WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 8, 2018) - No. 7 Central Missouri Mules Baseball remains on the road this weekend for an MIAA series. Through the first four games of their eight-game total road trip the Mules are 3-1 and are winners of three straight as they get set for a three-game series with Fort Hays State.
Opponent: Fort Hays State Tigers (9-8, 1-5 MIAA)
When: Friday-Sunday, March 9-11
Friday - 3 p.m.
Saturday - 2 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m.
Where: Hays, Kan. - Larks Park
First Pitch
• Central Missouri picked up its third straight win with a 7-3 win over Drury on Wednesday afternoon.
• The Mules continue their eight-game road trip with a three-game MIAA series at Fort Hays State
• With the 7-3 win over Drury, UCM is now winners in 12 of its last 13 games.
• This will be the third MIAA series for the Mules this season. It is their second straight series on the road.
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 3-1 in true road games in 2018. They were 12-11 on the road in 2017.
The Series
• Central Missouri is 35-13 against Fort Hays State in 48 meetings all-time. The Mules swept the Tigers last season and have won five straight dating back to the 2016 season.
• In his three seasons, Coach Crookes has faced the Tigers 10 times and has a 7-3 record. The Mules split with the Tigers, 2-2, in Crookes' first season in 2015, but have claimed the series each of the last two seasons. Last year, UCM swept Fort Hays State 3-0 with each win coming by three or more runs. In 2016, The Tigers took game one, 8-7, in 10 innings. The Mules bounced back winning 14-0 and 16-12 to claim the series.
Fort Hays State
• Fort Hays State enters the contest one game over .500 with a 9-8 record overall but are just 1-5 in MIAA play.
• The Tigers are coming off a 2-1 MIAA series loss to Northwest Missouri. They defeated the Bearcats 4-2 in game two but fell 13-1 in game one and 11-4 in game three.
• At home, the Tigers are 4-2 so far this season, with both losses coming at the hands of the Bearcats. Their three other wins are against in-state foe Newman (twice) and Northwestern Oklahoma State.
• Fort Hays State is in the middle of the pack in the MIAA in batting average with a .285 (7th). They are fifth in home runs with 16 so far this season.
• They are tied for seventh in the MIAA in runs scored with 116, while their 176 hits are tied for fifth.
• Addison Kaasch is the team's leading hitter with a .358 batting average. His 24 hits leads the team and is 10th the league. He is the only person on the multiples triples with two.
• Three other players are batting over .300 for the Tigers in Ryan Grasser (.317), Clayton Basgall (.314) and Jordan Wilkerson (.308). Wilkerson leads the team in runs scored with 18, while Grasser is second with 17.
• Dayton Pomeroy is batting just a .268 for Fort Hays State, but is just one of three players to start all 17 games. He third in the MIAA in RBI's with 20 and tied for third in home runs with five.
• On the mound, the Tigers have the second worst ERA in the league at 7.11. They've given up the third most hits at 180 and have allowed the third-most home runs with 19.
• Pitchers Ryan Ruder and Ben Ramberg each have two wins on the season. Ruder is 2-1 with a 4.10 era in four starts. Ramberg is 2-2 in five starts and has an 8.84 ERA. Sam Capps has made the most appearances for the Tigers with nine this season. He has yet to start a game, has an ERA of 6.43 in 14.0 innings pitched and leads the teams with three saves. Tanner Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 23 in 21.2 innings pitched.
• Reliever Cody Rottinghaus has done well for Fort Hays State in 10.1 inning pitched with a 2.41 ERA. He has one save on the year and given up four runs, three of which have been earned. As a team, the Tigers have retired 107 batters this season with 87 walks. Their five saves overall are tied for the most in the MIAA.
• Fort Hays State sports a .940 fielding percentage which is last in the MIAA and they have the most errors with 40. They have turned 11 double plays this season which is ninth in the league.
The Mules
• Central Missouri is 13-3 so far with 5-1 mark in MIAA play. UCM is winners in 12 of its last 13 games, including three straight wins.
• The Mules took down in-state foe Drury with 7-3 Wednesday road win on March 7. The Mules will look to win their third staright series against the Tigers
• Central Missouri's has been on fire lately. They've scored at least 12 runs in five of their last 11 games and seven or more in nine of their last 12.
• As a team, the Mules continue to hit the ball well with a .329 batting average, which is second in the MIAA. UCM holding teams to .319 on base percentage and is averaging almost eight runs per game.
• The Mules bullpen has been outstanding this season. While Mules pitchers have a 4.04 ERA this season to lead the MIAA, the bullpen ERA is 3.24.
Luke Mercer has four saves in the Mules 13 wins and has nine strikeouts in nine 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 seventh in three of the last four games, is hitting .345 and has scored 18 runs. The combination of
Dalton Dull and
Donovan Ditto has 21 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 24 at bats, Dull is hitting .500 with a .538 on base percentage. Schnurbusch has also safely reached base in 14 of 16 games this season.
• At the top of the order,
Mason Janvrin and
Erik Webb have a combined 36 hits and 27 RBI. Both have drawn a team-high seven walks. Webb has nine extra base hits and a team-high 17 RBI.
• In 136 innings pitched, Mules pitchers are giving up just one hit per inning. Opponents are hitting just .224 off of UCM pitchers, but have reached base in other ways with 57 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 bases in 16 games on 10 attempts and have picked a runner off.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 33 bases in 45 attempts themselves. Janvrin has a team-best nine stolen bases while Webb is second with seven.
Harrison Schnurbusch and
Dalton Dull have each added four.
• Five Mules this season are hitting at least .300.
Travis Able (.438) and
Erik Webb (.420) are hitting over .400.
Collin Nevil is at .323, while Schnurbusch is hitting .345.
Justin Graff-Rowe is just under .300 with a .295 batting average. Nevil is second on the team in RBI with 13, with Able right behind him at 12. 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
OZARK, Mo. (March 7, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball won their third straight game and 12th in their last 13 as they took down in-state foe Drury Wednesday afternoon on the road at US Baseball Park. With the win the Mules are now 13-3 overall.
Play-by-Play
• The Mules gave up all three runs in the first inning, but posted a shutout the rest of the game against Drury (4-7). Offensively, seven different Mules collected a hit in the game.
• UCM got its first run on the board in the top of the first inning.
Mason Janvrin led the game off with a single to right center. Two batters later, an RBI ground out to second base by
Collin Nevil scored Janvrin.
• Drury grabbed its first and only lead of the game in the bottom of the first scoring three runs on four hits. The first run came on a wild pitch by UCM, before back-to-back RBI singles gave Drury the lead.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch led off the top of the second inning with a single to left field.
Dalton Dull brought him with a RBI triple to right center.
• Dull did not wait long to score as
Payne McCutcheon brought him home with a RBI single to third base to tie the game at 3-3.
• The Mules retook the lead in fourth thanks in part to back-to-back errors by Drury. Schnurbusch scored off a fielding error from second base.
• Janvrin reached first on the fielding error then stole second. He scored on a third base throwing error to give the Mules the 5-3 edge.
• After the two teams combined for eight hits in the first four innings, they had just four the rest of the way through, all of which that came from UCM.
• The Mules added two insurance run in the final inning. Webb was plated home for an unearned run thanks to a single from
Travis Able.
Micah Evans came in to pinch run for Able and was brought home on an RBI triple from Nevil.
•
Jonathan Sprinkle took the hill at the start of the eighth inning and worked back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to close out the game and seal the win for UCM.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Janvrin had a hit while scoring two runs in five at bats.
• Dull collected one hit as well in two at bats. His lone hit was an RBI triple.
• Nevil was 1-5 for the Mules with two RBI, including an RBI triple.
• Webb went 1-4 with one run. He had a season-high three stolen bases as well.
• McCutcheon and Able both finished 1-3 with an RBI.
•
Ross Juliana earned the win to improve to 2-0. He pitched 2.2 innings and had three strikeouts on the afternoon.
• Sprinkle picked up his first save of the season. He and
Luke Mercer each had a game-high four strikeouts.
For the Panthers
• Clayton Engel finished with a hit and a run in three at bats, but also had an error.
• Will Sachs also went 1-3 on the afternoon.
• Both Drew Newson and Ryan Kayhill both went 1-4, with an RBI apiece. Newson also had one error for the game.
• Tom Tewes suffered the loss to go to 0-1 on the year. He pitched 3.0 innings giving up two runs, both unearned.
News and Notes
• The Mules had seven of nine starters collect a hit in the game.
• The Mules have posted five or more runs in each of their last three wins. They have
• UCM pitchers had a combined 14 strikeouts, which is the second most in a game this season.
• The Mules are now 6-4 all-time against Drury and 3-2 against them under
Kyle Crookes.
Up Next
The Mules will remain on the road for a three-game series at Fort Hays State this weekend. The series gets underway Friday, March 9 with a 3 p.m. opening pitch.
Mules in the Polls
• Central Missouri moved up 10 spots to No. 7 in this week's NCBWA National Poll. They were No. 17 last week.
• The Mules have been ranked in the last two NCBWA polls after starting the season unranked.
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 has started 8-2 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 954 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 42-31 on the road under head coach
Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 3-1 in true road games this season after defeating Drury 7-3 on March 7th.
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 118-58 (.670) 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 1,877-744-9 (.715) record in 2,630 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 846-233 (.784) 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
• The Mules close out their eight game road trip with an in-state trip to Rockhurst. The Mules take on the Hawks Wednesday, March 14 with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
