First Pitch
• The ninth-ranked Central Missouri Mules face Arkansas-Monticello in the Central Region Championship Game on Monday, May 23. 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 and the 18th time in program history that the Mules have won 40 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
• The Mules lead the all-time series with Arkansas-Monticello 3-2, but UAM is 1-0 against UCM this season.
• The Boll Weevils beat the Mules 5-4 in the second game of the season in Houston, Texas.

Arkansas-Monticello
• Arkansas-Monticello enters the regional title tilt with a 40-15 record after winning two elimination games on Sunday.
• The Boll Weevils are led by sixth-year head coach John Harvey. He has a 160-124 record leading the Boll Weevils and a 314-272 mark in his 12th season as a head coach.
• UAM is hitting .303 as a team with 114 doubles, 10 triples, 55 home runs and 378 RBI.
• Corey Wood is batting .374 with 19 doubles, 25 home runs and 89 RBI.
• Kevin Fitzpatrick bats .353 with eight doubles, five triples, three homers and 49 driven in.
• Brian Ray is second on the team with 10 home runs and has 33 RBI while batting .284.
• Nick Paraino is batting .347 with 10 doubles and 24 RBI.
• Four players are hitting .335 or better and nine different Weevils have driven in at least 12 runs.
• The Arkansas-Monticello pitching staff has a 4.11 ERA in 55 games and 468.2 innings pitched. The staff has walked 197 and struck out 338 over that span. Opponents are batting .258 against UAM.
• Braden Chambers is 11-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 16 appearances and 14 starts. He's struck out a team-high 71 batters in 95 innings pitched, while limiting opponents to a .223 batting average.
• Zach McKnight is 9-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 15 starts. He's fanned 70 in 87.2 innings and holds opponents to a .241 average.
• Grant Black is 4-4 with a 4.31 earned run average in 14 starts. 
• Dawson Moser is 2-2 with nine saves and a 1.52 ERA in 21 relief appearances
• The Boll Weevils have a .973 team fielding percentage. They've committed 55 errors and have turned 58 double plays on the year.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enter the regional title matchup at 41-13 overall after a 3-0 win over Minnesota State on Saturday night.
• The Mules are hitting .305 as a team with 90 doubles, 25 triples, 70 home runs and 352 RBI.
• Jake Alexander leads the team with a .395 batting average with 13 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 38 RBI. He has a .467 on-base percentage.
• Bennett Oliver is hitting .350 and leads the team in home runs with a UCM and MIAA single-season record 24 and a team-best 57 RBI.
• Derek Cornell is hitting .333 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs and has 40 RBI.
• Cole Distler is batting .331 with 21 extra-base hits and 33 RBI.
• Matt Elliott is batting .323 out of the leadoff spot. He has 11 doubles, eight triples and nine home runs to go along with 36 runs batted in.
• Dylan Farrell is hitting .315 with 11 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs and is second on the team with 46 RBI.
• Ten Mules have double figure RBI on the season.
• The pitching staff has a 3.81 team ERA through 54 games and 477.2 innings pitched. The staff has 452 strikeouts and 175 walks during that span.
• Ethan Westphal is 10-2 with a staff-leading 2.80 ERA in 14 appearances and 13 starts. He leads the team with 99 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .213 batting average.
• Carlos D'Armas is 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 15 starts. He is second on the team with 89 strikeouts in 83.0 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .236 against him.
• Tyler House is 7-2 with a 4.33 ERA in 15 starts. He's struck out 69 batters in 81 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .249 batting average.
• Grant Gavin leads the team with 12 saves to go along with a 4-3 record and a 2.83 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He has struck out 34 batters in 28.2 innings pitched.
• Lucas Williams is 3-1 with a 3.11 earned run average and four saves in 22 appearances. He has 33 K's in 37.2 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 .970 fielding percentage and has committed 62 errors on the season. The Mules have turned 36 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 .306 team average, they are first in pitching (3.81 ERA) and third in fielding (.970 fld%).

Mules in the NCAA Tournament
• The Mules are making their 28th NCAA Regional appearance overall, but the first since 2013 and the first under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM is 97-55 all-time in NCAA Tournament play after the win over Minnesota State.
• 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.

All-Region Mules
• Junior relief pitcher Grant Gavin and junior starter Ethan Wespthal both earned multiple All-Region honors this week.
• Gavin was a First Team All-Region selection by D2CCA and NCBWA, while Westphal earned First Team honors from the D2CCA and a Second Team nod from the NCBWA.

Saving his way in to the record books
• With his save against Minnesota State, Grant Gavin moved in to a tie for second place on the UCM single-season saves list with 12 and in to a tie for fourth place on the career saves list with 15.
• He is two saves shy of first place on the single-season chart and four shy of second place on the career list.
• His 12 saves this season lead the MIAA and are 12th in NCAA Division II.

Blasting up the charts
• Senior Bennett Oliver set a new MIAA single-season HR record with is 24th of the seaon against Minnesota State. 
• Oliver's 30 career home runs tie him for third 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 nine-strikeout performance against Emporia State on Friday night, Ethan Westphal has registered 99 punchouts in 93.1 inning pitched this season. That number ranks him in a tie for fifth all-time in a single-season in UCM history.
• He is four strikeouts shy of fourth place on the list (Steve Sharpe - 103, 2004).
• 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 21, 2016 - (ST. CLOUD, Minn.) -- Bennett Oliver set a new MIAA single-season home run record with his 24th of the season and three UCM pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the ninth-ranked Mules beat Minnesota State 3-0 on Saturday night at Joe Faber Field. With the win, the Mules advance to the Central Region Championship Game on Monday at 11 a.m.
    The Mules (41-13) struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Jackson Schnurbusch led off with a single, stole second, went to third on Matt Elliott's infield single and scored on Dylan Farrell's infield single to shortstop. Jake Alexander singled home Farrell later in the inning to give the Mules a 2-0 lead.
    The only other run came in the bottom of the sixth when Oliver led off with a towering home run to right. It was his 24th of the season, setting a new MIAA single-season mark and breaking the old record of 23 set by Eric Shortell of Emporia State in 2008 and matched by Dean Long of ESU last year.
    The three runs was more than enough for the Mule pitching staff on this night. Carlos D'Armas (5-2) tossed 6.1 solid innings to earn the win. He allowed just three hits, while striking out four and walking one.
    He exited in the seventh with one out and a runner at first. Tayler Ross entered the game and got a groundout and a strike out to end the Maverick (36-17) threat. Ross tossed 1.2 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts. He turned it over to Grant Gavin in the ninth. He struck out the side on 14 pitches to give the Mules the win and punch their ticket to Monday's regional title tilt.
    The save was Gavin's 12th of the year, tying him for second most in a single-season in UCM history. His 15 career saves are tied for fourth most all-time.
    Mitchell Bauer (6-4) took the loss for Minnesota State after allowing three runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings.
    The Mules out-hit the Mavericks 12-3 in the game and every Mule had at least one hit with Cole Distler going 3-for-4 and Elliott going 2-for-3 with a walk.

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 9-6 in non-conference action this season after beating Minnesota State on Saturday night.
• The Mules were 7-9 in non-conference games last season and are 15-15 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 8-5 in neutral site games after the win over Minnesota State.
• UCM is 10-9 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 71-35 (.670) 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 1,830-721-9 (.717) record in 2,560 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 799-210 (.792) 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 Arkansas-Monticello at 10 a.m. they will win the NCAA-II Central Regional and will advance to the NCAA-II Championships in Cary, North Carolina.
• A loss to UAM at 10 a.m. would set up a winner-take-all game at 1:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the NCAA-II Championships.