No. 12 Mules set to face Missouri Western in MIAA Tournament Friday night

First Pitch
• The 12th-ranked Central Missouri Mules play fourth-seeded Missouri Western in an MIAA Tournament winner's bracket game on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
• The 2016 season marks the 23rd straight year that UCM has won at least 30 games.
• The Mules won their 25th MIAA Regular Season Championship this year after being picked to finish third in the MIAA's Preseason Coaches' poll.

Mules Baseball on the air
• All of UCM's postseason games can be heard live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com.
• Bob Jackson and Ricky Rivera will be on the call with the Lotspeich Automotive Dugout Show beginning 25 minutes prior to first pitch.

The Series
• The Mules lead the all-time series with Missouri Western 109-33, including a 3-1 mark under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM swept the regular season series two weeks ago. The Mules won 11-10, 6-4 and 6-2.

Missouri Western
• Missouri Western enters the contest at 35-16 overall after a 6-4 win over Missouri Southern on Thursday night. The Griffons are the fourth seed in the tournament.
• The Griffons have won four straight games since being swept by the Mules in a three-game series in Warrensburg two weeks ago.
• Missouri Western is led by 17th-year head coach Buzz Verduzco. He has a 498-364 record leading the Griffon program.
• MWSU is hitting .333 as a team with 109 doubles, 16 triples, 60 homers and 410 RBI.
• Landon Mason leads the team with a .420 batting average. He also has nine doubles and 16 RBI.
• David Glaude is hitting .407 with 20 doubles, six triples, eight homers and a team-leading 64 runs driven in.
• Cosimo Cannella is batting .360 with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 61 RBI.
• Jeremy Alvarado leads the team with 13 home runs to go along with 15 doubles and 56 RBI. He's batting .342.
• Seven players are hitting .330 or better and 11 have knocked in at least 10 runs.
• The Missouri Western pitching staff has an 5.42 ERA in 51 games and 433.2 innings pitched. The staff has walked 217 and struck out 304 during that span. Opponents are hitting .290 against MWSU.
• Preston Bailey is 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 24 apperances. He earned the win in relief against MSSU and figures not to be available.
• Richard Peoples is 9-3 with a 5.92 earned run average in 17 appearances and 12 starts. He has 54 strikeouts and 30 walks in 79 innings pitched.
• Alex Clavet is 5-2 with a 4.05 ERA in 14 appearances and eight starts
• The Griffons have a .970 team fielding percentage. They've committed 58 errors and have turned 52 double plays on the year.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enters the matchup with the Griffons at 35-12 overall after yesterday's win over Northwest Missouri.
• The Mules are hitting .303 as a team with 78 doubles, 23 triples, 65 home runs and 304 RBI.
• Jake Alexander leads the team with a .396 batting average with 12 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 33 RBI. He has a .471 on-base percentage.
• Bennett Oliver is hitting .348 and leads the team in home runs with a UCM record-tying 20 and RBI with 46.
• Derek Cornell is hitting .347 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs and has 36 RBI.
• Dylan Farrell is hitting .313 with eight doubles, two triples and 10 home runs and is second on the team with 37 RBI.
• Matt Elliott is batting .309 out of the leadoff spot. He has eight doubles, seven triples and eight home runs to go along with 29 runs batted in.
• Ten Mules have double figure RBI on the season.
• The pitching staff has a 3.86 team ERA through 47 games and 415.1 innings pitched. The staff has 396 strikeouts and 158 walks during that span.
• Ethan Westphal is 8-2 with a staff-leading 2.96 ERA in 12 appearances and 11 starts. He leads the team with 82 strikeouts in 79.0 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .211 batting average.
• Carlos D'Armas is 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 13 starts. He is second on the team with 78 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .251 against him.
• Tyler House is 6-2 with a 4.74 ERA in 14 starts. He's struck out 63 batters in 74 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .259 batting average.
• Andy Muehlberger is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and two saves in 14 relief appearances. He has 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched.
• Grant Gavin leads the team with 10 saves to go along with a 4-2 record and a 2.96 ERA in 21 relief appearances. He has struck out 28 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.
• Lucas Williams is 3-1 with a 3.16 earned run average and two saves in 18 appearances. He has 28 K's in 31.1 innings pitched.
• The UCM defense has a .968 fielding percentage and has committed 58 errors on the season. The Mules have turned 30 double plays on the year.

Worth Noting
• The Mules hit just .262 with runners in scoring position during the Washburn series, but swept the three-game set.
• During MIAA play, the Mules hit .313 with runners in scoring position and .619 with runners on third and less than two outs.
• The Mules currently rank seventh in the MIAA in batting with a .303 team average, they are first in pitching (3.86 ERA) and fourth in fielding (.968 fld%).

All-MIAA Mules
• After winning the MIAA Regular Season Championship, the Mules had 10 players named to the All-MIAA Team, including two first-teamers.
• Starting pitcher Ethan Westphal and reliever Grant Gavin were both named to the First Team and head coach Kyle Crookes was named MIAA Coach of the Year.
• Second Team honors went to pitcher Carlos D'Armas, first baseman Bennett Oliver and designated hitter Jake Alexander.
• Honorable Mention accolades were awarded to pitchers Tyler House and Lucas Williams and outfielders Derek Cornell, Matt Elliott and Dylan Farrell.

Going for 4
• When they square off tonight, the Mules will look for their fourth win against Missouri Western in four chances this year. UCM hasn't beaten the Griffons four times in a season since the 2012 season. 
• UCM was 0-1 against MWSU last year, 3-1 in 2014 and 2-1 in 2013.
• The win over Northwest Missouri on Thursday gave UCM a 4-0 record against the Bearcats this season.

Saving his way in to the record books
• With his two saves in the Washburn series, Grant Gavin moved in to a tie for fifth place on the UCM single-season saves list with 10 and in to a tie for seventh place on the career saves list with 13.
• He is one save shy of third place on the single-season chart and one shy of sixth place on the career list.
• His 10 saves this season lead the MIAA and are 12th in NCAA Division II.

Blasting up the charts
• Senior Bennett Oliver tied the UCM single-season home run record when he hit his 20th of the season last Saturday at Washburn. He tied Ben Slemmer, who set the record back in 1998. His 20 home runs are second best in the MIAA and sixth in Division II.
• The MIAA record for home runs in a season is 23, set by Emporia State's Eric Shortell in 2008.
• Oliver's 26 career home runs tie him for eighth all-time at Central Missouri. The career record for home runs is 44, set by Nathan Lipowicz (1997-00).

Mules in the MIAA Tournament
• The Mules are 3-2 in the MIAA Tournament under head coach Kyle Crookes after Thursday's win over Northwest Missouri
• UCM has captured 20 MIAA Tournament titles, including 16 of the last 22 years.
• Central Missouri's last MIAA Tournament crown came in 2012.

Last time out
May 12, 2016 - (ST. CHARLES, Mo.) -- The 12th-ranked Mules scored eight runs in the first two innings and never looked back en route to a 10-3 win over Northwest Missouri in the MIAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex.
    The Mules (35-12) responded after the Bearcats (24-27) scored three runs in the top of the first. Northwest Missouri got a two-run double off the bat of Kevin Handzlik and an RBI groundout from Jake Lewis to grab the early lead.
    UCM wasted no time in responding, as Matt Elliott hit the third pitch of the bottom of the first over the wall in right for leadoff home run to cut the deficit to 3-1. After back-to-back singles put Mules at the corners with no out, Bennett Oliver had an RBI fielder's choice to make it 3-2. Derek Cornell hit a two-run home run just over the wall and inside the foul pole down the left field line to put the Mules in front 4-3. Two pitches later, Cole Distler hit a line drive home run to right center and UCM led 5-3.
    Jake Alexander had an RBI sacrifice bunt in the second to make it 6-3 and Dylan Farrell scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-3. Distler added an RBI single to make it 8-3.
    That lead margin stood until the eighth when Elliott roped a two-run double off the wall in left center to make it 10-3 UCM.
    After allowing three first inning runs on three hits, starter Tyler House (6-2) settled in to a groove. He tossed seven solid innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out seven. Austin Southmayd tossed the final two innings without allowing a hit to secure the win for the Mules.
    Anthony Caenepeel (5-10) took the loss for the Bearcats after allowing five runs on six hits in just one inning of work.
    Elliott finished the day 4-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Alexander had three hits, while Cornell and Distler each drove in a pair of runs.

Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules finished 32-7 in MIAA play this season after sweeping Washburn last weekend.
• The Mules won their fifth MIAA Regular Season Championship in the last seven years and the 25th overall in program history this season.

Mules in non-conference action
• The Mules are 3-5 in non-conference action this season after the 10-3 win over Northwest Missouri on Thursday afternoon.
• The Mules were 7-9 in non-conference games last season and are 12-14 overall in non-con action under Kyle Crookes.

The Mules at home
• The Mules are 19-3 at home after after sweeping Missouri Western last weekend.
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season.
• The Mules are 774-152-1 (.835) in 927 games played in their 41st season playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Mules on the road
• The Mules are 14-5 on the road this season after sweeping a three-game series Washburn last weekend in Topeka.
• The Mules are 26-18 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.

Mules in neutral site games
• The Mules are 2-4 in neutral site games after Thursday's win over Northwest Missouri.
• UCM is 5-8 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Mules in the NCAA Regional Rankings
• The Mules moved up one spot to No. 2 in this week's NCAA Regional rankings released on Wednesday. The top eight teams in the final poll earn bids to the Central Regional Tournament.
• The NCAA-II Baseball Selection Show will air on Sunday, May 15 at 9 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

Mules in the rankings
• The Mules moved up four spots this week to No. 12 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 30 poll.
• The Mules jumped up 11 spots in the NCBWA Poll from No. 23 to No. 12 this week and jumped up four spots to No. 15 in the Perfect Game Baseball poll.

Mules vs. ranked opponents
• The Mules are 8-4 this season when facing a ranked opponent after sweeping a three-game set from No. 30 Washburn last weekend in Topeka.

UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 65-34 (.657) record in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• This season is his first conference championship as head coach at UCM and the second title overall during his time in Warrensburg.
• The Mules went 30-22 during Crookes' first season as head coach. Ten Mules earned All-MIAA honors, including First Team honors for outfielder Trevor Jones, who went on to earn Second Team All-Region honors as well.
• The Mules were 71-29 in Crookes' two seasons as an assistant coach and captured the 2014 MIAA Regular Season Championship. The Mules garnered five First Team All-MIAA selections and three All-America honors during his two years as an assistant.
• Crookes compiled a 292-164 overall record in eight seasons as the head coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before taking over as an assistant coach at UCM.

Mules Baseball History
• The 2016 season marks the 61st in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,824-720-9 (.716) record in 2,553 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 17 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games nine times.
• The Mules have won or shared 25 MIAA championships, captured 16 regional titles and two national championships.

Mules Baseball by the Numbers
• 27 NCAA Regional Appearances (20 of the last 22 years)
• 25 MIAA Titles (17 of the last 23, including this year)
• 20 MIAA Tournament Titles (16 of the last 22)
• 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 2000s
• The Central Missouri baseball program has had unprecedented success in the last 25 years and has been even more impressive since the year 2000. The Mules were the winningest team in all divisions of the NCAA by victories (508) and percentage (.814, 508-116) from 2000-09. That success has continued through the 2010s.
• The Mules are 793-209 (.791) since the year 2000. An average of 46 wins per season over the last 17 years.

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Entering the 2015-16 academic year, Central Missouri had won a combined 205 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured five MIAA regular season titles, and three MIAA Tournament crowns.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 151 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015) and 10 national championships overall.

A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• Central Missouri had 218 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 29 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.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had six student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with three of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is tied for sixth in NCAA-II with 49 Academic All-Americans.

Upcoming
• If the Mules beat Missouri Western they will advance to the Bracket 2 championship game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
• A loss to the Griffons would send UCM into an elimination game on Saturday at 4 p.m. against the winner of Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern.