Mules set for final four road games of the regular season

First Pitch
• The Central Missouri Mules head back out on the road for their final four road games of the 2017 regular season.
• The Mules head to Bolivar to take on Southwest Baptist on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the third and final mid-week meeting of the season between the two schools. UCM will then head north to St. Joseph for a three-game series at Missouri Western beginning on Friday.
• The series opener at MWSU starts at 7 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday's games slated for 1 p.m. first pitches.

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
• Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist have met 114 times on the diamond with the Mules holding a 101-12-1 lead in the series.
• The Mules won the first two meetings of the season, 13-1, in Bolivar and 15-5 last week in Warrensburg. UCM won all three games last season; 5-1 and 12-10 in Warrensburg, and 9-0 in Bolivar.
• UCM is 7-2 against SBU under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM and Missouri Western have met 144 times with the Mules holding a 111-33 edge in that series.
• The Mules won all five meetings between the two last season. UCM swept the regular season series; 11-10, 6-4 and 6-2 in Warrensburg; then won two games over the Griffons at the MIAA Tournament; 10-0 and 16-14 in the MIAA Championship Game.
• UCM is 5-1 against the Griffons under Crookes.

Southwest Baptist
• Southwest Baptist enters the midweek matchup at 28-14 overall and 18-11 in MIAA play after dropping two of three games at Pittsburg State.
• SBU is batting .333 as a team with 87 doubles, 15 triples, 34 home runs and 289 RBI in 42 games.
• Andrew Meier leads the team with a .429 batting average in 32 games played. He also has nine doubles, two homers and 24 RBI.
• Hunter Hisky is hitting .385 with a team-best 18 doubles and four triples. He also has six home runs and leads the team with 47 RBI.
• Jovany Urbieta has six homers and also has 38 RBI while hitting .365.
• Nelson Muniz leads the team with eight home runs to go along with a .280 batting average and 40 RBI.
• Seven Bearcats hit .307 or better and 10 players have driven in double figure runs.
• The Bearcat pitching staff has a 6.20 earned run average through 42 games and 357.0 innings pitched. They've struck out 243 and walked 160 during that span while opponents are batting .316 against them.
• Chance Wolfe is 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA and seven saves in 18 relief appearances.
• Drew Wagner is 5-1 with a 3.92 earned run average in 16 appearances and eight starts. He leads the staff with 44 strikeouts in 57.1 innings of work.
• Brian Womack is 8-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 appearances and 11 starts.
• SBU sports a .959 team fielding percentage. They've turned 32 double plays and have committed 64 errors on the season.

Missouri Western
• Missouri Western enters the week at 25-17 overall and 22-10 in MIAA play and riding a nine-game winning streak. MWSU swept Nebraska-Kearney in Kearney over the weekend. They will play Rockhurst on Tuesday and Northwest Missouri on Wednesday before hosting the Mules this coming weekend.
• MWSU is batting .297 as a team with 77 doubles, 15 triples, 42 home runs and 234 RBI in 42 games.
• David Glaude leads the team with a .371 batting average. He is tied for the team lead with seven home runs, leads with 42 RBI and is second with 13 doubles.
• Nick Gawley is also batting .371 with a team-best 15 doubles. He has a pair of triples and home runs each and 28 RBI.
• Bailey Zimmer bats .343 with three homers and 15 driven in, while Dusty Stroup has six home runs, 24 RBI and a .326 batting average.
• Five Griffons are batting .305 or better while 10 players have hit home runs and nine have driven in at least 13 runs.
• The MWSU pitching staff has a 4.23 earned run average through 42 games and 363.2 innings pitched. They've struck out 247 and walked 130 during that span while opponents are batting .280 against them.
• Nate Hunter is 6-2 with a 2.33 earned run average in 13 appearances and 11 starts.
• Richard Peoples leads the staff with 48 strikeouts in a team-high 89 innings pitched over 11 starts and 12 total appearances. He is 8-2 with a 2.83 ERA and has a team-best five complete games.
• Dustin Agnew is 5-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts and 12 total appearances. He's limiting opponents to a .243 batting average.
• Jared Lloyd (3-0, 2.92 ERA in 18 games) and Alex Heuring (0-0, 10.38 ERA in 6 games) each have two saves on the season.
• The Griffons sport a .961 team fielding percentage. They've turned 44 double plays and have committed 62 errors on the season.

Central Missouri
• Central Missouri is 29-12 overall and 20-9 in MIAA play after sweeping Northeastern State.
• The Mules are batting .326 as a team with 92 doubles, 24 triples, 44 home runs and 290 RBI.
• Justin Graff-Rowe is batting a team and MIAA-leading .462 with 12 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 42 RBI. He currently sports a .520 on-base percentage, second best in the league.
• Collin Nevil is hitting .355. He leads the team and is second in the MIAA with 11 home runs. His 46 RBI are also a team-best and rank seventh in the conference.
• Erik Webb is hitting .338 with 14 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 29 runs batted in.
• John Fairchild is batting .405 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 14 games played.
• Eight Mules are hitting .315 or better and nine have driven in at least 15 runs.
• The pitching staff has a 3.86 earned run average over 351.2 innings pitched. They've struck out 314 and walked 156 over that span. As a staff, the Mules are holding opponents to a .248 batting average.
• Steven D'Amico is 6-1 with an MIAA-best 2.09 ERA in nine starts and 11 total appearances. He leads the team with 53 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched. He also has one save and is limiting opponents to a .227 batting average.
• Zach Girrens is 5-0 with a 3.28 ERA in nine starts. He has 51 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched and is limiting opponents to a .189 batting average.
• Taylor Burns is 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in eight starts and 11 total appearances. He has struck out 34 batters in 50.2 innings of work. Opponents are batting .247 against him.
• Tayler Ross is 2-0 with a 1.85 earned run average in 15 relief appearances. Opponents are batting just .225 against Ross and he's fanned 19 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.
• The Mules have a .967 team fielding percentage. They've turned 41 double plays and committed 51 errors on the season.

Worth Noting
• The Mules have scored at least one run in 149 of 151 games played under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• UCM is 3-0 in extra-inning games this season.
• During his current 15-game hitting streak, Justin Graff-Rowe is batting .559 (33-for-59) with 11 extra-base hits and 24 RBI. He also has a .915 slugging percentage and a .603 on-base percentage in that span.
• As a team, the Mules are hitting .369 with 18 home runs and 131 RBI over the last 15 games.

Last time out
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 24, 2017) -- Cole Distler hit a two-out walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Central Missouri a 9-8 win over Northeastern State on Monday afternoon at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. The win gave the Mules a sweep of the three-game series and four straight wins overall.
    The RiverHawks (19-21, 13-16 MIAA) scored three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth inning to rally and tie the game at 8-8 before Distler's two-out heroics in the ninth gave the Mules (29-12, 20-9 MIAA) the win.
    UCM jumped on top 1-0 in the second on Jackson Schnurbusch's sacrifice fly. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth with three more runs for the Mules. Matt Elliott had an RBI double and Blake Wilfong added a two-run double in the inning.
    NSU got on the board in the sixth when a run came home on a double play to make it 4-1, but the Mules scored two more times in the home half of the inning to take a 6-1 lead. Wilfong drove in his third run of the game with a single and Schnurbusch scored later on a wild pitch.
    After the RiverHawks scored three times in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 6-4, the Mules responded with two runs to take an 8-4 lead. Justin Graff-Rowe had an RBI double and scored on Schnurbusch's single.
    NSU scored four times in the eighth to tie the game before Distler's homer in the ninth ended it.
    Ben Kelsch (2-1) earned the win in relief for UCM, allowing one hit over 1.2 innings. Ross Juliana, making his first start of the year, allowed one unearned run on four hits over 5.2 innings while striking out six, but didn't factor in the decision.
    Dustin Berrong (3-4) took the loss for NSU after allowing three runs on four hits over 2.2 innings of relief.
    Wilfong finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Collin Nevil, Graff-Rowe, and Elliott also had two hits apiece. Distler was 1-for-2 at the plate, but drew three walks and scored three runs in the game.

Mules in non-conference action
• Central Missouri is 9-3 in non-conference action this season after the win over Rockhurst on April 5.
• The Mules are 27-20 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.

Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules are 20-9 in MIAA play after sweeping Northeastern State in a three-game series.
• The Mules finished 32-7 in MIAA play last season and are 75-29 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 12-3 at home this season after the sweep of Northeastern State.
• UCM went 19-3 in home games last season and is 46-11 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 786-155-1 (.835) in 942 games played in their 42nd season playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Mules on the road
• The Mules are 11-8 on the road this year after three wins in four road games last week.
• The Mules went 14-5 on the road in 2016 and are 37-26 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.

Three-bagger
• Freshman Erik Webb has five triples this season. He is two triples shy of moving into a tie for eighth most in a single-season in program history.
• 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 102-49 (.675) 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 1,861-735-9 (.716) record in 2,605 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 830-224 (.787) in 1,054 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 wrap up the regular season hosting Washburn for a three-game series next weekend, May 5-7. The series gets underway on Friday night, May 5 at 6 p.m.