First Pitch
• The ninth-ranked Central Missouri Mules head back out on the road for a three-game MIAA series in Maryville against Northwest Missouri State.
• The series gets underway on Friday at 3 p.m. at Bearcat Field in Maryville. Saturday's game is slated for a 2 p.m. start with Sunday's finale set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Quick Hits
• Central Missouri started 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2013.
• 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.
The Series
• The Mules and Bearcats have met 209 times on the diamond with Central Missouri holding a 142-67 lead in the series.
• The Mules went 4-0 last year against Northwest Missouri. The Mules swept a three-game series in Warrensburg by scores of 16-6, 6-5 in 10 innings and 8-7. UCM then beat the Bearcats 10-3 in the first game of the MIAA Tournament in St. Charles.
• UCM is 6-2 against Northwest Missouri under
Kyle Crookes. This will be the first trip to Maryville for the Mules during Crookes' tenure.
Northwest Missouri
• Northwest Missouri enters the weekend series at 15-8 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play after tan 11-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday. The Bearcats come into the weekend riding a four-game winning streak and winners in six of their last eight games.
• The Bearcats are led by 17th-year head coach Darin Loe. He has compiled a 424-431 record during his tenure with Northwest and a 580-565 record during his 23 years as a college head coach.
• Northwest Missouri is batting .278 as a team with 52 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 118 RBI in 23 games.
• James Holler leads the team with a .348 batting average to go along with a team-best 12 doubles. He also has two home runs and 21 RBI, both second best on the squad.
• Ozzie Adams is batting .326 with seven doubles, a triples and two home runs. His 23 runs batted are tops on the team.
• Landon Figg is also hitting over .300 at .308. He has nine doubles and 16 RBI.
• Luke Hassman leads the team in home runs with three to go along with a .270 average and 13 runs driven in.
• The NWMSU pitching staff has a 3.08 earned run average through 23 games and 201.2 innings pitched. They've struck out 181 and walked just 76 during that span while opponents are batting just .229 against them.
• Jacob Wagner leads the staff with a 1.08 earned run average in 13 relief appearances. He's allowed just eight hits and one run in 8.1 innings of relief.
• Anthony Caenepeel is 4-3 with a 2.87 earned run average over seven starts. He leads the team with 53 punchouts in 47.0 innings pitched and is limiting opponents to a .213 batting average.
• Joseph Hietpas is 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in seven starts as well. He has 44 strikeouts in 40.2 innings pitched.
• Nikko Pablo is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and four saves in 11 relief appearances.
• The Bearcats sport a .969 team fielding percentage. They've turned 18 double plays and have committed 26 errors on the season.
Central Missouri
• Central Missouri is 18-5 overall and 10-3 in MIAA play after the thrilling 12-9 comeback win over Lindenwood in 13 innings on Tuesday night.
• The Mules are batting .306 as a team with 50 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs and 146 RBI.
•
Justin Graff-Rowe is batting a team and MIAA-leading .458 with seven doubles, two triples, one home run and 17 RBI. He currently sports a .526 on-base percentage.
•
Erik Webb is hitting .394 with eight doubles, four triples, three home runs and is third on the team with 19 runs batted in.
•
Collin Nevil is hitting .333 and is tied for the team lead with seven home runs and is second with 24 RBI.
•
Travis Stroup leads the team with 29 RBI and 10 doubles and is tied with Nevil for the team lead with seven home runs while hitting .315.
• The pitching staff has a 3.11 earned run average over 202.1 innings pitched. They've struck out 177 and walked 78 over that span. As a staff, the Mules are holding opponents to a .231 batting average.
•
Steven D'Amico is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in five starts and seven total appearances. He is tied for the team lead with 27 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched. He also has one save. His 1.91 earned run average leads the MIAA.
•
Zach Girrens is 3-0 with a 2.16 earned run average in five starts. He's fanned 27 batters in 25.0 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .165 batting average.
•
Taylor Burns is 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA in four starts and seven total appearances. He has struck out 26 batters in 34.2 innings of work.
•
Andy Muehlberger is 1-1 with a 3.24 earned run average and a team-leading three saves. He's struck out 11 in 8.1 innings of work and has allowed just two hits while holding opponents to a .071 batting average.
•
Albertus Barber picked up his first win as a Mule against Lindenwood. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three relief appearances.
• The Mules have a .960 team fielding percentage. They've turned 23 double plays and committed 36 errors on the season.
Worth Noting
• The 12-9 extra-inning win on Tuesday night against Lindenwood was the Mules' first win this season when trailing after eight innings and the second when trailing after seven.
• UCM is 2-0 in extra-inning games this season.
• The Mules hit .395 (15-for-38) with runners in scoring position during the UNK series. They held the Lopers to a .217 (5-for-23) average in the same situations. UCM was also 5-for-10 with runners on third and less than two outs during the three games.
• During his current 14-game hitting streak,
Justin Graff-Rowe is hitting .500 (26-for-52) with five doubles, a triple, home run and 11 RBI. He's scored 19 runs and has a .571 on-base percentage and a .692 slugging percentage. The junior outfielder has also reached base in 22 consecutive games. The Mules are 11-3 during the streak.
• The Mules have scored at least one run in 131 of 133 games played under head coach
Kyle Crookes.
Last time out
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 21, 2017) --
Travis Stroup's three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning capped a furious rally and sent ninth-ranked Central Missouri to a 12-9 win over Lindenwood on Tuesday night at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
   Stroup's opposite field laser with two outs in the 13th capped a rally that saw the Mules (18-5, 10-3 MIAA) come back after trailing 6-0 in the third, 8-1 in the fifth, and 9-6 with two outs in the ninth inning. Down to their final out in the ninth, the Mules had runners at second and third when
Collin Nevil blasted a towering three-run shot to right center to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
   Lindenwood (15-10, 8-5 MIAA) jumped out to a big lead, scoring six times in the third inning. The Lions had four hits in the inning and were aided by three straight bases-loaded walks that forced in runs. The damage could have been worse, but Corey Simpson got Drew Quinones to ground out with the bases still loaded to end the inning.
   The Mules got on the board in the home half of that inning.
Jackson Schnurbusch led off with a triple and scored on
Blake Wilfong's sacrifice fly to make it 6-1.
   Wes Degener hit a two-run home run in the fifth to help the Lions extend their lead to 8-1. The Mules came right back with four runs in the bottom of the inning to pull within 8-5.
Justin Graff-Rowe had an RBI single to plate Schnurbusch. Wilfong scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-3 and two more runs came across when Nevil's fly ball to deep right center was dropped for what would have been the third out of the inning. Graff-Rowe singled home another run in the sixth, plating
Michael Bainbridge to pull the Mules within 8-6.
   Nick Paulda singled home a run with two outs in the top of the ninth to extend the Lindenwood lead to 9-6. Wilfong led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and Graff-Rowe was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with no outs. An infield groundout put the runners at second and third and a strikeout for the second out of the inning brought Nevil to plate for his game-tying blast that came on a 1-1 pitch.
  Â
Albertus Barber (1-0) earned his first win of the season after coming out of the bullpen with two runners on and no outs in the top of the 13th and keeping the Lions scoreless.
Andy Muehlberger tossed three innings of perfect relief as well.
   Brendan Feldmann (2-1) took the loss for Lindenwood after allowing four runs on six hits in 4.2 innings of relief.
   Graff-Rowe had four hits on the day and drove in a pair while Stroup and Nevil each had three runs batted in and matched each other with their seventh home runs of the season. Schnurbusch finished the night 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.
Mules in the Polls
• Central Missouri dropped five spots to No. 9 in this week's ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll.
• The Mules dropped 10 spots to No. 12 in this week's NCBWA national poll and fell to No. 2 in the NCBWA's Central Region poll.
• The Mules dropped three spots to No. 17 in the D2BaseballNews.com poll and stayed at No. 17 in the Perfect Game poll.
Mules in non-conference action
• Central Missouri is 8-2 in non-conference action this season after the win over William Woods.
• The Mules are 26-19 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.
Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules are 10-3 in MIAA play after the win over Lindenwood on Tuesday night.
• The Mules finished 32-7 in MIAA play last season and are 65-23 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 last season.
The Mules at home
• The Mules are 7-1 at home this season after the comeback win on Tuesday night.
• UCM went 19-3 in home games last season and is 41-9 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 781-153-1 (.836) in 935 games played in their 42nd season playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
Mules on the road
• The Mules are 5-3 on the road this year after taking two out of three at Nebraska-Kearney last weekend.
• The Mules went 14-5 on the road in 2016 and are 31-21 on the road under head coach
Kyle Crookes.
Mules in neutral site games
• UCM is 6-1 in neutral site games this season after three wins at the Houston Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park.
• The Mules were 10-7 in neutral site games last year and are 18-11 in neutral site games under Crookes.
Keys to success
• The keys for the Mules early on this season have been jumping on their opponents early and then slamming the door late. The Mules are 10-2 this season when scoring first and 9-3 when they score in the first inning. They are also 13-1 when leading after six innings and 12-1 when leading after eight innings.
Three-bagger
• Freshman
Erik Webb has four triples through the season's first 16 games. He is three triples shy of moving into a tie for eighth most in a single-season in program history. His triple total also leads the MIAA and ranks ninth in NCAA Division II.
• Senior
Matt Elliott has one triple this season after posting eight last year, the fifth most in a single-season in UCM history. He is two triples shy of moving in to a tie for 10th most all-time at UCM.
UCM during the Crookes era
•
Kyle Crookes has a 91-42 (.684) 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 1,850-728-9 (.717) record in 2,587 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 appearances in the last 23 years)
• 25 MIAA Championships (17 titles in the last 23 seasons)
• 21 MIAA Tournament Championships (17 titles in the last 23 tournaments)
• 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 819-217 (.790) in 1,036 games since the year 2000. An average of 48 wins per season over the last 17 years.
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.
• During Crookes' coaching career seven Mules have gone on to affiliated professional baseball and 25 players total have been drafted or signed professional contracts with Major League Baseball organizations.
• In total, 74 former Central Missouri players have either been drafted or signed free agent contracts with MLB organizations.
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 host Drury on Tuesday, March 28 in a game that was rescheduled from March 14 due to inclement weather. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
• Central Missouri heads to Lindenwood on Wednesday, March 29 for the second of three midweek matchups with the Lions. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at the Lou Brock Sports Complex.
