WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 6, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball continues their eight-game road trip with a midweek non-conference game at Drury. The Mules take on the Panthers in their first Wednesday game of the season, with the opening pitch set for 4 p.m.

Opponent: Drury Panthers (4-6)

When: Wednesday, March. 7, 4 p.m.

Where: Ozark, Mo. - US Baseball Park

First Pitch
• Central Missouri claimed their series over Washburn this past weekend, 2-1, to improve to 5-1 in the MIAA. 
• The Mules continue their eight-game road trip with a midweek match against in-state foe Drury.
• With the 2-1 series win over Washburn, UCM is now winners in 11 of its last 12 games.
• This will be the first Wednesday game of the season for the Mules and just their second midweek game of the year.

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 2-1 in true road games in 2018. They were 12-11 on the road in 2017. 

The Series
• Central Missouri has matched up against Drury just nine times overall entering Wednesday's contest. The Mules are 5-4 against the Panthers all-time.
• In his three seasons, Coach Crookes has faced the Panthers just four times and has a 2-2 record. The Mules dropped the lone meeting against Drury last season, 6-5. In 2016, UCM took down Drury 4-3. In Crookes' first season in 2015, the Mules went 1-1 against the Panthers, losing the first meeting, 9-3, and winning the second, 13-1. 

Drury
• Drury has won four straight games after dropping its first six of the season. The Panthers stand at 4-6 entering Wednesday's game with UCM. 
• The Panthers have put up four or more runs in each of the four wins this season. In each of their six losses, they have allowed four or more run, including a season-high 14 against Rogers State. 
• Drury has played seven games at home this year, all of which have been nonconference tilts. They are 4-3 with 2-0 sweeps against Winona State and Sioux Falls (SD). They were swept by Rogers State in their three home losses.
• The Panthers are struggling to hit the ball, sporting just a .235 batting average which is fourth-worst in the GLVC. 
• They are also in the bottom half of the GLVC in runs scored with just 39 and total hits at 75.
• K.K. Daniel is the team's leading hitter. In 28 at bats, Daniel is hitting .357. Will Sachs and Avery Jennings are both hitting .500, but have been at bat just four times each. Caleb Essick has the most hits with 11 in 26 at bats.
• One thing the Panthers do well is steal bases. They are tied for the most in the GLVC with Maryville in stolen bases with 21 on 24 attempts. Caleb Essick is tied for second in the conference with six swipes in seven attempts. Ryan Kayhill is second on the team and tied for fifth in the GLVC with four stolen bases. 
• On the mound, three players have started three games for Drury in Austin Simms, Alex Austin, and Avery Jennings. Simms and Austin are both 1-2, while Jennings is 0-2. Nick Constantino and Spencer Witherspoon have appeared in more games than anyone else with five apiece. Constantino is 1-0 on the year, with the only save and a 4.91 ERA, while Witherspoon sports a 2.70 ERA as a reserve. Starter Childs has the lowest ERA at 0.00. he has appeared in two games, with one start. He is 0-0 on the year and has given up three runs, all unearned. Jaden Simmons has a 2.25 ERA in four appearances with 8.0 innings pitched and eight strikeouts.
• Simms and Austin have done the most damage on the mound for the Panthers with 14 strikeouts apiece. Simms has a 3.32 ERA in 19.0 innings pitched, while Austin has posted a 3.98 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched.
• Drury sports a .949 fielding percentage which ranks fifth out of 15 teams. They have turned 17 double plays though which is the most in the league.

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 12-3 so far with 5-1 mark in MIAA play. UCM is winners in 11 of its last 12 games, including two straight wins.
• The Mules claimed the series against Washburn last weekend. They dropped the first game 3-0, but game back with a 8-5 game two win, and a 17-11 slugfest win in game three. 
• Central Missouri's has been on fire lately. They've scored at least 12 runs in five of their last 10 games and eight or more in eight of their last 11.
• As a team, the Mules continue to hit the ball well with a .339 batting average, while holding a team .320 on base percentage. They are averaging almost eight runs per game. 
• The Mules bullpen has been outstanding this season. While Mules pitchers have a 3.92 ERA this season, the bullpen ERA is 3.11. Luke Mercer has four saves in the Mules 12 wins and has nine strikeouts in seven innings. Coby Seiz has gotten the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 10.1 innings giving up just one earned run and six hits with six strikeouts and two saves. 
• Much of the Mules success can be attributed to the bottom of the lineup. Harrison Schnurbusch who has batted eighth in eight of 15 games, is hitting .353 and has scored 16 runs. The combination of Dalton Dull and Donovan Ditto have a combined 20 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 22 at bats, Dull is hitting .500 with a .522 on base percentage. Schnurbusch has also safely reached base in 13 of 15 games this season. 
• At the top of the order, Mason Janvrin and Erik Webb have a combined 34 hits and 27 RBI. Janvrin has drawn a team-high seven walks and nine stolen bases and Webb has nine extra base hits and a team-high 17 RBI. 
• In 127 innings pitched, Mules pitchers are giving up just one hit per inning. Opponents are hitting just .228 off of UCM pitchers, but have reached base in other ways with 51 walks and have reached on 24 errors and 15 hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just five stolen base in 15 games on nine attempts attempts and have picked a runner off.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 29 bases in 41 attempts themselves. Janvrin has a team-best nine stolen bases while Harrison Schnurbusch, Erik Webb and Dalton Dull have each added four.
• Five Mules this season are hitting at least .300. Travis Able (.444) and Erik Webb (.435) are hitting over .400. Collin Nevil is at .333, while Schnurbusch is hitting .353 and Justin Graff-Rowe is batting .302. Able and Nevil are tied for second on the team in RBI with 11 apiece. Graff-Rowe, Schurbusch and Janvrin each have 10 RBI to tie for fourth on the team.
• The Mules have hit 12 home runs from 10 different players. Nevil and Webb are the only two so far to slug two home runs this season. 

Last Time Out
TOPEKA, Kan. (March 4, 2018) - If offense is contagious, Mules Baseball is down with the sickness. The Mules put on an offensive display in the series finale against Washburn and came out with a 17-11 win. The win puts UCM at 12-3 this season and 5-1 in the MIAA.

How it Happened
• The Ichabods put up four runs in the first two innings, scoring one in the first on a two-out single and three times in the second, getting consecutive RBI singles and getting a run to cross the plate while the baserunner at first was caught in a rundown.
• UCM started their comeback with two in the top of the third. Erik Webb and Travis Able had back-to-back run scoring hits to cut the Washburn lead in half. 
• The fourth is where UCM did their most damage. There were only four hits, but thanks to four walks and two errors, the Mules were able to send 13 to the plate and score nine runs. Harrison Schnurbusch brought UCM to within one and Cole Hoover tied the game with a single. Webb and Mason Janvrin added run-scoring hits, putting UCM up 8-4, but they weren't done yet. John Fairchild scored Webb with a sacrifice fly and Collin Nevil crossed the plate as Justin Graff-Rowe stole second. Schnurbusch then picked up another RBI in the inning with a single to score Graff-Rowe and conclude all the scoring.
• After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, the UCM offense went back to work with a five run fifth. Able scored a run with a single and Nevil drove in two thanks to a fielder's choice. Fairchild had the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run double in the right-centerfield gap, and the Mules were up by 12, 16-4.
• The Ichabods scored in three of the final five innings, but still never brought even the tying run to the plate.
• For good measure, Harrison Schnurbusch picked up RBI number three with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Erik Webb had another big day with five hits in six at bats. He also scored three times and drove in three runs with two doubles and stole two bases. 
• Webb wasn't the only Mule with five hits. Travis Able was also 5-6 with two RBI.
• Schnurbusch and Fairchild each drove in three runs. 
• Mason Janvrin, Collin Nevil and Justin Graff-Rowe all scored three runs. Janvrin had two hits and a stolen base. Nevil drove in two.
• Brandon Reid started and pitched three innings giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
• Bryce Kearns got the win throwing two innings allowing four runs (one earned) and four hits.
• Dimitri Frank pitched 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

For the Ichabods
• Jake Bublitz went 3-4 with two runs and two RBI. 
• Brady Hoover drove in a pair of runs.
• Josh Crosby scored twice and Darian Abram was 1-4 with an RBI and three runs scored.
• Sam Carver got the start and took the loss tossing three innings and giving up five runs (two earned) on four hits with a strikeout and two walks.
• Nick Sloan was effective in relief throwing four innings and giving up two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.

News and Notes
• All nine Mules starters collected at least one hit in the game.
• All nine starters also either had a run scored or an RBI.
• Both Webb and Able are the first Mules to collect five hits in a game this season.
• Over the last two games, Webb was 6-10 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI.
• The Mules 17 runs are a season-high and their 19 hits tie a season-best.
• Frank pitched in his first career game as a Mule.

Up Next
• Central Missouri remains on the road for some midweek action. They'll head to Springfield, Mo. to take on Drury Wednesday, March 7 for a 4 p.m. first pitch.

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• Central Missouri went 9-5 in non-conference games during the 2017 season
• The Mules are 34-24 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' three seasons.
• UCM has started 7-2 in nonconference games. Their next scheduled nonconference game is March 14th on the road at Rockhurst.

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules finished 23-13 in MIAA play last season and are 83-34 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 5-1 in conference play after claiming the series against Washburn, 2-1.

Mules at Home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and have started out 9-0 in 2018. 
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 57-12 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 797-156-1 (.836) 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 41-31 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 2-1 in true road games this season after defeating Washburn 2-1 last 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 117-58 (.669) 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 1,876-744-9 (.715) record in 2,629 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
• Following the midweek non-conference tilt with Drury, the Mules will remain on the road for a three-game series at Fort Hays State. The series gets underway Friday, March 9 with a 3 p.m. opening pitch.