Third-ranked Mules set to take on second-ranked Franklin Pierce in elimination game

First Pitch
• The third-ranked Central Missouri Mules face second-ranked Franklin Pierce in an elimination game on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
• 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 and 17th Regional crown 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.
• Bob Jackson 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 are 2-0 all-time against Franklin Pierce with both wins coming in the D2 World Series.
• UCM beat the Ravens 13-12 in 11 innings in the last meeting at the 2008 World Series in Sauget, Illinios.
• The first meeting was an 11-4 Mule win at the 2003 World Series in Montgomery, Alabama.

Franklin Pierce
• Second-ranked Franklin Pierce enters the elimination game at 48-8 overall after suffering a 4-3 loss in 12 innings to Nova Southeastern on Saturday night.
• The Bearcats are making their seventh NCAA-II World Series appearance under 18th-year head coach Jayson King. He sports a 650-290-3 mark leading the Ravens.
• FPU is hitting .301 as a team with 90 doubles, 28 triples, 39 home runs and 377 RBI. The Ravens have stolen 217 bases on the season.
• Jay Jabs leads the team with a .352 batting average to go along with 13 doubles and a team-leading 14 home runs and 69 RBI.
• Justin Brock is batting .343 with 14 doubles and 32 driven in.
• Chris LaVorgna bats .317 and has knocked in 52 runs.
• Six players are hitting .302 or better with 11 players having driven in at least 17 runs.
• The Franklin Pierce pitching staff has a 2.25 ERA in 56 games and 495.2 innings pitched. The staff has walked just 125 and struck out 485 over that span. Opponents are batting only .207 against FPU.
• John Amendola is 7-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 14 appearances and 13 starts. He's fanned 73 batters in 84.2 innings pitched.
• Paul Covelle is 10-2 with a 1.96 earned run average in 15 starts. He leads the team with 93 strikeouts in 96.1 innings of work.
• Tanner Bird and Dylan Dennis are tied for the team lead with three saves apiece. Bird is 8-1 with a 1.42 ERA in 22 appearances, while Dennis is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in nine appearances.
• The Ravens have a .965 team fielding percentage. They've committed 75 errors and have turned 37 double plays on the year.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enters the elimination game at 42-14 overall after suffering a 4-3 loss to Lander in the opening round on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
• The Mules are hitting .306 as a team with 93 doubles, 25 triples, 72 home runs and 362 RBI.
• Jake Alexander leads the team with a .395 batting average with 13 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 40 RBI. He has a .464 on-base percentage.
• Bennett Oliver is hitting .343 and leads the team in home runs with a UCM and MIAA single-season record 24 and a team-best 57 RBI.
• Matt Elliott is batting .335 out of the leadoff spot. He has 13 doubles, eight triples and 10 home runs to go along with 38 runs batted in.
• Derek Cornell is hitting .332 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs and has 41 RBI.
• Cole Distler is batting .322 with 21 extra-base hits and 33 RBI.
• Dylan Farrell is hitting .319 with 11 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs and is second on the team with 47 RBI.
• Ten Mules have double figure RBI on the season.
• The pitching staff has a 3.82 team ERA through 56 games and 495.0 innings pitched. The staff has 471 strikeouts and 184 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 4.19 ERA in 16 starts. He's struck out 74 batters in 86 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .243 batting average.
• Grant Gavin leads the team with 13 saves to go along with a 4-3 record and a 2.70 ERA in 26 relief appearances. He has struck out 34 batters in 30.0 innings pitched.
• Lucas Williams is 4-1 with a 3.63 earned run average and four saves in 24 appearances. He has 42 K's in 44.2 innings pitched.
• Andy Muehlberger is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA and two saves in 17 relief appearances. He has 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched.
• The UCM defense has a .970 fielding percentage and has committed 63 errors on the season. The Mules have turned 37 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. In the postseason (10 games), the Mules are hitting .360 (41-of-114) with runners in scoring position and .605 (26-of-43) with runners on third and less than two outs.
• The Mules were seventh in the MIAA in batting with a .306 team average, they were 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 this season, but the first since 2013 and the first under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM is 98-56 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
• The Mules are making their 17th appearance in the NCAA-II World Series. UCM is 28-30 all-time in World Series play and the Mules have won two national championships (1994, 2003).
• UCM has lost five straight games in Cary dating back to the 2010 season. The last UCM win at the World Series was a 3-0 win over Tamps in the 2010 series opener.

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.
• Gavin, Westphal and senior first baseman Bennett Oliver were all three named Second Team Rawlings/ABCA All-Region.

Saving his way in to the record books
• With his save in the regional title game against Arkansas-Monticello, Grant Gavin moved in to second place on the UCM single-season saves list with 13 and in to fourth place on the career saves list with 16.
• He is one save shy of the single-season record of 14 set by Chris Matlock in 2009 and three shy of second place on the career list.
• His 13 saves this season lead the MIAA and are second in NCAA Division II.

Blasting up the charts
• Senior Bennett Oliver set a new MIAA single-season HR record with is 24th homer of the season against Minnesota State. His 24 home runs are tops in the MIAA and 10th in NCAA-II.
• 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 28, 2016 - (CARY, N.C.) -- The third-ranked Mules out-hit No. 4 Lander 11-4 and capitalized on two Bearcat errors, but missed opportunities proved costly as UCM fell to LU 4-3 in walk-off fashion in the World Series opener late Saturday night and in to early Sunday morning.
    The Mules (42-14) got a scoring chance right out of the gate with a pair of singles in the top of the first. UCM had runners at the corners with one out, but a pair of strikeouts ended the threat. Lander (43-14) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning when Zach Daly homered on the first pitch he saw.
    The Mules tied the game in the third thanks to the first Bearcat error. Dylan Farrell had a two-out single and was able to come all the way around to score when Jake Alexander's single to right got under the glove of the right fielder and rolled all the way to the warning track. 
    Central Missouri had runners at second and third with one out in the fifth, but a pair of strikeouts ended the UCM threat and kept the game tied 1-1.
    The Mules took advantage of another Lander error in the eighth to grab a 2-1 lead. Matt Elliott led off with a walk. Dylan Farrell followed it up with a bunt single, but a throwing error on the play allowed both runners to move up to second and third with no one out. Following a groundout to the pitcher and a strike out, Elliott came dashing home on a passed ball to put the Mules in front. UCM had second and third with two outs in the inning, but an infield popout kept the lead at just one run.
    In the bottom of the inning Lucas Williams got a pair of strikeouts to start things off, but then issued a walk and on a full count to the next batter, John Mangum smashed a home run to left to put the Bearcats in front 3-2.
    The Mules fought back in the top of the ninth, however. Matt Safranek had an infield single to lead things off. A single to right by pinch-hitter Collin Nevil allowed pinch runner Dusty Maas to go to third giving UCM runners at the corners with one out. Elliott then placed a perfect bunt down the third base line for a single to bring home Maas with the tying run. Nevil and Elliott both moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, but a pop out and a strike out kept the game tied.
    In the bottom of the ninth Gatlin Minick led off with a walk for Lander. He went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout. Will Jones then singled to deep left to bring home Minick with the game-winning run.
    Andy Muehlberger (1-1) took the loss for UCM after allowing one run after walking the leadoff batter in the ninth. Tyler House tossed five innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out five. Lucas Williams allowed two runs on one hit in three solid innings of relief. He struck out six. 
    Brandon White (4-2) earned the win for Lander tossing one inning of relief, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts. LU starter Sam Linn allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and walked only one.
    Elliott, Farrell, Alexander and Safranek all had two hits apiece for the Mules. UCM left nine runners on base in the game.

Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules finished 32-7 in MIAA play this season after sweeping Washburn to close out the regular season.
• 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 10-7 in non-conference action this season after falling to Lander in the World Series opener on Saturday night.
• The Mules were 7-9 in non-conference games last season and are 16-16 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 9-6 in neutral site games after the World Series-opening loss to Lander.
• UCM is 11-10 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Mules in the rankings
• The Mules moved up six spots this week to No. 3 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 and jumped up four spots to No. 15 in the Perfect Game Baseball poll.

Mules vs. ranked opponents
• The Mules are 8-5 this season when facing a ranked opponent after losing to No. 4 Lander on Saturday night.
UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 72-36 (.667) 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 1,831-722-9 (.717) record in 2,562 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 18 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)
• 17 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 800-211 (.791) since the year 2000. An average of 47 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 Franklin Pierce they will stay alive and play the loser of Millersville and Cal Poly Pomona in an elimination game at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1.