Third-ranked Mules to battle Cal Poly Pomona in another elimination game

First Pitch
• The third-ranked Central Missouri Mules face No. 16 Cal Poly Pomona in another elimination game on Wednesday at 11 a.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
• This will be the first ever meeting between Central Missouri and Cal Poly Pomona.

Cal Poly Pomona
• No. 16-ranked Cal Poly Pomona enters the elimination game at 41-18 overall after suffering an 11-3 loss to Millersville on Monday night.
• The Broncos are making their second straight NCAA-II World Series appearance under sixth-year head coach Randy Betten. He sports a 212-117 mark during that span.
• CPP is hitting .312 as a team with 116 doubles, 9 triples, 36 home runs and 322 RBI.
• Jason Padlo leads the team with a .398 average to go along with seven doubles and 30 RBI.
• Chris Stratton is hitting .379 with seven doubles, a triple, home run and 19 driven in.
• Caleb Romo leads the team with 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 46 RBI while batting .347.
• Jared James is batting .314 with 16 doubles, seven homers and 38 RBI.
• Seven players are hitting .306 or better for CPP and 11 players have driven in at least 12 runs.
• The Cal Poly Pomona pitching staff has a 3.49 ERA in 59 games and 513.1 innings pitched. The staff has walked just 213 and struck out 447 over that span. Opponents are batting only .239 against CPP.
• Michael Koval is 9-3 with a 1.86 ERA in 16 appearances and 15 starts.
• Peter Bayer is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA in 15 appearances and 12 starts. He leads the team with 89 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched while limiting opponents to a .217 average.
• Ryan Alsworth is 7-2 with a 2.87 earned run average in 25 total appearances and five starts. He leads the team with seven saves and limits the opposition to a .216 batting average.
• The Broncos have a .964 team fielding percentage. They've committed 80 errors and have turned 54 double plays on the year.

The Mules
• Central Missouri enters the elimination game at 43-14 overall after beating Franklin Pierce 6-0 on Tuesday.
• The Mules are hitting .307 as a team with 95 doubles, 25 triples, 72 home runs and 368 RBI.
• Jake Alexander leads the team with a .389 batting average with 13 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 40 RBI. He has a .460 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 .337 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs and has 41 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.
• Cole Distler is batting .325 with 21 extra-base hits and 36 RBI.
• Dylan Farrell is hitting .315 with 11 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs and is second on the team with 48 RBI.
• Ten Mules have double figure RBI on the season.
• The pitching staff has a 3.75 team ERA through 57 games and 504.0 innings pitched. The staff has 476 strikeouts and 187 walks during that span.
• Ethan Westphal is 11-2 with a staff-leading 2.60 ERA in 15 appearances and 14 starts. He leads the team with 103 strikeouts in 100.1 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 .971 fielding percentage and has committed 63 errors on the season. The Mules have turned 40 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 (11 games), the Mules are hitting .358 (43-of-120) with runners in scoring position and .630 (29-of-46) 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 99-56 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
• The Mules are making their 17th appearance in the NCAA-II World Series. UCM is 29-30 all-time in World Series play and the Mules have won two national championships (1994, 2003).
• The win over Franklin Pierce snapped a five-game losing streak in Cary for the Mules.

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
• With his four strikeouts against Franklin Pierce on Tuesday, Ethan Westphal has registered 103 punchouts in 100.1 inning pitched this season. That number is tied for fourth place on the single-season list with Steve Sharpe, who struck out 103 in 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 31, 2016 - (CARY, N.C.) -- Ethan Westphal tossed seven shutout innings with Tayler Ross adding two more goose eggs on the board and the Mules pounded out 10 hits in a 6-0 win over No. 2 Franklin Pierce in an elimination game at the NCAA-II World Series on Tuesday afternoon.
    Westphal (11-2) scattered five hits, while walking three and striking out four to earn his team-leading 11th win of the season. He kept the Franklin Pierce (48-9) hitters off balance all game long. He pitched out of jams in the sixth and the seventh, when the Ravens had runners at second and third with only one out. He induced a shallow fly out to right field for the second out of the seventh and then struck out Kyle Hood to strand two FPU runners and keep the Ravens off the board.
    The Mules (43-14) jumped on top in the second inning when Bennett Oliver led off with a double, went to third on Derek Cornell's sacrifice bunt and scored on Cole Distler's sacrifice fly to center.
    The Mules used the same formula for a run in the fourth to make it 2-0. Oliver singled and went to third on Cornell's single up the middle and scored on Distler's sac fly to left center. Dylan Farrell drew a two-out bases-loaded walk in the seventh to force in a run and give UCM a 3-0 lead.
    Franklin Pierce got the leadoff man on in the eighth, but Ross got a flyout and a double play to end the threat and keep it a 3-0 Mule lead.
    The Mules broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs. Distler singled home Cornell to make it 4-0. Following a walk to Matt Safranek, Jackson Schnurbusch ripped a double down the left field line to bring home two runs and the Mules led 6-0.
    Ross worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the win and his first save of the season.
    Distler finished the day 1-for-2 with three RBI, while Oliver was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored and Cornell went 2-for-3. Oliver also had 10 putouts at first base, giving him 514 for the season, a new single-season UCM program record. With his four strikeouts in the game, Westphal now as 103 on the season tying him with Steve Sharpe for the fourth most in a single-season in program history.
    John Amendola (7-2) took the loss for Franklin Pierce after allowing two runs on four hits in 3.2 innings of work. The Ravens used eight pitchers 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 11-7 in non-conference action this season after falling beating Franklin Pierce on Tuesday afternoon.
• The Mules were 7-9 in non-conference games last season and are 17-16 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 10-6 in neutral site games after the win over Franklin Pierce.
• UCM is 12-10 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 9-5 this season when facing a ranked opponent after beating No. 2 Franklin Pierce on Tuesday.

UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 73-36 (.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 1,832-722-9 (.717) record in 2,563 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 801-211 (.792) 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 Cal Poly Pomona they would advance to play Nova Southeastern on Thursday, June 2 at 3 p.m. UCM would have to beat NSU twice