Mules return to Minute Maid Park for Houston Winter Invitational

First Pitch
• The third-ranked Central Missouri Mules return to action this weekend at the Fifth Annual Houston Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park.
• The Mules take on Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday night at 6 p.m. They'll square off with Tarleton State on Saturday at 2 p.m. and wrap up the invitational on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. against Chico State.

Quick Hits
• Central Missouri was picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Central Missouri's 43 wins in 2016 were its most since 2012, when it totaled 48.
• UCM won its final eight games of the regular season to wrap up the MIAA crown.
• The shutout loss to Cal Poly Pomona in last year's World Series finale snapped a streak of 106 straight games without being shutout.

On the air
• All of Central Missouri's games during the Houston Winter Invitational can be heard live on the Central Missouri Sports Radio Network. Friday and Sunday's games will be on 98.5 The Bar, 1450 KOKO and warrensburgradio.com. Saturday's game will be on 1450 KOKO and warrensburgradio.com.
• Bob Jackson will be on the call with the Mules' Dugout Show beginning 25 minutes prior to first pitch.

The Series
• Central Missouri and Arkansas-Fort Smith have met just two times on the diamond with the Mules holding a 2-0 edge. The only meeting was a DH on Feb. 19, 2010 in Fort Smith, Ark.
• This will be just the second all-time meeting between UCM and Tarleton State. The Mules won a 3-2 game at the 2011 Regional Tournament in San Antonio, Texas.
• Chico State leads the all-time series 2-0 with UCM. The Wildcats eliminated the Mules at the 1998 World Series with a 13-11 win and beat UCM 13-12 early in the 2006 season.

Arkansas-Fort Smith
• Arkansas-Fort Smith enters the contest at 5-2 overall after sweeping a three-game series from Missouri Western last weekend.
• The Lions have played three MIAA schools, going 3-0 against MWSU, 2-0 against Pitt State and 0-1 against Northwest Missouri.
• UAFS is batting .238 as a team with eight doubles, two home runs and 34 RBI. The Lions are also 16-of-18 in stolen base attempts.
• Brennan Dooly leads the team with a .333 batting average. He has a .462 on-base percentage and has scored five runs and driven in six.
• Anthony Seminaris is hitting .250 with a team-leading 10 RBI.
• Jace Pitchford hits .227 with both of UAFS' home runs and seven runs driven in.
• The Lions sport a 2.90 team ERA through seven games. They've struck out 53 and walked 13 in 62.0 innings of work.
• Three relievers, Conner Mangham, Dawson Floyd and Nick Yoning all sport 0.00 earned run averages in two appearances. They've allowed a combined two hits over 6.1 innings.
• Evan Dodd is 2-0 with 2.77 ERA in two starts. He's tied for the team lead with 12 strikeouts in 13.0 innings pitched.
• Tyler Nelson is 1-1 with a 5.40 earned run average with 12 K's in 10.0 innings of work.
• The Lions sport a .969 fielding percentage. They've turned six double plays and committed eight errors on the season.

Tarleton State
• Tarleton State enters the tournament at 5-1 overall after taking two out of three from St. Mary's last weekend.
• The Texans are batting .289 as a team with 10 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 44 RBI. TSU has scored 50 runs in six games.
• Blake Adams leads the team with a .550 batting average. He also has two home runs and five RBI.
• Austin Call is batting .429 with eight RBI and team-leading nine runs scored.
• Dylan Lemons leads the team with three home runs and nine runs batted in while hitting .316.
• The Texans have a 4.59 team earned run average. They've walked 27 and struck out 51 over 49.0 innings pitched.
• Four relievers all have a 0.00 ERA over 11 combined appearances and 10 innings of work.
• Evan Pontley is 2-0 with a 4.00 earned run average in two starts.
• Conner Fletcher is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts. He leads the team with 15 strikeouts in eight innings pitched.
• The Texans sports a .985 team fielding percentage. They've turned 11 double plays and committed just three errors on the season.

Chico State
• Chico State enters the tournament at 6-2 overall after sweeping a four-game series from Simpson University last weekend.
• The Wildcats are batting .294 as a team with 16 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 42 RBI. Chioc State has scored 48 runs in eight games.
• Andru Cardenas leads the team in hitting with a .417 average and is tied for the team lead with 10 hits. Josh Falco is batting .412 through seven games and four starts.
• Casey Henderson leads the team with a pair of home runs whiel batting .263, while Cameron Santos is hitting .320 with a team-leading eight RBI.
• Six players are hitting .313 or better for the Wildcats.
• The pitching staff carries a 2.43 earned run average. They've struck out 71 batters and walked just 15 in 66.2 innings.
• Relievers Steven Baker, Grant Larson and Jae Wagner have struck out 21 and walked only two in 15.0 combined innings. They have yet to allow a run. Wagner has all three of Chico State's saves.
• Hunter Haworth is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA in two starts as is Casey Costello. Haworth leads the team with 16 strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched.
• Cam Greenough is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts. He's fanned 12 in 10.0 innings of work.
• The Wildcats sports a .993 team fielding percentage. They've turned five double plays and committed just two errors on the season.

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 4-2 on the season after taking two out of three games at the Henderson State Invitational last weekend.
• The Mules are batting .245 as a team with 11 doubles, three triples, one home run and 30 RBI. They're also 12-for-20 in stolen base attempts.
• Justin Graff-Row is batting .350 with a double, triple and three RBI to lead the qualified hitters.
• Matt Safranek is batting .571 in two games and Miles Orscheln is hitting .308 with a double, triple and two RBI in two games.
• Travis Stroup is hitting .286 with four doubles, the only home run and four runs driven in.
• The pitching staff has a 2.42 earned run average over 52.0 innings pitched. They've struck out 51 and walked 18 over that span.
• Steven D'Amico is 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average in two relief appearances. He's struck out 10 and walked only one in 10 innings of work. He also has the team's only save.
• JJ Benes is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts. He's allowed four runs, only one earned, on eight hits in seven innings of work while striking out seven.
• The Mules have a .953 team fielding percentage. They've turned five double plays and committed 11 errors on the season.

Mules picked to finish first in MIAA Preseason Poll
• Central Missouri was picked to finish first in the MIAA according to the 14 league coaches in the preseason poll released last Friday. The Mules received nine of 13 first place votes and tallied 140 points to sit atop the poll. Emporia State was second with Missouri Western third, followed by Missouri Southern and Washburn to round out the top five.
• UCM is scheduled to open MIAA play Feb. 24-26, hosting Fort Hays State at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Last time out
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (Feb. 11, 2017) – Third-ranked Central Missouri split a pair of games on Saturday afternoon at the Henderson State Invitational, falling to Ouachita Baptist 4-2 in the first game of the day before rebounding with a 7-2 win over the host, Henderson State in the nightcap. The Mules are now 4-2 overall on the season.
    Game 1 – Ouachita Baptist 4, UCM 2
    The game was scoreless into the fourth inning when Ouachita Baptist (1-6) erupted for four runs to grab the lead. A leadoff triple by Kyle Alexander got things started for the Tigers and he later scored on a bunt off the bat of J.D. Speed. Kord Offenbacker had a two-run double down the left field line to make it 3-0 and he later scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0.
    The Mules got a run back in the top of the fifth when Elijah Dilday reached on an error and later scored on Jackson Schnurbusch's RBI single.
    That lead stood until the ninth when the Mules mounted a rally. Schnurbusch and Connor Sorge had back-to-back walks to start the inning and both runners moved up on a passed ball. Travis Stroup's sacrifice fly brought home Schnurbusch, but that was all the Mules could muster as they fell 4-2.
    Jesse Steinbring (0-1) took the loss for the Mules after allowing four runs on five hits in 3.1 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Taylor Burns tossed 3.2 innings of four-hit relief with six strikeouts and Tayler Ross pitched a scoreless frame as well.
    Abe Young (1-1) earned the win for OBU, allowing just two runs on two hits over eight innings. Logan Huneycutt earned the save after recording the final three outs.
    Game 2 – UCM 7, Henderson State 2
    The Reddies struck first in the bottom of the first inning on Parker Jones' solo home run to left field. HSU loaded the bases later in the inning, but the Mules were able to strand them loaded.
    The Mules took the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs. Erik Webb tripled home the first run, then scored on Miles Orscheln's RBI groundout to put UCM in front 2-1.
    The Reddies tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, but the Mules scored four times in the top of the fifth to seize control of the game at 6-2. Justin Graff-Rowe had an RBI single to plate the go-ahead run and later in the inning Webb cleared the bases with a three-run double.
    The Mules tacked on another run in the ninth on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Graff-Rowe to lead 7-2.
    That was more than enough for Steven D'Amico (1-0), who allowed just one unearned run on four hits over six innings of relief. He didn't walk a batter and struck out eight in the process.
    HSU ace Chris Hunt (1-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on five hits over six innings.

Mules in the Polls
• Central Missouri is ranked third in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll and No. 2 by the NCBWA.
• UCM is ranked No. 1 in the NCBWA Preseason Central Region poll as well.
• The Mules come in at No. 28 in the D2BaseballNews.com poll and are unranked in the Perfect Game poll.

Mules in non-conference action
• Central Missouri is 4-2 in non-conference action so far this season.
• The Mules are 22-19 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.

Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules finished 32-7 in MIAA play last season and are 55-20 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules won their fifth MIAA Regular Season Championship in the last seven years and the 25th overall in program history this season.

The Mules at home
• The Mules went 19-3 in home games during the 2016 season.
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 34-8 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 774-152-1 (.835) in 927 games played in their 42nd season playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Mules on the road
• The Mules are 1-1 on the road this year after splitting games at Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State last weekend.
• The Mules went 14-5 on the road in 2016 and are 27-19 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.

Mules in neutral site games
• UCM is 3-1 in neutral site games this season after the win over Truman State in Arkadelphia, Ark. last weekend.
• The Mules were 10-7 in neutral site games last year and are 15-11 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Keys to success
• For the Mules in 2016, a big key to success was scoring early. The Mules were 30-8 when scoring first and 21-4 when they scored in the first inning. So far in 2017, the Mules are 3-1 when scoring first.
• With the MIAA's top pitching staff last year the Mules were almost unbeatable when they held a late lead. UCM was 34-4 when leading after six innings and 31-2 when leading after the eighth. In 2017, the Mules are 4-0 when leading after six innings.

Moving On
• Four pitchers from last year's squad are now playing in the professional ranks. Grant Gavin (Kansas City Royals - 29th round) and Lucas Williams (Houston Astros - 40th round) were both selected in the MLB Amateur Draft, while Tyler House (Tampa Bay Rays) and Ethan Westphal (Colorado Rockies) both signed free agent deals after the season.

UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 77-39 (.664) record in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• Last season he won his first conference championship as head coach at UCM and the second title overall during his time in Warrensburg.
• During his first two seasons at the helm, 20 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including three First Team nods. Four players have earned All-Region honors and two players have been selected in the MLB Draft.
• 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 2017 season marks the 62nd in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,836-725-9 (.716) record in 2,570 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 17 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)
• 21 MIAA Tournament Titles (17 of the last 23)
• 17 Regional Championships
• 15 Regionals as host site
• 14 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 805-214 (.790) since the year 2000. An average of 47 wins per season over the last 17 years.

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Entering the 2016 fall semester, Central Missouri has won a combined 207 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last year, UCM captured two MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 153 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships during Hughes' tenure (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 232 student-athletes named to the 2015-16 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 28 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.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with four of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is sixth in NCAA-II with 53 Academic All-Americans.
• Two UCM student-athletes were awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.

Upcoming
• The Mules return home for the MIAA and home-opening series against Fort Hays State next weekend. The series gets underway on Friday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.