WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 23, 2018) - Central Missouri kicks off the MIAA portion of their schedule this weekend with a three game set, Saturday-Monday Feb. 24-26.

Opponent: Missouri Western Griffons (5-5, 0-0 MIAA)

When: Saturday-Monday, Feb. 24-26
           Saturday - 4 p.m.
           Sunday - 1 p.m.
           Monday - 1 p.m.

Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field

On the air
• Sunday' game will be on 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com and Monday's game will be on 1450 KOKO, as well as warrensburgradio.com as a part of the Central Missouri Sports Radio Network.
• Bob Jackson will be on the call with the Mules' Dugout Show approximately  25 minutes prior to first pitch.

First Pitch
• Central Missouri's midweek game against Missouri S&T has been postponed due to bad weather. No make-up date has yet been announced. 
• The Mules swept Winona State in a three-game set last weekend to improve to 6-2 with five straight wins.
• With the midweek game cancelled, the Mules will play 10 straight games at home. So far they are 5-0 on the homestand.

Quick Hits
• Central Missouri was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Central Missouri totaled 32 wins last year. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all three seasons under Coach Crookes.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 32 seasons. 
• Central Missouri was receiving votes in the preseason ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Poll.
• These are the Mules first MIAA games of 2018. They were 23-13 in conference games in 2017. 

The Series
• There are five teams that UCM baseball has at least 100 all-time wins against. One of them is Missouri Western, whom the Mules are 111-36.
• The Mules have been hit or miss against the Griffons under Coach Crookes. The two teams met only once his first year with The Griffons taking a 10-5 win. In 2016, UCM was 5-0 vs. Missouri Western, including a 10-0 win in the MIAA Tournament. Last year though, the Griffons responded by sweeping a series in St. Joseph. In his three years, Coach Crookes is 5-4 against Missouri Western.

Missouri Western
• Missouri Western comes to Warrensburg following a 9-5 win over No. 21 St. Cloud State to salvage the series finale. The Griffons lost the series 2-1 including a 17-2 decision in the opening game.
• The Griffons are 5-5 to start the season. They opened the season with a 2-1 series win at Harding before splitting at Arkansas Tech.
• Like the Mules, these are the first MIAA games of the season for Missouri Western.
• The Griffons have struggled to score runs at times. They are hitting just .239 as a team and average 5.6 runs per game. 
• Levi Schreiner is the team's leading hitter batting .333 with eight RBI.
• Maurice Bruce and Dusty Stroup lead the team with 11 hits each. Stroup also has two doubles, a triple, home run and team-best nine RBI.
• The Griffons have benefitted by scoring 17 unearned runs this season. Opponents have committed more than two errors per game, while MWSU has made just 11.
• Starting pitcher Carson Dwyre has been the ace of the staff through three starts. He has thrown 17.2 innings and given up just 13 hits and four earned runs for a 2.04 ERA. He also has 15 strikeouts to lead the team.
• Preston Bailey has been the Griffons go-to man at closer. He has two saves in four appearances and is yet to allow a run.
• Trevor Carroll has thrown 12.1 innings out of the bullpen and appeared in four games. He has a 1-2 record and 3.65 ERA with eight strikeouts. 
• As a team, the Griffons have a 5.92 ERA and have allowed 61 runs in 79 innings. Opponents are hitting .289 against them this season. 

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 6-2 so far with five straight wins.
• The Mules swept Winona State last weekend. They took a doubleheader 12-6 and then 12-2 before ending the series with a 4-2 win. 
• Central Missouri's offense came to life in the doubleheader sweep. The Mules scored 24 runs and combined to knock 35 hits in just 15 innings. 
• As a team, the Mules upped their batting average to .347 while holding a team .422 batting average. They are averaging almost seven runs per game. 
• The Mules bullpen has been outstanding this season. While Mules pitchers have a 4.16 ERA this season, the bullpen ERA is 2.57. Luke Mercer has three saves in the Mules six wins and is yet to allow a run in 4.2 innings. Coby Seiz has gotten the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 6.2 innings giving up just one unearned run and two hits while striking out four. 
• Much of the Mules success can be attributed to the bottom of the lineup. In the eight-hole Harrison Schnurbusch is hitting a team-best .400. The combination of Dalton Dull and Donovan Ditto have a combined 15 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 16 at bats, Dull is hitting .625 with a .647 on base percentage. Schnurbusch has also safely reached base in all eight games this season, the only Mule who can say that. 
• At the top of the order, Mason Janvrin and Erik Webb each have eight hits and a combined 15 RBI. Janvrin has drawn a team-high six walks and Webb has four extra base hits and a team-high eight RBI. 
• In 67 innings pitched, Mules pitchers are giving up less than one hit per inning. Opponents are hitting just .219 off of UCM pitchers, but have reached base in other ways with 26 walks and have reached on 16 errors and seven hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just one stolen base in five games on three attempts and have picked a runner off.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 18 bases in 24 attempts themselves. Janvrin has a team-best six stolen bases while Dalton Dull has added four.
• The Mules are hitting .349 this season with two outs. Collin Nevil has come through with five hits in 13 at bats and Travis Able is 4-5 with four RBI in such situations. UCM is also 17-26 getting a run home with a runner on third base and less than two outs. 

Last time out
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 9, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball kicked off it's home slate with a doubleheader against Colorado-Colorado Springs. The Mules trailed in both games, but came from behind to pick up the win in each. The two wins put the Mules over .500 for the season at 3-2.

Game One: Cental Missouri 6, Colorado-Colorado Springs 4
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 18, 2018) - On a windy afternoon in Warrensburg, Central Missouri Mules Baseball pitched a gem en route to a 4-2 win over Winona State and three-game sweep of the Warriors. The win puts UCM at 6-2 this season.

Play-by-Play
• For the third time, the Warriors got the scoring started. They plated a run in the second on a two-out RBI single by Nick Nalewanski.
• The Mules answered right away putting up three in the bottom half of the inning. Cole Hoover and Elijah Dilday produced two runs on productive outs and Dalton Dull drove in Harrison Schnurbusch with an RBI single to make it a 3-1 game.
• Winona State got closer in the third getting a run on three hits. Mules starter Bryce Kearns stranded two runners to end the threat.
• After that it was a battle of the bullpens. Each team threatened leaving a combined 20 runners on base.
• Central Missouri got an insurance run in the seventh. Cole Taylor led off with a tripled to right center, and Justin Graff-Rowe scored him with an RBI ground out.
• Coby Seiz and Luke Mercer pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth, and the Mules took the series finale, 4-2.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Central Missouri knocked nine hits getting two apiece from Collin Nevil, Ryan Toliver and Taylor. Taylor also scored a pair of runs.
• Dull finished the day 1-3 with an RBI and a stolen base.
• Bryce Kearns got the start and threw four innings, giving up two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
• BJ Sparks entered and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings, fanning two.
• Mercer worked a 1-2-3 ninth while striking out two for his third save of the season.

For the Warriors
• Andrew Pliner went 2-4 and reached base with a walk.
• Kipp Youngquist also collected two hits and scored a run.
• Aaron Mutter started and threw six innings, giving up four runs, three earned with two walks and a strikeout.
• Parker Holmstrom threw two hitless innings with a strikeout. 

News and Notes
• Central Missouri has now won five straight games, all at home.
• UCM left 12 runners on base, their most in a game this season.
• Three of the Mules four RBI came on outs.
• Mule pitchers struck out 10 batters. The bullpen tossed five scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and struck out five.

Clutch Hitting
• The Mules have been doing an excellent job of getting runners home this season. They are hitting .371 with runners on base and .287 with runners in scoring position. 
• Mule pitchers have also buckled down in those situations. Opponents are hitting just .224 with runners on base, including just 2-10 with the bases loaded. 

Catching Carousel
• Through eight games, three different catchers have started at least twice. John Fairchild and Cole Hoover each have three starts and Payne McCutcheon has two. Zak Whalin has also entered late in ball games as a defensive replacement. 

Like Father, Like Son
• Mules centerfielder Mason Janvrin is the son of UCM Track and Field coach, Kip Janvrin. Mason had a successful high school track career in addition to baseball, as a sprinter and jumper. Kip Janvrin, was an Olympic decathlete, making the games in 2000. Mason leads the team with six stolen bases.

Mules in non-conference action
• Central Missouri went 9-5 in non-conference games during the 2017 season
• The Mules are 33-24 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.
• UCM has started 6-2 in nonconference games. Their next scheduled nonconference game is February 28th at home vs. William Jewell.

Mules in MIAA play
• The Mules finished 23-13 in MIAA play last season and are 78-33 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules finished fourth in the regular season standings. They have won 25 overall regular season championships in program history.
• Central Missouri will start MIAA action Feb. 24-25 at home against Missouri Western.

The Mules at home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and have started out 5-0 in 2018. 
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 53-12 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 793-156-1 (.835) in 947 games played in 42 seasons playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
• Central Missouri will host the 2018 MIAA Baseball Championship Tournament at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field this May. 

Mules on the road
• The Mules went 12-11 on the road in 2017. 
• The Mules are 39-30 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri's first true road games are March 2-4 at Washburn. 

Mules in neutral site games
• UCM has started 1-2 in neutral site games following the Houston Winter Invitational. 
• The Mules are 22-16 in neutral site games under Crookes.
• Central Missouri does not have a scheduled neutral site game for the rest of the regular season. 

UCM during the Crookes era
• Kyle Crookes has a 111-57 (.661) record now in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• In 2016, he won his first conference championship as head coach at UCM and the second title overall during his time in Warrensburg.
• During his first three seasons at the helm, 30 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including seven First Team nods. Seven players have earned All-Region honors, one All-American 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 2018 season marks the 63rd in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,870-743-9 (.715) record in 2,619 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 24 years)
• 25 MIAA Titles (17 of the last 24)
• 21 MIAA Tournament Titles (17 of the last 24)
• 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 839-232 (.783) since the year 2000. An average of 46 wins per season over the last 18 years.

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Central Missouri has won a combined 214 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• This past fall, Central Missouri women's soccer won their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-1 (5-3 PK) win over Carson-Newman. 
• Central Missouri Jennies Basketball captured their 11th MIAA regular season championship this season. 
• Last season, UCM captured three MIAA regular season titles, one MIAA Tournament crown and two NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 160 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won nine 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, women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015, and women's soccer in 2017) and 11 national championships overall.
• In 2016-17, Central Missouri won the inaugural MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department. 

A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• Central Missouri had 252 student-athletes named to the 2016-17 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 22 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.
• 20 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had five student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports. 
• All-time UCM is fourth in NCAA-II with 103 Academic All-Americans.
• Carly Thomas of Jennies Bowling was awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.

Upcoming
• Central Missouri has a single 9-inning non conference game against William Jewell. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28.