WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 29, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball begins a six-game road swing this weekend.
Opponent
Pittsburg State Gorillas (13-13, 7-8 MIAA)
Where
Pittsburg, Kan. - Al Ortolani Field
When
Saturday-Monday, March 30-April 1
First Pitch
• Central Missouri starts their longest roadtrip of the season this weekend when they go to Pittsburg State to take on the Gorillas.
• The Mules will play two straight MIAA series and six straight games on the road, heading to Missouri Southern next weekend.
• The Mules went 2-1 last weekend against Washburn and have won two straight series. They are 18-9 overall and 10-5 in the MIAA.
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.
• 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.
On the Air
• Live stats for all games are available at www.ucmathletics.com
The Series
• All-time the Mules are 73-14 against Pittsburg State.
• A year ago, UCM won two of three against the Gorillas after losing the first game.
• Under Coach Crookes, the Mules are 7-2 when taking on Pittsburg State.
• The last time the Mules met Pitt State in Pittsburg, the Mules took two of three in 2017.
Pittsburg State
• Under new coach Bob Fornelli, Pittsburg State is 13-13 this season and 7-8 in the MIAA a year after making the NCAA Regional Championship.
• The Gorillas are a much better team at home though with a 9-4 record.
• They recently dropped three straight, getting swept in Edmond by Central Oklahoma.
• Pittsburg State sports the second-best staff ERA in the MIAA coming in at 4.03. They've allowed 130 runs in 227.2 innings pitched.
• Brad Kinsey has been their ace. In eight starts, Kinsey is 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA.
• The Gorillas are led in strikeouts by Nebraska-Kearney transfer Alex Achtermann. He's started eight games as well and is 2-4 with a 4.99 ERA and 49 punchouts.
• The bullpen is led by Tanner Lane and Connor Lungwitz. Lane has pitched in a team-best 12 games and is 2-3 with a 2.21 ERA. He has a save and 19 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.
• Lungwitz also has an ERA below three at 2.96. He has 21 strikeouts and a 2-1 record.
• The pitching staff has needed to keep the team afloat while the offense is hitting just .239 which is dead last in the MIAA.
• The team though is in the middle of the pack in terms of on-base percentage (.357) and slugging percentage (.362) and their 20 team home runs rank eighth.
• In only 58 at bats, Chaz Burgess leads the team hitting .414 with four home runs and 17 runs batted in.
• Alex Achtermann does more than just pitch. He is hitting .294 and leads the team with six stolen bases.
• Ty Herrenbruck has provided the most pop in the Gorilla lineup. He has a team-best six home runs and 20 runs batted in.
• With 46 stolen bases, the Gorillas are third in the MIAA, but just five behind UCM who lead the league.
• Pittsburg State also has the second-best fielding percentage in the conference at .968.
Individual Milestones
•
Luke Mercer needs one more save to crack the all-time top-10. He currently has 11.
•
Donovan Ditto needs one more runs for 50.
• With four more innings,
Mason Green will hit 50 and
Ben Kelsch is one away from 150.
•
Bryce Kearns is one more strikeout away from 50.
•
Erik Webb is tied for 8th all-time in home runs with 27. He is one away from 7th place.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch is 11 hits away from 100 in his career.
•
Zak Whalin needs five more RBI to get to 50.
Who's Hot?
• Two Mules have prolonged streaks going to start the year.
Erik Webb is riding a 26 game hitting streak and
Mason Janvrin has reached base in all 27 games. The Mules consecutive game hitting streak record is 32 set in 1998. If Janvrin can reach base in all games this series, he will be the 15th Mule with a 30 game reached-base streak in the last 19 years.
• The Mules pitching staff was red hot last week with a team ERA of .233 against Washburn.
•
Tyler Hasper and
Mason Green each allowed just one earned run in a combined 13 innings and each struck out eight.
• In 8.1 innings, the Mules bullpen didn't allow an earned run.
Bryce Kearns threw three innings, and
Jonathan Sprinkle and
Evan Rathburn 2.1 innings each.
•
Alex Madera hit .455 last week with five hits and five runs in 11 at bats.
•
Donovan Ditto drove in a team-best five RBI against Washburn and hit .364 with a home run.
•
Cole Taylor had three hits in eight at bats with three RBI.
MIAA Leaders
• As a team, the Mules lead the MIAA with a .332 batting average, the only team above .300 in the league.
• Four Mules are in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting.
Zak Whalin leads the league at .455.
Erik Webb is third at .431,
Mason Janvrin fourth at .395 and
Alex Madera seventh at .365.. Of the three MIAA players hitting over .400, two are on the Mules
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (18).
• Janvrin and Webb are second and third in hits with 45 and 44, respectively.
• Webb's .873 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 35 runs batted in and 10 home runs.
•
Michael Sinks is tied for third in RBI with 25.
•
Donovan Ditto is second in the MIAA with nine hit-by-pitches.
•
Mason Green's 2.25 ERA is fifth in the MIAA and his .185 opponent batting average is third. His five wins are second.
•
Ben Kelsch has collected 20 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
• Nearing the midway point of the conference season, the Mules are 10-5 after taking two of three against Washburn.
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 112-50 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 14-4 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 162-81 (.667) 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 1,921-767-9 (.714) record in 2,697 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 890-256 (.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 Missouri Southern Friday-Sunday April 5-7.
