Baseball to Play Four at Home This Week

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 5, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball will be home for four games this week, one midweek and an MIAA series this weekend.

Opponents
Drury Panthers (6-7)
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (9-5, 3-3 MIAA)

Where
Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium

When
Wednesday, March 6 - 2 p.m. vs. Drury
Friday-Saturday, March 8-10 - 2 p.m., 2 p.m., 1 p.m. vs. Central Oklahoma

First Pitch
• Central Missouri continues their home this weekend with a three game set against Northeastern State.
• The Mules took two-out-of-three last weekend against Emporia State in their MIAA opener and defeated Truman State Tuesday afternoon in Warrensburg, 12-5.

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 an 8-5 start after taking two-of-three from Emporia State and are 2-1 thus far in MIAA play.
• 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
• Despite being in-state rivals, the Mules and Drury have met only 10 times with the Mules holding a 6-4 lead in the all-time series.
• The teams have met every year under Mules Coach Kyle Crookes, with UCM posting a 3-1 record.
• The Mules and Bronchos however will meet for the 50th time this weekend. UCM holds a 29-20 all-time lead over UCO.
• A year ago, the Mules were 1-2 against the Bronchos during the regular season in Edmond. They played a memorable game in the MIAA Championships Tournament though, with UCM no-hitting Central Oklahoma 15-0 in eight innings. 

Drury
• Drury has gotten off to a 6-7 start this season. They nearly swept a four-game set from Lewis, but dropped the series finale.
• The Panthers salvaged a series with a win against defending D2 Champions Augustana, 7-2, in their most recent game last weekend.
• Drury's pitching has been a bright spot for them as they sport a 3.56 team ERA. They've issued just 55 walks in 103.2 innings and struck out 94 batters.
• Kaden Helsel has been the ace with a 0.84 ERA in 21.1 innings. He's 2-1 with 26 strikeouts.
• Kaleb Schmidt's 28 punchouts leads the team which he's done in just 20.2 innings. He's 1-2 with a 3.48 ERA.
• Opponents are hitting just .233 against Panther pitching this season.
• At the plate, the Panthers have a collective .250 team batting average. They rely on small ball with just 28 of their 96 hits going for extra bases.
• Collin Fraley is hitting .341 with a team-best 14 hits.
• Clayton Engel has a team-best 11 RBI with four doubles a triple and a home run.
• Drury as stolen 27 bases with Caleb Essick's five leading the way.

Central Oklahoma
• Central Oklahoma is playing well, winning their last three games and are 9-5 to start the season.
• UCO swept Northwest Missouri allowing just one run in three games.
• Their pitching staff has been the best in the MIAA with a 3.26 ERA.
• Dylan Hall has started five games and is 3-1 with a 3.81 ERA and 39 strikeouts. 
• Their bullpen has been lights out led by Brayden Nelson who hasn't allowed a run in 10 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk.
• Gabe Littlejim also has 30 strikeouts on the season and is 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA.
• Paul Kropf and Kyle Crowl have supplied the team's power this season. They each have slugged three home runs while Kropf has 10 RBI and Crowl nine.
• Dru Barrier is hitting .444 in 18 at bats.
• Phillip Scott leads the team with 19 hits, eight for extra bases.
• The Bronchos have stolen 28 bases and 10 have come from Brock Ruminer.
• Defensively, the Bronchos are fifth in Division II with a .988 fielding percentage. They've committed just five errors in 123 innings. 

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 is three RBI away from 50 in his career.
• Erik Webb is four home runs away from joining the all-time top-10.

Who's Hot?
• The Mules offense has been a fine-tuned machine of late. They hit .362 last week, down from better than .400 the week before.
• Erik Webb was 6-9 in three games against Northeastern State with six runs, four RBI and a .769 on-base percentage. He doubled and homered among his six hits.
• Mason Janvrin hit .412 and scored six runs while stealing four bases.
• Micah Evans, Harrison Schnurbusch and Donovan Ditto all hit .500 of better.
• Mason Green had another shutout performance. He allowed just three htis with five strikeouts.
• In his start against Truman State, Collin Jones toss five innings of one-run ball with eight K's.
• Out of the bullpen, Jonathan Sprinkle threw three shutout innings with six strikeouts. 

MIAA Leaders
• Three Mules are in the top-four in the MIAA in hitting. Erik Webb leads the league at .482. Mason Janvrin is third at .435 and Micah Evans fourth at .424.
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (24), hits (30) and stolen bases (12).
• Webb's .929 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 21 runs batted in and five home runs.
• Harrison Schnurbusch is up to 3rd in the MIAA in RBI with 19 while Michael Sink's is tied for 5th with 15. 
• Mason Green's 2.22 ERA is ninth in the MIAA and his .157 opponent batting average is third. He's also seventh in the league with 31 strikeouts.

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• UCM went 9-3 in non-conference games during the 2018 regular season. 
• They are off to a 6-4 start this year. 
• The Mules are 41-28 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' four seasons.

Mules in MIAA Play
• UCM just started MIAA and are 5-1 after sweeping Northeastern State.
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 107-46 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 9-1 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 78-17 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 821-161-1 (.836) in 983 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 155-77 (.668) 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 1,914-763-9 (.714) record in 2,686 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 883-252 (.778) 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 wrap up this extended 15 game homestand next Wednesday when they host Rockhurst March 13 at 3 p.m.