurtis Schuyler has recorded 21 K's in 24.2 innings pitched.
• The Mules have a .979 fielding percentage and have turned 13 double plays on the year.

Worth Noting
• The Mules have scored at least one run in 320 of the 324 games played under head coach Tom Myers.
• The win over Nebraska-Kearney in game one of the series gave the Mules win No. 1,700 program history.

Last time out
    March 27, 2013 - (BOLIVAR, Mo.) -- The fifth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball team split a pair of extra inning games with Southwest Baptist on Wednesday at Dodson Field. The Mules scored a 3-2 walk-off win in eight innings in game one before falling 8-6 in 13 innings in game two.
    The Mules (18-4, 15-3 MIAA) traveled to Bolivar to play the Bearcats, but were still the home team in both games.
    The Bearcats (9-14, 9-10 MIAA) got on the board first in game one scoring two runs in the top of the third inning. The Mules cut the lead in half with a single run in the bottom of the frame when Samuel Domingue's sac bunt scored Chase Graskewicz.
    The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when John Oropeza's double to deep center field scored Brad Wilson to tie the game at two. UCM threatened for more, but a double play ended the inning.
    Neither team scored in the seventh sending the game to extra innings. After a groundout to start the inning, Kyle Grieshaber belted a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left to give the Mules the 3-2 walk-off win.
    Jake Heissler (4-0) earned the win in relief for UCM. He tossed 1.1 perfect innings of relief. Starter Marshall Dean allowed two runs on three hits in five innings. Andrew Urban pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief as well.
    Game two started off much the same as game one with neither team able to get much going offensively. The Bearcats got on the board in the third on a solo home run by Landon Young to take a 1-0 lead.
    That lead held until the sixth when the Mules tied the game on Grieshaber's second home run of the game. UCM held SBU in the top of the seventh to keep the game tied 1-1. The Mules then loaded the bases with two outs, but a groundout ended the threat and sent the game into extra innings.
    Central Missouri loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but Seth Wheeler lined into a double play to end the inning and continue the game. Neither team threatened in the ninth sending the game to the 10th.
    The Bearcats pushed two runs across in the top of the 10th thanks to three hits and a Mule error. In the bottom of the frame the Mules were down to their final strike when John Oropeza was hit by a pitch. Kevin Gratza then walked on four pitches. Both runners came around to score when Wheeler laced a double to the gap in left center. He was stranded at second and the game continued on into the 11th.
    SBU put up three more runs in the top of the 11th to seize control and take a 6-3 lead. The Mules came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Wilson brought home two runs with a bases loaded single. Oropeza then doubled home Grieshaber to tie the game, but Wilson was gunned down at the plate trying to score the winning run. The Mules had runners on the corners with two outs following an intentional walk to Gratza, but couldn't push the run across.
    The Bearcats responded scoring two runs in the 13th to regain the lead. Ross Wolfe drew a two-out bases loaded walk to bring home the first run. After a failed pick off play at second base Bo Helsel raced home to score the second run on a close play at the plate.
    The Mules went down in order in the bottom of the inning to end the game and give SBU the split.
    Blake Kolons (0-1) took the loss in relief for UCM after allowing three runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of relief. Dany Coulombe allowed one run on five hits in five innings getting the start. He walked one and struck out seven.
    Cole Roark (2-1) earned the win for the Bearcats after allowing three runs on four hits in three relief innings.

Mules in MIAA play
• Central Missouri is 15-3 this year and 173-37 overall in MIAA play under head coach Tom Myers after taking splitting a doubleheader at Southwest Baptist on Wednesday.
• The Mules were 34-4 in conference play last season as they captured their third straight MIAA regular season crown and the 23rd title in school history.

Mules in non-conference action
• Central Missouri is 85-29 in non-conference games during the Tom Myers era and 3-1 this season after the season-opening Astros in Action Division II Invitational in February.

Mules at home
• The Mules are 4-1 at home this season after sweeping Lincoln last Tuesday and 108-26 at the friendly confines of Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field under Tom Myers.
• Central Missouri was 20-5 at home last season. The Mules' best home record under Myers was a 23-3 mark during the 2011 campaign.
• The Mules are 691-135-1 (.836) in 827 games played during their 38th season playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Mules on the road
• The Mules are 7-1 in games played on the road this season after splitting a doubleheader at Southwest Baptist on Wednesday. The Mules were technically the home team in the doubleheader, but the games were played at SBU and not at Crane Stadium.
• UCM is 116-28 in road games during the Tom Myers era.

Mules at neutral sites
• The Mules are 7-2 this year when playing at neutral sites and 34-12 overall during the Tom Myers era after taking two out of three from Washburn in St. Louis last weekend.
• UCM opened the season 3-1 at the Astros In Action D-II Invitational and then swept a doubleheader from Truman State in Bolivar.

Mules in the Sooner State
• The Mules are 8-3 in the state of Oklahoma during the Tom Myers' era, including 3-0 this year after sweeping a series at Northeastern State at the beginning of March.
• The previous eight games were the first eight games of Myers' first year as UCM head coach in 2008.

Mules in the Polls
• Central Missouri is ranked No. 5 in the country in this week's ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll. The Mules are ranked in the top 10 in all four publications including third in the NCBWA, fifth in the D2Baseballnews.com poll, and sixth in the College Baseball Lineup poll.
• The Mules have been ranked in the Collegiate Baseball News Top 25 for 84 consecutive weeks with their No. 4 ranking this week. The Mules have been ranked, in order, 4, 7, 9, 9, 8, 5, 4, 3 and 5 so far this season by CBN.
• The last time UCM was unranked was April 21, 2008, but the Mules finished that season ranked No. 4 in the nation.

The Myers way
• Central Missouri head coach Tom Myers has a 257-65 (.798) record in 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 1,706-661-9 (.720) record in 2,376 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.

Martinez Watch List
• Prior to the season, over 150 players from across the country were named to the Tino Martinez Award Watch List for the most outstanding player in Division II baseball. Central Missouri senior infielder John Oropeza, senior outfielder Kyle Grieshaber and junior shortstop Samuel Domingue were among the names selected for consideration for the award. The award is named after Tino Martinez, former Olympian and MLB All-Star, who played collegiately at Division II University of Tampa.

New region for the Mules in 2013
• As has been the case for all UCM sports this year, the MIAA has moved into a new region for postseason play in 2013.
• The MIAA, the Northern Sun and Great American Conferences now make up the NCAA-II Central Region.
• This year's regional will take place at a campus site to be determined May 16-19.

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

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 675-149 (.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 winter 2012-13 athletic season, Central Missouri has won a combined 193 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 139 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 travel to St. Charles, Mo. on Wednesday, April 3 for a doubleheader at Lindenwood beginning at 1 p.m.
• UCM then heads to Arkadelphia, Ark. for a three-game series against Henderson State on Saturday and Sunday.