WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 9, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball remains on the road this week as they are set to play in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the Mules games is a make up game against Missouri S&T after their original game was rained out back in February.


Opponents: Missouri S&T Miners (14-15, 6-6 GLVC)
                     Southwest Baptist Bearcats (13-22, 7-15 MIAA)

When: Tuesday, April 10 - 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 11 - 12 p.m. 
            Missouri S&T - Tuesday
            SBU - Wednesday

Where: Rolla, Mo. - Ballpark at S&T (Missouri S&T)
             Bolivar, Mo. - Dodson Field (SBU)

First Pitch
• Central Missouri is coming a 2-2 week that saw them defeat Lindenwood in a midweek game and go 1-2 in a three-game set against Northwest Missouri.
• The Mules are now 15-2 at home this season after defeating Lindenwood, 9-4, and are winners of their four home games.
• UCM remains on the road for its next three games, including a makeup game against Missouri S&T.
• The Mules are 10-5 in true road games this season, with eight of those wins coming in a row.

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 17-7 in MIAA play and currently sit second in the conference standings. 

The Series
• Central Missouri is 49-11 all-time against Missouri S&T. The two schools last met on April 1, 2009 in Warrensburg, with the Mules winning 10-5. The Mules have never faced the Miners during Kyle Crookes tenure as head coach.
• The Mules and Bearcats will meet for the second time this season. UCM is 102-13-1 all-time against SBU. The Bearcats defeated the Mules, 6-1, earlier this season.
• Coach Crookes is 8-3 against the Bearcats. Prior to the 6-1 loss earlier this season, UCM had won eight straight against SBU.

Missouri S&T
• Missouri S&T is just a game under .500 at 14-15 overall. They are currently on a two game winning streak.
• The Miners are an even 6-6 in GLVC play after splitting a four game series, 2-2, against William Jewell last week.
• Missouri S&T has won three of its last four home games, but is just 7-10 this season at home.
• As a team, the Miners are third in the GLVC with a .302 batting average. They reach base at a .393 clip which is fourth out of 15 teams, while their .363 slugging percentage is ninth. 
• Connor Forsythe is the team's leading hitter. He's batting .415. Tim Lira is not far behind him with a .400 batting average. In GLVC games, Forsythe and Matt Gruse are both hitting .500. Justus Nelson is batting .474 in 11 GLVC games played.
• The Miners haven't had much success in the power department. They have just seven home runs on the season which is tied for 11th in the GLVC. Gruse and Zach Bracken lead the team both with two apiece. Lucas Swindle is the team leader with 22 RBI and is the only player with over 20.
• At .949, the Miners are 11th in the GLVC in defense. They've committed 52 errors which is the fourth most in the GLVC.
• Pitching has been an issue for the Miners who enter the game with a 5.06 team ERA, seventh in the GLVC.
• Dan Borek has the most work on the mound with 44.2 innings pitched. He has a 4-4 record, a 3.43 ERA and has struck out 22 batters. He has the most starts with nine.
• Luke Marcheschi has the most strikeouts on the team with 32. He has pitched 33 innings and sports a 3.00 ERA. He has appeared in 14 games without a start and has two saves.
• Forsythe has also been helpful on the mound for the Miners making six appearances. He has a 2.57 ERA in seven innings of work and has struck out eight batters.
• Dalton Erger has the second most strikeouts for Missouri S&T with 28. He sports a 4.75 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched and made seven starts

Southwest Baptist
• Northwest Missouri is third to last (11th) in the MIAA standings with a 7-15 conference mark. They are 13-22 overall.
• The Bearcats are coming a 2-1 series loss to the Lindenwood this past weekend. They went 1-3 last week, with the third loss coming against Drury 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 6.07. While the team struggles, Dalton Morrow has been pretty good. He sports a 2.86 ERA to lead the team and has a 7-1 record in 10 starts this season. In 69.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 69 batters. Both his ERA and total strikeouts are third in the MIAA, while his innings pitched are the most. He is holding batters to a .218 average per game.
• Offensively, SBU is in the middle of the pack in the MIAA. They are seventh hitting .288, with 27 home runs which is eighth. They lead the league in triples with 17. Andrew Meier is the team's top hitter with a .367 batting average and 21 runs batted in. Hunter Hisky has 41 RBI to lead the team, while Carl Schwettman is second with 34 RBI. Schwettman also has a team high 11 stolen bases.
• The Bearcats have a .364 on base percentage led by Meier, while their .430 slugging percentage is seventh in the league. Of their 345 hits, 100 are for extra bases. 
• Including Meier, six players are batting over .300 for the Bearcats. Meier leads the way, but has played in 10 fewer games for SBU at 24. Clint Jack is second at .343, with Tyler Matthys right behind him at .338. Hisky (.331), Schwettman (.328), and Patrick Latham (.310) round out the hitting for SBU.
• 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 is tied for 11th in the league. They have allowed 46 stolen bases and have 64 errors, which are both second most in the MIAA.

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 26-9 overall with a 17-7 mark in MIAA play. UCM currently sits second in the MIAA regular season standings and is ranked No. 12 in the latest NCBWA Top-25 rankings.
• The Mules went 2-2 in four games played last week. They picked a 9-4 home win over Lindenwood this past Wednesday, but dropped a three-game set on the road to Northwest Missouri, 2-1. 
• As a team, the Mules are tied for second in the MIAA with a .321 batting average. UCM is holding teams to a .350 on base percentage and is averaging just under eight runs a game at 7.97. 
• The Mules bullpen continues to be a strong factor this season. While Mules pitchers have a 4.46 ERA this season to sit third in the MIAA, the bullpen ERA is 3.30. Luke Mercer has eight saves on the year, which is tied for the most in the MIAA. He sports a 2.12 ERA and has struck out 21 batters in 17 innings of work.
• Coby Seiz still has the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 23 innings and given up just seven earned runs and 19 hits with 21 strikeouts. He has two saves and sports a 2.74 ERA. Ross Juliana has been solid as well with a 4-1 record. He has pitched 20.1 innings and has 18 strikeouts on the year.
• Much of the Mules success lately can be attributed to the top of the order, Mason Janvrin and Erik Webb have a combined 94 hits and 60 RBI. Janvrin is batting .355 from the leadoff spot and has two home runs to glong with seven doubles. His 42 runs scored are also the most in the league this season.
• Webb leads the team in RBI with 36. His .372 batting average is second on the club and 10th in the MIAA. He has 27 extra base hits, including nine home runs. His 11 stolen bases are second most on the team and tied for fifth in the MIAA. His .744 slugging percentage and 14 doubles are the most on the team as well.
• The bottom of the lineup is also doing just as well for UCM. The combination of Dalton Dull and Donovan Ditto has started all 35 games at second base. They have a combined 27 hits from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In 86 at bats overall, Ditto is hitting .314 with a .378 on base percentage. Dull is batting .433 in 30 at bats and has a .469 on base percentage.
• Travis Able is the team's leading hitter at .395, which is sixth in the MIAA. He has .465 on base percentage and tied for second on the team with 33 RBI. His 49 hits are tied for the most on the team with Janvrin.
• Collin Nevilis batting .348, while Justin Graff-Rowe is just under .300 at .291. Harrison Schnurbusch is hitting .271. Nevil is tied for second on the team with 33 RBI. John Fairchild (21), Graff-Rowe (20), Schnurbusch (18), Ditto (16), Payne McCutcheon (14), and Zak Whalin (10) all have at least 10 RBI.
• In 303 innings pitched, Mules pitchers are giving up just one hit per inning. Opponents are hitting just .260 off of UCM pitchers, but have reached base in other ways with 119 walks and have reached on 56 errors and 47 hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just 14 stolen bases in 35 games on 23 attempts and have picked two runners off.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 76 bases in 104 attempts themselves. Janvrin has a league leading 27 stolen bases, while Webb is second on the team with 11. Schnurbusch is third with eight.
• The Mules have hit 36 home runs from 12 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 10, which is fourth in the MIAA. Webb is second on the club and and tied for fifth-most in the league with nine.
• 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 17 hits in 43 at bats for a .395 batting average and Cole Hoover is hitting .257 with nine hits and seven RBI. 

Last Time Out
MARYVILLE, Mo. (April 7, 2018) - Looking to salvage the series with Northwest Missouri, Central Missouri Mules Baseball got ahead early and held on for a 7-5 win. The win puts UCM at 26-9 this season and 17-7 in the MIAA.

Play-by-Play
• The Mules got on top early by scoring in each of the first three innings. Travis Able put UCM ahead 2-0 just three batters into the game with a home run to center.
• An inning later, it was Able again, scoring Erik Webb with a two-out RBI single.
• The Mules took a 4-0 lead when Zak Whalin singled to right to score John Fairchild. One batter later, Mason Janvrin made it 5-0 with a sacrifice fly to score Donovan Ditto.
• Mules starter Ben Kelsch kept the Bearcats off the board for the first two innings, but NWMSU got on the board with a run in the third. Landon Figg's ground ball found a hole and Hudson Bilodeau scored, making it 5-1.
• In the fifth, UCM took a five-run lead again when Janvrin went to the opposite field for an RBI single as Harrison Schnurbusch scampered home.
• Northwest didn't quit though. In fact, they scored four unanswered runs. They got three in the fifth, the first two on a two-RBI single from Mondesi Gutierrez. Bilodeau scored his second run as Figg's sacrifice fly made it a 6-4 game.
• After a scoreless 6th and 7th inning, Aaron Barratt got NWMSU within one knocking a solo home run to left..
• UCM put an insurance run on the board as Collin Nevil singled and scored on a Bearcat error.
• Luke Mercer pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to record the save for the Mules.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Travis Able drove in three of the Mules runs going 2-4 with a single and a home run.
• Mason Janvrin went 2-4 with two RBI and a stolen base.
• John Fairchild also picked up two hits and scored a run.
• Ben Kelsch got the start and pitched the first five innings. He earned the win allowing four runs on six hits with four strikeouts.
• Collin Jones came out of the bullpen to throw three innings and allowed a run on three hits with three punchouts.
• Luke Mercer pitched a perfect ninth for the save. 

For the Bearcats
• Hudson Bilodeau was 3-4 from the leadoff spot with two runs scored.
• Mondesi Gutierrez and Landon Figg each drove in two runs.
• Aaron Barratt went 2-4 with a home run.
• Quinton VanAckeren came out of the bullpen after just two batters. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts.
• Jacob Wagner pitched the final three innings and gave up an unearned run while striking out four.

News and Notes
• Central Missouri avoided being swept for the first time this season.
• The Mules got 11 hits from eight different spots in the lineup.
• UCM scored in each of the first three innings, and just two runs in final six.
• Mercer's save was his eighth of the season. He needed just seven pitches to work the ninth. His eight saves this season are tied for the seventh most in a single season in UCM history. 
• The Mules win ties Central Oklahoma for the most in the MIAA with 17. 

Up Next
• The Mules will play their makeup with Missouri S&T Tuesday, April 10. First pitch from Rolla, Mo. is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Mules in the Polls
• The Mules fell one spots to No. 12 in the latest NCBWA National Poll after being ranked No. 11
• Central Missouri has been ranked in the last six NCBWA polls after starting the season unranked.
• The Mules slipped one spot to No. 11 in the latest ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll. 
• UCM moved up one spot to No. 18 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 9-2 in non-conference games. The Tuesday match vs. Missouri S&T is their final non-conference game of the regular season.

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules finished 23-13 in MIAA play last season and are 95-40 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 17-7 in conference play after going 2-2 last week in games against Lindenwood (1-0) and Northwest Missouri (1-2).

Mules at Home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and are 15-2 in 2018. 
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 63-14 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 803-158-1 (.835) in 962 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 49-35 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 10-5 in true road games this season after falling to Northwest Missouri, 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 131-64 (.672) 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 1,890-750-9 (.715) record in 2,649 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 859-239 (.782) 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 have the upcoming weekend off and will return to action next Tuesday, April 17 as they close out their series with the Lindenwood Lions. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in St. Charles. UCM is 2-0 against Lindenwood this season.