WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 13, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball marches forward with four games in five days.
Opponents
Rockhurst Hawks - 3-10
Southwest Baptist Bearcats - 8-11, 3-6 MIAA
When
Wednesday, March 13 - 4 p.m.
Friday, March 15 - 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 16- 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 17 - 1 p.m.
Where
Wednesday, March 13 vs. Rockhurst - Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium
Friday-Sunday, March 15-17 at Southwest Baptist - Bolivar, Mo.- Dodson Field
On the Air
• Live stats for all games are available at www.ucmathletics.com. There will also be live video of all three games against Southwest Baptist.
First Pitch
• Central Missouri wraps up their epic 15-game homestand this week taking on Rockhurst on Wednesday, March 13.
• They then hit the road for the first time in more than a month, since Feb. 8-10 at Southwest Baptist.
• The Mules went 2-2 last week with a nonconference win over Drury. They then dropped a three-game set with Central Oklahoma 2-1, despite winning the series opener.
Quick Hits
• Central Missouri totaled 39 wins last year. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all four seasons under Coach Crookes.
• The team improved by seven wins and won an MIAA title and returned to the NCAA postseason in 2018.
• 2018 also marked 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.
• This year Central Missouri is off to a 13-7 start after taking and are 6-3 in the MIAA.
• The Mules finished third in the regular season standings a year ago and were the MIAA Tournament Champions, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the 29th time.
The Series
• The Mules have a pair of in-state rivals this week. All-time UCM is 33-8 against Rockhurst.
• These two teams met a year ago, a 12-4 win for the Mules at Rockhurst.
• Against MIAA opponent Southwest Baptist, UCM is 104-13-1. The Bearcats are one of six teams UCM has 100 or more wins against.
• The Mules took two of three from Southwest Baptist last year and are 11-3 under Coach Crookes.
Rockhurst
• The Hawks are off to a 3-10 start this season and are 0-3 in Great Lakes Valley games. The only games the Hawks have won were against Bimidji State.
• Rockhurst struggles offensively with a .249 team batting average and a .314 slugging percentage. They have just 18 extra-base hits in 13 games and three home runs.
• Noah Huston is hitting .452 with four doubles and a team-best nine runs scored.
• With eight RBI, Garrett McNally leads the team. He also has two of the three Hawks home runs.
• Nathan Mark is hitting .333 and has seven RBI.
• The Hawks like to run when they get on base. They are 19-24 in stolen base attempts.
• Pitching has also been a problem for Rockhurst with a 6.06 team ERA.
• They've had a consistent starting rotation with Jack Eisenbarger, Grant Ruediger and Jacob Thigpen each making four starts. Eisenbarger sports a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings while Ruediger has a 4.19 ERA in 19.1
• Out of the bullpen Jonathan Fink carries a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings with eight strikeouts and Daniel Kohl has allowed one run in 4.2 innings in four appearances.
• Defensively, the Hawks have a .960 fielding percentage with 17 errors. They've given up 11 unearned runs.
Southwest Baptist
• Southwest Baptist will be leaving the MIAA following this season, making this the final time the Mules will be in Bolivar for MIAA games.
• The Bearcats are 8-10 this season and have started 3-6 in the MIAA. They have lost four straight MIAA games, three of them by just one run.
• Starting pitcher Dalton Morrow leads the MIAA with 42 innings pitched. He has a 2.36 ERA which is ninth in the league and 45 strikeouts, fourth-best with a 2-1 record. He's averaging seven innings per start with two complete games.
• After Morrow is where things get dicey for the Bearcats who have a team 6.39 ERA. Drew Wagner has thrown 20 innings in five starts with a 5.40 ERA and is 2-1.
• Despite a 7.85 ERA, Adam White has two saves out of the bullpen. David Tongue has made nine appearances out of the pen with a 4.86 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.
• At the plate, Caleb Sneed is second in the MIAA hitting .457. He's also popped three home runs and leads the team with 18 runs scored.
• Carl Schwettmann has five long balls and 21 of the Bearcats' 104 RBI.
• SBU is hitting .298 as a team which is second in the MIAA behind the Mules.
• Defensively, SBU is also in the top half of the league with a .968 fielding percentage which puts them fifth.
Individual Milestones
• With one more save,
Luke Mercer will have 10 for his career. He is two away from cracking the all-time top-10
•
Mason Janvrin will score 100 runs with five more. He also needs one more RBI for 50.
•
Erik Webb is one home run away from joining the all-time top-10.
Who's Hot?
•
Erik Webb remains hot after hitting .438 last week. He extended his hitting streak to 15 games and slugged three home runs while driving in seven.
•
Donovan Ditto was 5-12 with three runs scored.
•
Collin Jones threw three shutout innings in his last start.
•
Ben Kelsch started game one against the Bronchos and threw 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts, earning a no decision.
MIAA Leaders
• Three Mules are in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting.
Erik Webb leads the league at .472.
Mason Janvrin is fourth at .405 and
Micah Evans seventh at .381.
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (26), hits (34) and stolen bases (13).
• Webb's .944 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 28 runs batted in and eight home runs.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch is up to 3rd in the MIAA in RBI with 21 while Michael Sink's is tied for 8th with 17.
•
Donovan Ditto leads the MIAA with seven hit-by-pitches.
•
Mason Green's 2.28 ERA is seventh in the MIAA and his .176 opponent batting average is fifth. He's also 10th in the league with 32 strikeouts.
•
Ben Kelsch has collected 15 punchouts looking, tied for second most in the MIAA.
Mules in Non-Conference Action
• UCM went 9-3 in non-conference games during the 2018 regular season.
• They are off to a 7-4 start this year.
• The Mules are 42-28 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' four-plus seasons.
Mules in MIAA Play
• UCM just started MIAA and are 6-3 after falling 2-1 in a three-game set with Central Oklahoma.
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 108-48 in conference play under
Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules finished third in the regular season standings in 2017. They have won 25 overall regular season championships in program history and 12 MIAA Tournament titles.
Mules at Home
• So far, UCM is 11-3 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 80-19 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 823-163-1 (.834) in 987 games played in 43 seasons playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
• Central Missouri was the host and winner of the 2018 MIAA Championship Tournament.
Mules on the Road
• The Mules went 12-9 on the road in 2018
• They are 1-2 to start this season.
• The Mules are 52-42 on the road under head coach
Kyle Crookes.
Mules in Neutral Site Games
• UCM went 3-4 in neutral site games last season.
• In three games this season, UCM is 1-2 at neutral sites.
• The Mules are 23-20 in neutral site games under Crookes.
UCM During the Crookes Era
•
Kyle Crookes has a 157-79 (.665) record now in his fifth 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.
• Coach Crookes added another MIAA Tournament Championship in 2018 and another 10 All-MIAA selections and one to the First Team, bringing the totals to 40 All-MIAA selections and eight to the First Team.
• 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 2019 season marks the 63rd in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,916-765-9 (.714) record in 2,688 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
• 29 NCAA Regional Appearances (22 of the last 25 years)
• 25 MIAA Regular Season Titles (17 of the last 25)
• 22 MIAA Tournament Titles (18 of the last 25)
• 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 885-254 (.777) since the year 2000. An average of 46 wins per season over the last 19 years.
A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Central Missouri has won a combined 215 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports entering 2018-19 to lead all schools.
• UCM added another MIAA trophy in 2019 as the Mules Indoor Track and Field team won their first conference title since 2013.
• The Mules Baseball MIAA Tournament Championship in 2018 was their 22nd in team history and the second MIAA Tournament Championship Central Missouri has won last year, joining Jennies Soccer.
• Last fall, Central Missouri Jennies Soccer won their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-1 (5-3 PK) win over Carson-Newman.
• Last winter, Central Missouri Jennies Basketball captured their 11th MIAA regular season championship and seventh Central Region crown. They defeated Ashland, 66-52, to win the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, the second in program history.
• In 2016-17, 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 161 MIAA championships, more than any other league school entering the 2018-19 year.
• 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. They followed that up by winning the 2017-18 Commissioner's Cup as well.
A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• Central Missouri had 256 student-athletes named to the 2017-18 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 35 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.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• 10 had five student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports.
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 114 Academic All-Americans.
Upcoming
• The Mules time on the road will be short-lived. They return home next weekend, March 22-24 to take on Washburn for a three-game MIAA series.
