WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 20, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball returns home this weekend for a three-game MIAA series with the Washburn Ichabods. The games have all been moved up one day because of inclement weather in the forecast for the weekend. 

Opponent
Washburn Ichabods (10-11, 5-7 MIAA)

Where
Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field

When
Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23
Thursday, March 21 - 2 p.m.
Friday, March 22 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 23 - 1 p.m.

On the Air
• All three games will be broadcast live on 98.5 The Bar with Bob Jackson on the call. Pregame show begins 20 minutes before the start of each game. 
• Live stats for all games are available at www.ucmathletics.com

First Pitch
• Central Missouri is back home this weekend for another MIAA matchup, this time with Washburn.
• The Mules went 3-1 last week, defeating Rockhurst in a midweek game before winning two out of three against Southwest Baptist on the road.
• This week's games have been moved up a day, after originally being scheduled for Friday-Sunday.

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
• All-time the Mules are 84-23 against Washburn. 
• A year ago, UCM won two of three against the Ichabods after losing the first game.
• Under Coach Crookes, the Mules are 11-5 when taking on Washburn.
• The last time the Mules met Washburn in Warrensburg, the Ichabods took two of three in 2017.

Washburn
• The Ichabods are hitting just .242 as a team in 21 games played. They come into Warrensburg with a 10-11 record and are 5-7 in MIAA games.
• Their pitching staff has kept them afloat in the league with a 4.24 team ERA. 
• Josh Ramirez has started seven games and sports a 2-2 record and 3.89 ERA. He leads the team in strikeouts with 42.
• Jacob Head has made six starts with a 3.95 ERA, but a 1-2 record. 
• Brandon Gabler has been successful out of the bullpen with a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings. He has 18 walks and just four walks.
• Similarly, Nick Sloan has made four appearances and two starts. In 19.2 innings he's 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA.
• At the plate, Xavier De Leon leads the team hitting .325. He's also got six stolen bases and a .429 on base percentage.
• Brady Hoover is the biggest run producer. OF his 23 hits, 12 have been for extra bases with six doubles and five home runs. He also leads the team with 21 RBI.
• Javis Larson and Lane Harvey each have six doubles to lead the team.
• Steven Jacobson is the only other Ichabod with double-figure RBI's. He has 10 and is hitting .284 with 21 hits in 74 at bats.
• Washburn's .344 on base percentage is the worst in the MIAA and their 114 runs scored are the second fewest in the league. 
• Defensively, the Ichabods are near the bottom of the MIAA with a .960 fielding percentage. 

Individual Milestones
• Luke Mercer needs one more save to crack the all-time top-10. He currently has 11. 
• Donovan Ditto needs five more runs for 50. 
• With six more strikeouts, Mason Green will hit 50. Bryce Kearns is four away. 
• Erik Webb is tied for 10th all-time in home runs with 26. He is one away from eighth place. 

Who's Hot?
• Two Mules have prolonged streaks going to start the year. Erik Webb is riding a 23 game hitting streak and Mason Janvrin has reached base in all 24 games. 
• Five Mules hit better than .400 last week in 10+ at bats. Noone had more hits than Zak Whalin who was 10-16 with six runs batted in.
• Michael Sinks had two four-hit games last week while hitting .500.
• Bryce Kearns pitched five innings out of the bullpen last week without allowing an earned run.
• Tyler Kuhlmann also came out of the pen to throw 3.1 scoreless innings.
• Mason Green earned a win with 5.1 innings against SBU while striking out seven. 

MIAA Leaders
• Three Mules are in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting. Zak Whalin leads the league at .473. Erik Webb is third at .438 and Mason Janvrin fifth at .406. Of the six MIAA players hitting over .400, three are on the Mules
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (32), hits (41) and stolen bases (17).
• Webb's .876 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 32 runs batted in and nine home runs.
• Harrison Schnurbusch and Michael Sinks are tied for fourth in RBI with 21. 
• Donovan Ditto is second in the MIAA with eight hit-by-pitches. 
• Mason Green's 2.45 ERA is seventh in the MIAA and his .194 opponent batting average is fifth. His four wins are tied for second. 
• Ben Kelsch has collected 19 punchouts looking, which leads the MIAA. 

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• UCM went 9-3 in non-conference games during the 2018 regular season. 
• They are off to an 8-4 start this year. 
• The Mules are 43-28 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' four-plus seasons.

Mules in MIAA Play
• UCM just started MIAA and are 8-4 after taking two of three against Southwest Baptist.
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 110-49 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 12-3 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 81-19 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 824-163-1 (.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 3-3 to start this season.
• The Mules are 54-43 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 160-80 (.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 1,919-766-9 (.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 888-255 (.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 will be on the road again next weekend for a three-game series at Pittsburg State Friday-Sunday March 29-31.