WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 9, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball will be the host and Warrensburg, Mo. the site of the 2018 MIAA Championships. The double-elimination tournament is set to run Thursday-Sunday with four games taking place Thursday-Saturday and the Championship game on Sunday.

Opponent: #6 Missouri Western Griffons (28-22, 20-16 MIAA)
                  #2 Northwest Missouri Bearcats (30-20, 25-11 MIAA) or #7 Emporia State (29-20, 20-16 MIAA)

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

When: Game 1 vs. Missouri Western - Thursday, May 10, 9 a.m.
            Game 2 TBD

On the Air
All MIAA Tournament games will be broadcast live on the MIAA Network through the MIAA Blueframe portal page. UCM games will also be broadcast on KWKJ 1450 KOKO and 98.7 The Bar and streamed live at warrensburgradio.com

Central Region Rankings
The final set of NCAA Central Region rankings of the regular season were released Wednesday afternoon. The Mules rank third in the region behind Southern Arkansas and Central Oklahoma. Pittsburg State sits directly behind UCM in fourth. The rest of the top 10 is comprised of Augustana (S.D.), St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Oklahoma Baptist, Henderson State and Arkansas Monticello. The top eight will advance to the NCAA Regional Championships May 17-20. 

First Pitch
• Central Missouri claimed the No. 3 spot in the MIAA regular season standings and will be the third seed in this weekend's MIAA Championship Tournament. 
• The Mules are hosting the 2018 MIAA Championship at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg.
• As the No. 3 seed, the Mules first draw is No. 6 Missouri Western. They will then play either No. 2 Northwest Missouri or No. 7 Emporia State Friday in the double-elimination tournament.

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 four seasons under Coach Crookes. 2018 also marks the 25th straight season UCM has won 30 or more games.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 32 seasons. 

The Series
• The Mules could meet up with two of their longest tenured rivals this weekend in Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. UCM is 114-36 all-time against the Griffons including a sweep back in February. 
• The Mules have 145 wins against Northwest Missouri, more than any other opponent. They dropped a 2-1 series in Maryville earlier this year.
• UCM also has more than 100 wins against Emporia State with a 2-1 series win in April that included two one-run games. 

Missouri Western
• Missouri Western finished the regular season at 28-22 and 20-16 in the MIAA. They won five of their last six games. 
• Casey Danley is the team's leading hitter batting .337 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. Danley and Maurice Bruce have a combined 29 of the Griffons 52 stolen bases.
• Dusty Stroup has 65 hits and a team-best 42 runs batted in. 
• The Griffons have forced their opponents to make 96 errors and have taken advantage with 50 unearned runs. 17.6% of their runs scored have come thanks to opponent errors. 
• Starting pitchers Jacob Miller and Nate Hunter have been the only two to start more than 10 games. Miller is 8-2 with a 3.98 ERA and 58 strikeouts while Hunter is 8-4 with a 5.02 ERA and 54 strikeouts to 25 walks. 
• Preston Bailey has been the Griffons go-to man at closer. He has a team best six saves and 2.49 ERA in 50.2 innings. Kellan Richards has made a team-high 32 appearances and sports a 3.23 ERA with three saves. 
• As a team, the Griffons have a 4.84 ERA and have allowed 283 runs in 433.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .280. 

Northwest Missouri
• Northwest Missouri finished second in the MIAA with a 25-11 mark in the league and are 30-20 overall.
• The Bearcats ended the season winning 10 of their final 12 games. 
• While the Bearcats aren't great in any one area, they are good in many. They have a 5.02 team ERA which is sixth in the MIAA. Brad Roberts has been their primary starter making 15 starts and carries a 3.79 ERA and 7-5 record into the MIAA Championships. Joseph Hietpas is 8-3 in 15 starts with a 5.10 ERA and team-high 108 punchouts. The Bearcats have struck out 402 batters this season and walked just 163.
• Northwest's offense has turned it on of late. They're now hitting .282 with a .372 on base percentage. 
• While the Bearcats remain the only team in the MIAA to be slugging below .400, their .391 entering the tournament is more than 50 points higher when these two teams met back in early April. 
• Aaron Barratt leads the team with seven home runs. He's also hitting .289. Modesi Gutierrez has a team-best 45 runs batted in with 19 extra base hits. He's also stolen a team-best 11 bases.
• Hudson Bilodeau has been the team's best hitter with 68 hits, 20 for extra bases. He has also drawn 20 walks compared to just 24 strikeouts and has a on base percentage above .450. 
• Trevor Dudar leads the MIAA in saves with 14. He has pitched 32 innings across 27 appearances and has a 3-0 record and 2.25 ERA. 
• The Bearcats are in the middle of the pack in the MIAA defensively with a .955 fielding percentage. Their opponents have a .965 fielding percentage, making 17 fewer errors than the Bearcats.

Emporia State
• Emporia State enters the MIAA Tournament as the number seven seed thanks in part to closing the regular season winning six of their last seven games.
• As a team, the Hornets are hitting .291 on the season which is fifth in the MIAA. Their .389 on base percentage is also fifth while their .419 slugging percentage is eighth. 
• Bryce Fischer leads the team in multiple categories and nearly all rank in the top-10 in the MIAA. He's batting .404, has a .504 on base clip, and has 60 RBI which is second the MIAA. His .707 slugging percentage is also second in the league. His 53 runs scored are tied for third, while his 16 doubles are 10th.
• The Hornets don't have much power this season as they have just 36 home runs, which is third to last (11th) in the league. Fischer leads the team with 76 hits and 13 home runs, which rank third and fourth in the MIAA, respectively.
• ESU is is sixth in the MIAA with a .963 fielding percentage. They've made 72 errors this season, one more than the Mules. 
• Pitching is not a strong suit for the Hornets who enter the weekend with a 4.96 team ERA, fifth in the MIAA. However, they were 10th in the league a few weeks ago. 
• Seth Holman has the most work with 95 innings pitched. He sports a 3.79 ERA and has a 6-3 record in 14 starts this season. He has struck out 102 batters this season while walking only nine. However his 15 hit batsmen lead the MIAA. 
• Tanner Cairnes has also made double digit starts with 13. He is 8-1 with a 4.69 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 78.2 innings pitched. 
• Mason Leclair and Nathan Gieber have been solid out of the bullpen. Leclair has a 1.42 ERA, while Gieber is at 3.70. Leclair has three saves while Gieber has four. Gieber's 22 appearances shares the team lead.
• Trey Taylor has also been a help out of the bullpen. He sports a 3.38 ERA in 16 appearances this season. In 13.1 innings of work, he has fanned 13 batters and has two saves.

The Mules
• Central Missouri is 33-15 overall with a 24-12 mark in MIAA play. UCM finished third in the MIAA regular season standings. 
• The Mules closed regular season on the road at Northeastern State where they won the opener, but then dropped the final two. 
• As a team, the Mules are third in the MIAA with a .319 batting average. UCM is holding teams to a .347 on base percentage and is averaging just under eight runs a game at 7.58. 
• The top of the order continues to produce for the Mules this season. Mason Janvrin and Erik Webb have a combined 133 hits and 71 RBI. Janvrin is batting .376 from the leadoff spot, which is ninth in the MIAA and has two home runs to go along with nine doubles. His 50 runs scored lead the club and are tied for 10th in the league. He also leads the teams with 23 multiple hit games.
• Webb is second on the team in RBI with 42. His .339 batting average is third on the club and he has 31 extra base hits, including 11 home runs. His 12 stolen bases are second most on the team and tied for 10th in the MIAA. His .661 slugging percentage and 17 doubles are the most on the team as well.
• The bottom of the lineup has been reliable for UCM. Donovan Ditto has played in 43 of the Mules 48 games, with 39 starts all at second base. Ditto has a combined 38 hits from the No. 8 and 9 spot in the lineup. In 131 at bats overall, Ditto is hitting .290 with a .354 on base percentage. 
• Travis Able is the team's leading hitter at .377, which is seventh in the MIAA. He has .442 on base percentage and is third on the team with 41 RBI. His 69 hits are second on the team.
• Collin Nevil is batting .335, while Justin Graff-Rowe is batting .282. Harrison Schnurbusch is hitting .283. Nevil leads the team with 46 RBI. John Fairchild (34), Schnurbusch (26), and Graff-Rowe (24) have at least 20 RBI, while Ditto (19), Payne McCutcheon (14), and Zak Whalin (18) all have at least 10 RBI.
• In 418 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 157 walks and have reached on 73 errors and 64 hit batsmen.
• UCM pitchers have also done well at holding runners on base. The Mules have given up just 24 stolen bases in 48 games on 37 attempts and have picked four runners off. Their 24 stolen bases allowed are the fewest in the MIAA.
• On the flip side, the Mules have stolen 88 bases in 129 attempts themselves, which leads the MIAA. Janvrin has a league leading 30 stolen bases, while Webb is second on the team with 12. Schnurbusch is third with nine. Able is third with seven.
• The Mules have hit 50 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 13, which is tied for fourth in the MIAA. Webb is second on the club with 11.
• 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 28 hits in 76 at bats for a .368 batting average and Cole Hoover is hitting .250 with 11 hits and nine RBI.
• UCM's bullpen continues to play well. While Mules pitchers have a 4.40 ERA this season to lead the MIAA, the bullpen ERA is 3.81. Luke Mercer has nine saves on the year, which is third most in the MIAA. He sports a 2.33 ERA and has struck out 24 batters in 19.1 innings of work.
• Coby Seiz still has the most work out of the pen. He's thrown 40.1 innings and has a 3-2 record with three saves. Jonathan Sprinkle has struck out 29 batters in 19.1 innings across 16 appearances and has a 2.79 ERA. 
• Starters Luke Lucas and Ben Kelsch each have a 4.45 ERA. Lucas is 6-1 while Kelsch is 5-1. Kelsch leads the team with 52 strikeouts is 64.2 innings. 
• Brandon Reid has pitched in 11 games with eight starts. He is 1-2 with a 3.07 ERA. 

Last Time Out
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (May 6, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball dropped their regular season finale Sunday afternoon as they fell to the Northeastern State RiverHawks, 10-7. With the loss, the Mules finish the regular season 33-15 overall and 24-12 in the MIAA. 

Play-by-Play
• The RiverHawks grabbed the lead in the second. They loaded bases on an error, a single, and a hit by pitch. Jaxon Phipps then cleared the bases with a grand slam home run to left field.
• The Mules answered right in the third scoring five runs on six hits to lead, 5-4. Cole Hoover doubled to score Donovan Ditto for the first run. Mason Janvrin then singled to plate Hoover.
• Travis Able kept the momentum going with a double to score Janvrin for run number three. Two batters later, Collin Nevil got Able home with a RBI groundout. Justin Graff-Rowe drove in the final run on a triple to score John Fairchild.
• NSU put up five runs in the fifth to retake the lead, 9-5. A sacrifice fly by Michael Rhea scored the first run. A single from Resendez Jr. scored Phipps for the lead. 
• Trevor Ridenour plated the next three runs with a home run to left center.
• UCM got two runs back in the sixth. Elijah Dilday and Mason Janvrin got on base via a walk and a single, respectively. A fielding error by the RiverHawks allowed both runners to score and cut the Mules deficit to 9-7. 
• The RiverHawks scored their final run in the bottom of the sixth. Rhea doubled to left center to score Phipps.
• Neither team scored in the final three innings.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Janvrin was 4-5 with two runs scored and a RBI. 
• Able finished 1-5, with a team-high three RBI. 
• Ditto collect two hits in four at bats while scoring a run. 
• Fairchild and Graff-Rowe each went 2-5. Fairchild had a run scored while Graff-Rowe had a RBI. 
• Coby Seiz had a team-high four strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched in relief.
• Brandon Reid started and lasted 4.1 innings giving up eight runs (four earned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

For the RiverHawks
• Jaxon Phipps was 3-5 out of the leadoff spot with three runs scored and four RBI.
• Trevor Ridenour knocked two hits including a home run while scoring a pair and driving in three.
• Michael Rhea picked up two RBI and finished 1-3. 
• Trevor Nance earned the win in relief pitching 2.2 innings and giving up two unearned runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
• Braden Boyd got the start and threw the first three innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts.

News and Notes
• Central Missouri finishes the regular season in third place in the MIAA standings with a 24-12 record.
• The Mules 24 conference wins are one more than they finished with a season ago. It is the second most in Coach Kyle Crooke's four seasons. 
• Mason Janvrin's stolen base was his 30th of the season.

Up Next
• As the No. 3 seed, the Mules will take on No. 6 seed Missouri Western in this weekend's MIAA Tournament. The double-elimination tournament runs Thursday-Sunday, May 10-13 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg, Mo.

Mules in the Polls
• The Mules moved up dropped one spot in the latest NCBWA Top-25 Poll after being ranked No. 9 last week.
• Central Missouri has been ranked in the last 11 NCBWA polls after starting the season unranked.
• The Mules remain in the top 20 in both the Perfect Game poll, where they are 20th and the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings where they are tied for 21st. 
• In the final NCAA Central Region regular season rankings, the Mules are ranked third. 

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 during the 2018 regular season. 

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules finished 23-13 in MIAA play last season and are 102-45 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 finished the 2018 season at 24-12 in the MIAA and were third in the conference standings.

Mules at Home
• The Mules went 14-4 in home games during the 2017 season and are 20-4 in 2018. 
• Central Missouri was 15-5 at home during the 2015 season and is 67-16 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 808-160-1 (.834) in 969 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 51-39 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes.
• Central Missouri is 12-9 in true road games this season.

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 138-70 (.663) 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 1,897-756-9 (.714) record in 2,662 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 25)
• 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 866-245 (.779) 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
• Following the MIAA Championship Tournament, the Mules will look to return to NCAA play. They'll find out if they're in, seed number, opponent, location and time Sunday, following the MIAA Championship with the NCAA selection show at 9 p.m. CT.