WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 26, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball is back home this week for four games and is home for the next five overall. The Mules start their five game homestand with a Tuesday game and then will have a day off before starting a three game series on Thursday.
Opponents: Southwest Baptist Bearcats (9-18, 3-12 MIAA)
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (16-11, 9-4 MIAA)
When: Tuesday, March 27, 6 p.m. (SBU)
Thursday, March 29, 6 p.m. (UNK)
Friday, March 30, 2 p.m. (UNK)
Saturday, March 31, 1 p.m. (UNK)
Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field
First Pitch
• Central Missouri is coming off its first series loss of the season, falling 2-1 in a three game series at Central Oklahoma this past weekend.
• The Mules are now 9-3 this season in true road games and after their series against the Bronchos
• UCM will be home for the next five games. The rest of their games in the regular season are MIAA contests.
• The Mules next win at home will be No. 800 in 43 seasons of playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
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.
• The Mules are 11-1 at home this season and are winners in five of their last six home contests.
On the Air
• All four games will be on 98.5 The Bar, 1450 KOKO and 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.
• Thursday's series opener against Nebraska-Kearney will also be webcast online through the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/.
The Series
• Central Missouri owns a 102-12-1 all-time record against Southwest Baptist and are winners of the last eight match ups. Against Nebraska-Kearney, UCM is just 11-5 in 16 games played all-time between the two schools.
• UCM is 8-2 against the Bearcats under
Kyle Crookes. In his first season as head coach in 2015, the Mules dropped their first two games against SBU, but since then, the Mules have won eight straight games against the Bearcats. Against, the Lopers, the Mules are 6-2 against them under Coach Crookes.
Southwest Baptist
• The Bearcats are 9-18 on the season with a 3-12 mark against MIAA competition. They have dropped five of their last six games. They are just 1-9 in true road games this season.
• Southwest Baptist is fifth in the MIAA hitting wise with a .301 batting average. They lead the league in triples with 13 and have 21 home runs on the year.
• The Bearcats have 178 RBI this season to sit fifth in the league. Their 284 hits are sixth in the MIAA, while their 196 runs scored are fifth.
• Tyler Mathys is the team's top hitter with a .369 batting average. He leads SBU in runs scored and hits with 31 and 41, respectively. He has hit two home runs this year.
• Hunter Hisky is the second leading hitter with a .364 batting average. His .697 slugging percentage is sixth in the MIAA. He leads the team in RBI and home runs with 37 and eight, respectively. His 37 RBI are the most in the MIAA
• Jack Clint is the only other player hitting over .300 at .345. His 40 hits are second most on the team. Don Roethler is batting .250 and leads the MIAA in triples with four.
• On the mound, SBU has the second worst (12th) ERA in the league with a 6.19 average. Their 269 hits allowed and 38 home runs allowed are both third most in the league.
• Dalton Morrow is the team's ace with a 5-1 record while sporting a 3.42 ERA in 52.2 inning pitched. He has 52 strikeouts on the year.
• Logan Sorrell has made the most appearances with 14, but has a 8.00 ERA. Drew Wagner is second on the team in strikeouts with 26.
• Both Andrew Meier and Carter Newton are second on the team in starters with five apiece. Meier has a 1-2 record with a 6.53 ERA, while Newton is 0-5 with an 8.85 ERA.
• SBU is 12th in the MIAA with a .944 fielding percentage and has committed the second most errors with 54. They have turned 16 double plays this season.
Nebraska-Kearney
• The Lopers are currently 16-11 overall and 9-4 in MIAA play. They are third in the standing behind UCM and Central Oklahoma. The Lopers are coming off a 14 game home that saw them go 11-3 in that span.
• Nebraska-Kearney is third in the MIAA hitting wise a .331 batting average. They lead the league in doubles and home runs with 84 and 49, respectively.
• The Lopers are also the league leaders in RBI with 228. Their 327 hits and 246 runs scored are both second in the MIAA as well.
• Ty Roseberry is the team's top hitter with a .429 batting average, which is fourth in the MIAA. He leads UNK with a .813 slugging percentage and is second in home runs with nine.
• Brandon Hernandez is the second leading hitter with a .405 batting average. He leads the team in hits and doubles with 49 and 13, respectively, which are both second on the MIAA. His eight stolen bases also lead UNK.
• Five players are batting over .300 in Alex Achtermann (.390), Brett Young (.361), Scott Platt (.343), Calvin Rudolph (.311) and Peter Carlson (.308). Achtermann leads team in RBI (35) and home runs (10). His .750 slugging percentage is third in MIAA and second on the team.
• On the mound, UNK is eighth in the league with a 5.24 average. Their 269 hits allowed are third most in the league, while their 25 home runs allowed are fifth most.
• Mitchell Robinson has the most starts for the Lopers with eight. He is 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA and has pitched the most innings with 47.0. He has 29 strikeouts on the year to lead the team.
• Josh Cooper has the best record for UNK at 4-0. He has appeared in eight games without a single start and sports 1.27 ERA. In 28.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 26 batters and allowed just five runs.
• Eric Sandoz Thomas Ruwe have made the most appearances without a start at 12 and 11, respectively. Sandoz has a 1.97 ERA and has the most saves at four to go along with 18 strikeouts. Ruwe sports a 3.46 ERA and has 11 strikeouts.
• UNK is 15th in the MIAA with a .951 fielding percentage and has committed the thirdmost errors with 49. They have turned 20 double plays this season.
The Mules
• Central Missouri is 21-6 overall with 12-4 mark in MIAA play. UCM currently sits second in the MIAA regular season standings and is ranked No. 3 in the latest NCBWA Top-25 rankings.
• The Mules dropped their first three game series of the season this past weekend as they fell to Central Oklahoma, 2-1, in Edmond, Okla.
• As a team, the Mules are second in the MIAA with a .332 batting average. UCM is holding teams to a .352 on base percentage and is averaging almost nine runs per game at 8.69.
• The Mules bullpen continues to be a strong factor this season. While Mules pitchers have a 4.39 ERA this season to sit third in the MIAA, the bullpen ERA is 3.72.
Luke Mercer has six saves in the Mules 21 wins, which is third most in the MIAA. He has 20 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched, with a 2.40 ERA.
•
Coby Seiz still has the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 19.0 innings giving up just seven earned runs and 17 hits with 15 strikeouts. He has two saves and sports a 3.32 ERA.
Ross Juliana has been solid as well with a 3-0 record. He has also fanned 13 batters in 13.1 innings pitched and allowed just two earned runs.
• Much of the Mules success lately can be attributed to the top of the order,
Mason Janvrin and
Erik Webb have a combined 75 hits and 49 RBI. Janvrin is batting .352 from the leadoff spot and has a league leading 22 stolen bases to go along with two home runs and seven doubles. His 34 runs scored lead the team and is third in the MIAA.
• Webb leads the team in RBI with 29. He is one of two Mules batting over .400 at .422, which is tops for the team and fifth in the MIAA. He has 20 extra base hits, including seven home runs, which is the most on the team. His 10 stolen bases are second most on the team and fifth in the MIAA. His .822 slugging percentage is the best in the league.
• The bottom of the lineup is also doing just as well for UCM.
Harrison Schnurbusch who has batted seventh in 15 games this season, is hitting .309 and has scored 14 runs to go along with 17 hits. The combination of
Dalton Dull and
Donovan Ditto has 27 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 64 at bats overall, Ditto is hitting .359 with a .411 on base percentage. Dull is batting .462 in 26 at bats and has a .769 on base percentage.
•
Travis Able is the team's second leading hitter with a .400 batting average, which is eighth in the MIAA. His .473 on base percentage is 10th in the league. He is third on the team in RBI with 25, while his 38 hits are tied for the team lead with Webb.
•
Collin Nevil and
Justin Graff-Rowe are both batting over .300 at .330 and .317, respectively. Schnurbusch is just under .300 with a .297 batting average. Nevil is second on the team with 27 RBI, which is ninth in the MIAA. Graff-Rowe (17), Schnurbusch (14),
Payne McCutcheon (14),
John Fairchild (13) and Ditto (13) all have hit over 10 RBI.
• In 233.2 innings pitched, Mules pitchers are giving up just one hit per inning. Opponents are hitting just .264 off of UCM pitchers, but have reached base in other ways with 92 walks and have reached on 45 errors and 36 hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just nine stolen bases in 26 games on 18 attempts and have picked a runner off.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 61 bases in 85 attempts themselves. Janvrin has a team-best 22 stolen bases, while Webb is second with 10. Schnurbusch has added seven.
• The Mules have hit 28 home runs from 11 different players. Nevil, Webb, Janvrin, McCutcheon and Fairchild have all slugged at least two home runs this season. Webb leads the way with seven, while nevil is second with six.
Last Time Out
EDMOND, Okla. (March 25, 2018) - No. 3 Central Missouri led for eight innings in game three of their series with Central Oklahoma, but came up short in the end. The Bronchos scored three runs in the ninth to take the win in the game, and the series, 7-6. The loss puts UCM at 21-6 on the year and 12-4 in the MIAA.
Play-by-Play
• The Mules got on the board early with a run in the first.
Erik Webb found the gap in right-center for a double, and scored on
Travis Able's RBI single down the left field line.
• Trae Smith tied things at one with a home run to lead off the bottom of the second.
• Central Oklahoma led off the third with a double, but one batter later,
Mason Janvrin erased him as he was trying to tag-up from second for an outfield assist.
• One half inning later, the Mules broke out scoring three runs. With one out and the bases loaded,
Donovan Ditto doubled home
Collin Nevil and
Justin Graff-Rowe.
John Fairchild was thrown out at the plate. One batter later, Ditto scored on
Zak Whalin's RBI single, putting the Mules up 4-1.
• Still on top 4-1, the Bronchos threatened in the fifth, loading the bases with nobody out. Mules starter
Ben Kelsch started 1-2-3 double play on his final batter of the game to get the first two out.
Dimitri Frank entered and after a walk reloaded the bases, got a fly out to Janvrin in center to end the inning unharmed.
• The Mules tacked on runs in the seventh and the ninth.
Mason Janvrin scored on a double-play in the seventh, and Nevil added an insurance run in the ninth with an RBI double to left to score Webb.
• Central Oklahoma meanwhile plated a run in both the seventh and eighth innings. An RBI single and a run-scoring wild pitch added to their run count.
• After getting a fly ball to start the bottom of the ninth, the next five batters all reached base for the Bronchos as they scored three runs on four hits. Bryant Klusener got UCO a run closer with an RBI single. Caleb Peters then tripled to drive in the tying run, but Klusener was thrown out at the plate as the winning run. No matter though as one batter later, Justin Brown scored Peters with a single to complete the Bronchos comeback.
Mules Stat Leaders
•
Collin Nevil and
Erik Webb each had three hits in the game. Webb reached four times with a walk and also scored twice. Nevil scored and drove in a run.
•
Donovan Ditto finished 2-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch and
Justin Graff-Rowe also picked up a pair of hits for UCM.
•
Zak Whalin was 1-4 with an RBI.
•
Ben Kelsch got the start and gave up one run on six hits in 4.2 innings of work. He struck out two and walked three.
•
Coby Seiz struck out three in his lone inning, but did allow an inherited run to score.
For the Bronchos
• Kyle Miskovsky was 4-4 out of the leadoff spot and scored two runs. He also drew a walk.
• Trae Smith launched a home run and was 1-5.
• Paul Kropf knocked three hits and scored a run.
• Bryant Klusener and T.J. Sparr were each 2-4 with an RBI.
• Josh Rutlund got the win after pitching the ninth for the Bronchos. He allowed a run on two hits and struck out two.
• J.J. Rogers started and lasted 3.2 innings giving up four runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.
News and Notes
• The loss means UCM drops a series for the first time this season. They had previously won all of their first six series.
•
Justin Graff-Rowe picked up career hit No. 100 with a single in the second.
• The Mules 16 hits are their most in a loss this season. They have collected 10 or more hits in 15 of their 27 games.
• With an infield single in the seventh,
Mason Janvrin upped his hitting streak to 16 games. He and
Erik Webb each have 16 game reached base streaks goings.
• This is the Mules first loss this season when leading after eight innings. They had won their first 17 such games. They are also now 9-2 when scoring when scoring in the opening inning.
Up Next
• Central Missouri returns home for a single game Tuesday against Southwest Baptist. The evening game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 27.
Mules in the Polls
• The Mules moved up two spots to No. 3 in the latest NCBWA National Poll. They were No. 5 last week.
• Central Missouri has been ranked in the last four NCBWA polls after starting the season unranked.
• The Mules checked in at No. 14 in the latest ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll. UCM was 24th in last week's poll.
• UCM is ranked No. 18 in this week's edition of Perfect Game Baseball Division II Rankings. The Mules were ranked 20th in the previous poll.
Mules in Non-Conference Action
• Central Missouri went 9-5 in non-conference games during the 2017 season
• The Mules are 35-24 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.
• UCM went 9-2 in non-conference games. They do not have a scheduled non-conference game for the rest of the regular season.
Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules finished 23-13 in MIAA play last season and are 90-37 in conference play under
Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules finished fourth in the regular season standings in 2017. They have won 25 overall regular season championships in program history.
• Central Missouri is 12-4 in conference play after falling to Central Oklahoma, 2-1, in a three game series this past weekend.
Mules at Home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and have started out 11-1 in 2018.
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 59-13 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 799-157-1 (.835) in 957 games played in 43 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 48-33 on the road under head coach
Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 9-3 in true road games this season after falling to Central Oklahoma, 2-1, in a three game series this past weekend.
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 126-61 (.674) 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 1,885-747-9 (.715) record in 2,641 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 854-236 (.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 and seventh Central Region crown this season. They defeated Ashland, 66-52, to win the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.
• 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
• The Mules close out their homestand in Tuesday game against Lindenwood on April 3 at 6 p.m. UCM defeated Lindenwood earlier this season, 9-5, back on March 20 in St. Charles.
