First Pitch
• The ninth-ranked Central Missouri Mules will open NCAA-II Central Region play as the No. 2 seed on Thursday, May 19 against seventh-seeded SW Oklahoma State.
• First pitch is set for 10 a.m. at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
• 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.
• UCM also captured the 21st MIAA Tournament title in program history.

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.
• Greg Hassler and Ricky Rivera will be on the call with the Lotspeich Automotive Dugout Show beginning 25 minutes prior to first pitch.
• There will be a free webcast of the game as well. Links are located on the Mules Baseball schedule page on UCMathletics.com.

The Series
• This will be just the third all-time meeting between the Mules and SW Oklahoma State with the series tied 1-1.
• The teams split a doubleheader in Weatherford, Oklahoma back in 2001. The Bulldogs won the opener 3-2 with the Mules taking the nightcap 6-2.

SW Oklahoma State
• SW Oklahoma State enters the NCAA Regional at 33-15 overall. The Bulldogs won the GAC Regular Season Championship, their first ever as an NCAA school.
• The Bulldogs are led by fifth-year Zack Saunders. He sports a 135-100 record leading the SWOSU program.
• SWOSU is hitting ..286 as a team with 79 doubles, 15 triples, 36 home runs and 296 RBI.
• The Bulldogs rank fourth in the GAC in hitting (.285), third in pitching (4.02) and seventh in fielding (.963 fld%).
• Tanner Dearman leads the Bulldogs in hitting with a .363 average. He has 19 extra-base hits and 30 RBI.
• Korbin Polston bats .337 with 10 home runs and 52 runs batted in.
• Jacob Spring leads the team in home runs with 13 and RBI with 58, while batting .311.
• Four players are hitting .311 or better and nine different players have driven in at least 15 runs.
• The SW Oklahoma State pitching staff has a 4.02 ERA in 48 games and 402.2 innings pitched. The staff has walked 153 and struck out 365 over that span. Opponents are batting .259 against SWOSU.
• Jon Chidester is 8-5 with a 2.75 earned run average in 13 starts. He's limiting opponents to a .233 batting average over 95 innings pitched. He leads the team with 87 strikeouts.
• Ben Schweinfurth is 3-0 with a 2.32 ERA in 21 total appearances and five starts. Opponents are batting .207 in 50.1 innings pitched.
• Quintin Dougherty is 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA and seven saves in 24 relief appearances. He's struck out 34 batters in 28.2 innings pitched.
• The Bulldogs have a .963 team fielding percentage. They've committed 64 errors and have turned 27 double plays on the year.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enters the tournament at 38-13 overall after winning the MIAA Tournament title last Sunday with wins over Washburn (16-8) and Missouri Western (16-14).
• The Mules are hitting .310 as a team with 88 doubles, 25 triples, 68 home runs and 344 RBI.
• Jake Alexander leads the team with a .415 batting average with 13 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 37 RBI. He has a .486 on-base percentage.
• Bennett Oliver is hitting .351 and leads the team in home runs with a UCM single-season record 22 and a team-best 54 RBI.
• Derek Cornell is hitting .339 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs and has 38 RBI.
• Matt Elliott is batting .330 out of the leadoff spot. He has 11 doubles, eight triples and nine home runs to go along with 35 runs batted in.
• Dylan Farrell is hitting .328 with 11 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs and is second on the team with 45 RBI.
• Cole Distler is batting .316 with 19 extra-base hits and 31 RBI.
• Ten Mules have double figure RBI on the season.
• The pitching staff has a 3.95 team ERA through 51 games and 450.2 innings pitched. The staff has 425 strikeouts and 172 walks during that span.
• Ethan Westphal is 9-2 with a staff-leading 2.72 ERA in 13 appearances and 12 starts. He leads the team with 90 strikeouts in 86.0 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .207 batting average.
• Carlos D'Armas is 4-2 with a 3.87 ERA in 14 starts. He is second on the team with 85 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .243 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.
• Grant Gavin leads the team with 10 saves to go along with a 4-3 record and a 3.04 ERA in 22 relief appearances. He has struck out 30 batters in 26.2 innings pitched.
• Lucas Williams is 3-1 with a 3.09 earned run average and three saves in 20 appearances. He has 31 K's in 35.0 innings pitched.
• Andy Muehlberger is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA and two saves in 15 relief appearances. He has 11 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched.
• The UCM defense has a .968 fielding percentage and has committed 62 errors on the season. The Mules have turned 34 double plays on the year.

Worth Noting
• During MIAA play this year, 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 .310 team average, they are first in pitching (3.95 ERA) and third in fielding (.968 fld%).

Mules in the NCAA Tournament
• The Mules will be making their 28th NCAA Regional appearance overall, but the first since 2013 and the first under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM is 94-55 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and the Mules have captured 16 regional championships.

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.

Saving his way in to the record books
• With his two saves in the regular season-ending 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 owns the new UCM single-season home run record with 22. He broke the old record of 20, set by Ben Slemmer in 1998. His 22 home runs are tied for the most in the MIAA this year and are tied for third in NCAA-II.
• The MIAA record for home runs in a season is 23, set by Emporia State's Eric Shortell in 2008 and tied by Dean Long of ESU last year.
• Oliver's 28 career home runs tie him for fifth all-time at Central Missouri. The career record for home runs is 44, set by Nathan Lipowicz (1997-00).

Striking out the opposition
• After his eight-strikeout performance against Missouri Western last Friday night, Ethan Westphal has registered 90 punchouts in 86.0 inning pitched this season. That number ranks him seven all-time in a single-season in UCM history.
• He is four strikeouts shy of sixth place on the list (Seth Gilleland, 2007).
• The UCM single-season strikeout record is 129, set by Danny Powers in 2005.

Three bagger
• Junior centerfielder Matt Elliott has eight triples on the season, the fifth most in a single-season in UCM history.
• He is one triple shy of third place on the single-season list and three shy of second place.

Last time out
May 15, 2016 - (ST. CHARLES, Mo.) -- The 12th-ranked Mules outlasted Missouri Western 16-14 to win a wild MIAA Tournament Championship Game on Sunday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The two teams combined for 30 runs and 40 hits in a game that took nearly three and a half hours to complete.
    With the win, the Mules (38-13) sweep the MIAA Regular Season and Tournament Championships, and also earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA-II Central Regional.
    UCM struck first, scoring three times in the top of the first on a Bennett Oliver three-run home run to right field, it was his 22nd of the season leaving him just one shy of the MIAA single-season record of 23.
    The Griffons (37-18) answered back in the home half with a two-run single by Kody Matthews to pull within 3-2. MWSU had loaded the bases with no outs, but Jesse Steinbring was able to limit the damage.
    The Mules scored four times in the second to grab a 7-2 lead. Matt Elliott doubled down the line in right to drive in two runs and later scored on a Dylan Farrell RBI single. Oliver drove in Farrell with an RBI groundout to end the frame. Missouri Western answered right back with four runs of their own to make it 7-6.
    The Mules erupted for six more runs in the third. Elliott drew a bases loaded walk to force in the first run and Farrell followed it up with a bases-clearing double. Alexander and Derek Cornell added RBI singles and UCM led 13-6. The lead grew to 14-6 in the fourth on Farrell's sacrifice fly.
    The Griffons plated two runs in the sixth, one on a double play with the bases loaded and the second on Alex Heuring's RBI single to pull within 14-8.The Mules scored one run in the seventh on a Griffon fielding error and another in the eighth on an Oliver RBI single to push the lead to 16-8.
    Missouri Western kept fighting back though. The Griffons scored two in the eighth on RBIs from Heuring and Jeremy Alvarado to make it 16-10. MWSU then plated four runs in the ninth to pull within 16-14, and they brought the tying run to the plate, but Andy Muehlberger got Alvarado to foul out to first to end the game and give the Mules the championship.
    Farrell and Oliver both went 3-for-5 with five RBI in the game. Alexander finished the day 5-for-6, upping his average to .415 and Elliott added three hits, three runs batted in and four runs scored.
    Ross Juliana (3-1) earned the win after tossing 4.1 innings of relief, allowing two unearned runs on six hits.
    Tyler Tuepker (1-2) took the loss for the Griffons after giving up five runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work.

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 6-6 in non-conference action this season after going 2-0 last Sunday to win the MIAA Tournament Championship.
• The Mules were 7-9 in non-conference games last season and are 13-15 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 5-5 in neutral site games after going 4-1 at the MIAA Tournament last weekend in St. Charles.
• UCM is 8-9 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Mules in the rankings
• The Mules moved up three spots this week to No. 9 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 in the final poll last 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 to close out the regular season in Topeka.

UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 68-35 (.660) 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 1,827-721-9 (.716) record in 2,557 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
• 28 NCAA Regional Appearances (21 of the last 23 years)
• 25 MIAA Titles (17 of the last 23, including this year)
• 21 MIAA Tournament Titles (17 of the last 23)
• 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 796-210 (.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 SW Oklahoma State they would advance to play the winner of No. 3 seed Minnesota-Duluth and No. 6 seed Emporia State in a winner's bracket game at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. A loss to SWOSU and UCM would face the loser of UMD and ESU in an elimination game on Friday at 1:30 p.m.