Mules Host SBU in Final Midweek Game of Regular Season

Opponent: Southwest Baptist Bearcats (16-27, 10-19 MIAA)

When: Tuesday, April 24 - 6 p.m.

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

First Pitch
• Central Missouri continues its final homestand of the regular season with a midweek game against Southwest Baptist.
• The Mules are 17-3 at home this season following a 2-1 series win against Emporia State this past weekend.
• Central Missouri has just three home games left following their Wednesday game against the Bearcats.
• The Mules will close out the regular season on the road with a three-game set at Northeastern State, May 4-6.

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 20-9 in MIAA play and sit second in the conference standings. 

On the Air
• Tuesday's game will be on 98.5 The Bar 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.
• The game will also be webcast online through the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/.

The Series
• The Mules and Bearcats will meet for the third time this season. UCM is 103-13-1 all-time against SBU. 
• The Bearcats won the first meeting this season, 6-1, but the Mules too game two by a final score of 12-8.
• Coach Crookes is 9-3 against the Bearcats. UCM has won nine of the last 10 games against the Bearcats.

Southwest Baptist
• Southwest Baptist still sits third to last (11th) in the MIAA standings with a 10-19 conference mark. They are 16-27 overall.
• The Bearcats went 1-2 against Washburn this past weekend. They went 1-3 last week, with the third loss coming against Rockhurst in a midweek non-conference game.
• While the Bearcats have struggled defensively this season. On the mound, they sport the second worst ERA in the MIAA at 6.36. While the team struggles, Dalton Morrow continues to be the ace. He sports a 2.93 ERA to lead the team and has a 8-1 record in 12 starts this season. In 83 innings pitched, he has struck out 79 batters. Both his ERA and total strikeouts are fourth in the MIAA, while his innings pitched are the most. He is holding batters to a .220 average per game.
• Offensively, SBU is in the middle of the pack in the MIAA. They are sixth hitting .289, with 36 home runs which is eighth. They lead the league in triples with 19. Andrew Meier is the team's top hitter with a .379 batting average and 27 runs batted in. Hunter Hisky has 46 RBI to lead the team, while Carl Schwettman is second with 41 RBI. Schwettman also has a team high 12 stolen bases.
• The Bearcats have a .363 on base percentage led by Meier (.432), while their .436 slugging percentage is seventh in the league. Of their 427 hits, 126 are for extra bases. 
• Including Meier, five players are batting over .300 for the Bearcats. Meier leads the way, but has played in 11 fewer games for SBU at 32. Clint Jack is second at .370, with Schwettmann behind him at .341. Hisky (.331), and Tyler Matthys (.316) round out the hitting for SBU. Patrick Latham is not far under .300 with a .276 batting average.
• Drew Wagner leads the team with three saves, but is 0-3 on the year with 7.41 ERA. His 34 innings of work are second most on the team as are his 27 strikeouts. 
• The Bearcats .949 fielding percentage is11th in the league. They have allowed 63 stolen bases and have 78 errors, which rank second most and third worst in the league, respectively.

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 29-12 overall with a 20-9 mark in MIAA play. UCM currently sits second in the MIAA regular season standings and is ranked No. 22 in the latest NCBWA Top-25 rankings.
• The Mules bounced back from their Tuesday loss at Lindenwood with a 2-1 series win over Emporia State this past weekend. The Mules won games one and three to earn seventh MIAA series win of the year.
• As a team, the Mules are third in the MIAA with a .319 batting average. UCM is holding teams to a .396 on base percentage and is averaging just under eight runs a game at 7.59. 
• The top of the order has been reliable for the Mules this season. Mason Janvrin and Erik Webb have a combined 115 hits and 62 RBI. Janvrin is batting .380 from the leadoff spot, which is ninth in the MIAA and has two home runs to go along with nine doubles. His 45 runs scored are fifth in the league this season. He leads the teams with 20 multiple hit games this season and is currently on 13-game on base and hit streak.
• Webb is second on the team in RBI with 38. His .361 batting average is third on the club and he has 30 extra base hits, including 10 home runs. His 12 stolen bases are second most on the team and tied for fifth in the MIAA. His .729 slugging percentage and 17 doubles are the most on the team as well.
• The bottom of the lineup has been just as reliable for UCM. The combination of Dalton Dull and Donovan Ditto has started all 41 games at second base. They have a combined 27 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 94 at bats overall, Ditto is hitting .271 with a .383 on base percentage. 
• Travis Able is the team's leading hitter at .387, which is sixth in the MIAA. He has .456 on base percentage and third on the team with 35 RBI. His 58 hits are second on the team.
• Collin Nevil is batting .344, while Justin Graff-Rowe is batting just under .300 at .288. Harrison Schnurbusch is hitting .274. Nevil leads the team with 41 RBI. John Fairchild (25), Graff-Rowe (21), Schnurbusch (20), Ditto (17), Payne McCutcheon (14), and Zak Wahalin (16) all have at least 10 RBI.
• In 357 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 130 walks and have reached on 63 errors and 53 hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just 19 stolen bases in 41 games on 30 attempts and have picked four runners off. Their 19 stolen bases allowed are the fewest in the MIAA.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 83 bases in 116 attempts themselves, which leads the MIAA. Janvrin has a league leading 28 stolen bases, while Webb is second on the team with 12. Schnurbusch is third with nine. Able is third with seven, but has a clean sheet at a perfect 7-7 in stolen base attempts.
• The Mules have hit 42 home runs from 13 different players. Nevil, Webb, Janvrin, McCutcheon, Graff-Rowe and Fairchild have all slugged at least two home runs this season. Nevil leads the way with 12, which is tied for fourth in the MIAA. Webb is second on the club and tied for 10th in the league with 10.
• The Mules have gotten a lot of production from their catcher position. McCutcheon has supplied some power with two home runs and 14 RBI. Whalin has 19 hits in 60 at bats for a .317 batting average and Cole Hoover is hitting .250 with nine hits and seven RBI.
• UCM's bullpen continues to play well. While Mules pitchers have a 4.51 ERA this season to sit second in the MIAA, the bullpen ERA is 3.47. Luke Mercer has eight saves on the year, which is third most in the MIAA. He sports a 2.50 ERA and has struck out 22 batters in 18 innings of work.
• Coby Seiz still has the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 28 innings and given up just seven earned runs and 22 hits with 25 strikeouts. He has two saves and sports a 2.25 ERA. Ross Juliana has been solid as well with a 4-1 record. He has pitched 21.1 innings and has 20 strikeouts on the year.

Last Time Out
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 22, 2018) – Central Missouri Mules Baseball picked up a hard fought win Sunday afternoon over the Emporia State Hornets, 6-5, at home. With the win, Central Missouri improves to 29-12 overall and 20-9 in the MIAA.

Play-by-Play
• The game's first runs did not come until the fifth inning. The two teams combined for six hits through the first four innings. UCM had four, while Emporia State (23-19, 14-15 MIAA) had two.
• The Mules had an opportunity to score in the bottom of the fourth loading the bases with two outs, but the Hornets escaped the jam.
• Emporia State ended the scoreless game with two runs scored in the fifth. Mack Gowing singled up the middle to plate home Brandon Bachar and Taylor Sanagorski for the unearned runs.
• The Mules put up their first run in the bottom of the sixth. Erik Webb hit a leadoff triple to center field and was plated home on a RBI single from Collin Nevil.
• The game was tied 2-2 on a RBI bunt single from Harrison Schnurbusch which scored Nevil. The Mules grabbed their first lead, 4-2, on a two RBI double to left field from Zak Whalin.
• Emporia State answered in the top of the seventh scoring two runs to tie the game at 4-4. Tate Kastens hit a leadoff single and got to third on a Bachar double. Bryce Fischer drove in both runners with a base hit up the middle.
• Mack Brown doubled to left field to get Fischer to third and he scored on a fielding error by UCM. The Hornets 5-4 lead did not last long as Collin Nevil hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give UCM a 6-5 lead that was never relinquished.
• Jonathan Sprinkle closed out the final two innings for the Mules to hold off the Hornets. With a runner at first, Fischer looked to play the role of hero. Sprinkle denied him the opportunity to give the Mules the series win.
 
Mules Stat Leaders
• Nevil finished the game with three hits in five at bats. Along with his game-winning two run homer, he had three RBI.
• Both Justin Graff-Rowe and Schnurbusch finished 1-3, with a run scored. Schnurbusch also had a RBI.
• Whalin went 1-4 with, two RBI. Janvrin was the only other Mule besides Nevil with multiple hits going 3-5.
• Bryce Kearns earned the win on the hill to improve to 2-0. He worked one complete inning, allowing one earned run on two hits and had one strikeout.
• Jonathan Sprinkle was credited the save as he closed out the final two innings. He did not allow a single hit and struck out four batters.
 
For the Hornets
• Fischer had a 2-4 hitting performance, with two RBI and a run scored.
• Kastens also went 2-4, while scoring a run.
• Bachar collected one hit in four at bats and scored two runs.
• Taylor Thompson got the start on the mound and worked five innings. He gave up two runs (both earned) on six hits and fanned two batters.
• Layne Downing took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. He pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits.
 
News and Notes
• The Mules four runs scored in the sixth ended a 12 inning scoring drought.
• The win is the 20th MIAA win of the season for UCM. It also the seventh series win in MIAA play for UCM this season.
• The Mules are now 109-52 all-time against the Hornets and are 6-7 against them under Kyle Crookes.
• Sprinkle's four strikeouts on Sunday match his career-high. He also fanned four batters in the Mules win at Drury earlier this year.
 
Up Next
• The Mules are back in action for a midweek game against Southwest Baptist on Wednesday, April 25. The Mules and Bearcats are tied 1-1 this season. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Mules in the Polls
• The Mules check in at No. 22 in the latest NCBWA National Poll after being ranked No. 18.
• Central Missouri has been ranked in the last eight NCBWA polls after starting the season unranked.
• The Mules stand pat at No. 15 in the latest ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll. 
• UCM moved down one spot to No. 20 in the latest Perfect Game Baseball Division II Rankings.

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 9-3 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 98-42 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 20-9 in conference play after going 2-1 against Emporia State this past weekend.

Mules at Home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and are 17-3 in 2018. 
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 65-15 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 805-159-1 (.835) in 965 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 50-37 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 11-7 in true road games this season after falling at Lindenwood, 10-2.

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 134-67 (.667) 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 1,893-753-9 (.715) record in 2,655 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 862-242 (.781) 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 Jennies Soccer won their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-1 (5-3 PK) win over Carson-Newman. 
• This past winter, 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 10 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, women's soccer in 2017 and women's basketball in 2018, and 12 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 will play their final three home games of the regular season this weekend as they host Missouri Southern Friday-Sunday, April 27-29. Game times are set for 6 p.m., 2 p.m., and 1 p.m.
• Saturday's game will also be Senior Day. The Mules will honor 12 seniors prior to their 2 p.m. first pitch against the Lions.