Mules Baseball Prepares for NCAA Postseason

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 15, 2019) - Mules Baseball is back in the NCAA Regional Championship. They play host to half of the regional bracket for the opening round games taking place weekend.

Teams
No. 2 Central Missouri Mules (38-14, 24-9 MIAA)
No. 3 St. Cloud State (40-12, 26-8 NSIC)
No. 6 Central Oklahoma (36-18, 22-11 MIAA)
No. 7 Missouri Southern (35-19, 23-10 MIAA)

When
Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18

Schedule
Thursday, May 16
Game 1: No. 2 Central Missouri vs. No. 7 Missouri Southern - 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 3 St. Cloud State vs. No. 6 Central Oklahoma - 7 p.m.

Friday, May 17
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 12 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 18
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 12 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary Same as Game 6 - 3:30 p.m.

Where
Warrensburg, Mo. - Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field

On the Air
• There will be live stats available on www.ucmathletics.com.
• Bob Jackson will be on the call for all Mules games in Pittsburg streaming online at www.warrensburgradio.com and on 1450 KOKO AM and 98.5 The Bar FM
• All games will also be live streamed on the Mules Blue Frame portal page as a part of the MIAA Network on www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules

First Pitch
• Central Missouri won their 26th MIAA regular season championship, going 24-9 in the league. 
• They followed that by winning their 23rd MIAA Tournament Championship last week, going 4-1 in Pittsburg, Kan.
• This week the Mules will host the opening rounds of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. UCM is the number two seed in the region. 
• Last weekend, UCM went 1-1 against Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament with each team picking up a 5-4 win.

Quick Hits
• Central Missouri totaled 39 wins last year. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all five seasons under Coach Crookes.
• The team improved by seven wins and won an MIAA title and returned to the NCAA postseason in 2018.
• The Mules have 38 wins this season, the 26th straight season UCM has won at least 30 games. 
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 32 seasons. 
• This marks the 30th time UCM has advanced to the NCAA Regional and it's their 16th time as host. 
• The Mules have now won back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships.

The Series
• All-time the Mules are 84-25 against Missouri Southern. It is their third-highest win total against any one opponent. 
• This year during the regular season, the Mules took two-of-three in Joplin.
• The team's already met twice this week meeting back-to-back games in the MIAA Tournament with each picking up a win.
• Under Coach Crookes, the Mules are 11-7 when taking on Missouri Southern. 

Missouri Southern
• The Lions went 3-2 in the MIAA Tournament last weekend, with two losses coming to the Mules. This opening round regional game will be their third straight against UCM.
• The Lions finished second in the MIAA regular season with a 23-10 conference mark. They went 35-19 overall.
• Missouri Southern had more players on the All-MIAA team than any other in the league. Zach Parish was the Pitcher of the Year, Bryce Darnell the Coach of the Year and Dexter Swims the Freshman of the Year.
• All together there were 12 Lions on the All-MIAA team with Freddie Landers joining Parish and Swims on the First Team.
• The Lions have a strong three-man rotation in Parish, Zac Shoemaker and Will Bausinger. Parish, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year sprots a 9-1 record with a 2.23 ERA and 134 strikeouts.
• Shoemaker is 8-2 with a 3.25 ERA and Bausinger also has more than 100 strikeouts at 106 with a 5-5 record.
• Out of the bullpen, Cam Bednar leads the team with five saves. River Wright has a 2.70 ERA in 27 appearances.
• All-MIAA First Team third baseman Freddie Landers leads the Lions hitting .349. He also has a .492 on-base percentage and .599 slugging percentage. His 11 home runs are a team-best.
• Swims isn't far behind hitting .327. Swims and Landers are two of four Lions who are 7-7 in stolen base attempts.
• Denver Coffee leads the Lions with 38 RBI. He also has 20 doubles and three triple. MSSU has seven in their lineup with between 30-40 RBI.
• Sharing the team lead with 11 home runs is Matt Miller. Mike Million has added eight.
• The Lions are a strong defensive team with a .969 fielding percentage. That's third in the MIAA.

Post Season Awards
• Erik Webb became the 10th MIAA Player of the Year in team history and the first since Bret Schwartz in 2012. 
• Webb was joined by fellow outfielder Mason Janvrin on the first team, and relief pitcher Jonathan Sprinkle. 
• Three Mules made the All-MIAA Second Team: starting pitcher Mason Green, catcher Zak Whalin and shortstop Alex Madera. 
• Harrison Schnurbusch at third base and Michael Sinks at utility wre selected to the Third Team and Ben Kelsch (SP), Cole Taylor (1B) and Donovan Ditto (2B) made All-Conference Honorable Mention.
• Janvrin also earned his 2nd straight gold glove in centerfield. 
• Webb was also selected as the Division II Conference Commissioners's Association (D2CCA) Central Region Player of the Year and as a First Team outfielder.
• Jonathan Sprinkle was named to the D2CCA First Team as well as a relief pitcher and Mason Janvrin made the Second Team outfield. 

Individual Milestones
• Donovan Ditto is 12 hits away from 100 and three RBI shy of 50.
• With his 74 stolen bases, Mason Janvrin is one steal away from reaching the Mules all-time top 10. His 34 this season are 10th most in a single-season, two away from ninth. He also has 93 hits this season, tied for 10th in a single-season. Only twice has a Mule reached 100 hits in a season. 
• Erik Webb is in the UCM all-time top-10 in doubles (59, T3rd), triples (14, 6th) and home runs (35, 3rd). He is two home runs away from second and nine from the all-time leader. He is also seven doubles and three triples away from the UCM all-time record. He is also nearing the top-10 career and single season RBI lists.
• With six more innings pitched, Ben Kelsch will reach 200. 
• Luke Lucas needs 11 strikeouts for 100. 

Who's Hot?
• Michael Sinks led the Mules hitting .389 in the MIAA Tournament.
• Uncharacteristically, UCM hit only one home run in five MIAA Tournament games. That came from Erik Webb who was 5-20 with three extra-base hits.
• Mason Janvrin collected nine hits. He also has extended his reached base streak to 52 games. Only twice since 2000 has UCM had a 50+ game reached base streak - Seth Collins (53) in 2000 and Chance Tuttle (57) in 2010. Dating back to 2018, Janvrin has reached in 64 straight games, the longest for two combined seasons since the reached-base records were first kept. 
• Four Mules drove in four runs last weekend: Sinks, Janvrin, Webb and Zak Whalin.
• Donovan Ditto hit .375 and reached base in 45% of his plate appearances.
• The Mules had a 3.07 ERA in 44 innings. Jonathan Sprinkle struck out 12 batters in 6.2 innings. He pitched a career-high 5.2 against Missouri Southern.
• Chase Plymell and Collin Jones combined to allow one earned run in nine innings against Central Oklahoma.

MIAA Leaders
• As a team, the Mules lead the MIAA with a .332 batting average, the only team above .300 in the league. They also have the highest slugging percentage at .517 and on-base percentage at .407. No other team in the league is slugging better than .500 or has an on-base above .400. 
• Three Mules are in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting. Erik Webb is second hitting .414 and Mason Janvrin is third at .408. Alex Madera is sixth hitting .360. 
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (64), stolen bases (34) and hits (93)
• Webb's .847 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 70 runs batted in, 24 doubles, five triples and 18 home runs. He is second in the MIAA in runs scored with 57.
• With 51 runs batted in, Michael Sinks is third in the MIAA. 
• Alex Madera is tied for fourth with 17 doubles. 
• Mason Green's 2.86 ERA is seventh in the MIAA and his .203 opposing batting average is third. His seven wins are tied for the third most in the MIAA. 
• Ben Kelsch has collected 30 punchouts looking, which is tied for the lead the MIAA. 
• Jonathan Sprinkle has earned eight saves which is fourth. 

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• UCM went 9-3 in non-conference games during the 2018 regular season. 
• They are finished with nonconference regular season games this season and played to a 10-4 record. They are 4-1 in nonconference postseason games. 
• The Mules are 48-29 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' four-plus seasons.

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules won the MIAA with a 24-9 record. It's their 26th MIAA Regular Season Conference Championship. They also have 23 MIAA Conference Tournament Championships with back-to-back Tournament Championships in 2018-19. 
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 121-53 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules finished third in the regular season standings in 2017. 

Mules at Home
• So far, UCM is 24-5 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 96-21 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 835-165-1 (.836) in 1,001 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 and host of half of the upcoming NCAA Central Region Tournament.

Mules on the Road
• The Mules went 12-9 on the road in 2018
• They are 11-6 this season in true road games.
• The Mules are 63-44 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 4-3 at neutral sites. 
• The Mules are 26-20 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Mules in the NCAA Tournament
• Central Missouri has won 22 MIAA Tournament championships, including one last year. 
• Under Coach Crookes, the Mules are 9-5 in MIAA Tournament games. 

UCM During the Crookes Era
• Kyle Crookes has a 182-86 (.679) 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. He added a tournament title in 2018 and his second regular season championship in 2019.
• Crookes is up to four MIAA Championships, two regular season and two tournament following 2019.
• During his five seasons at the helm, 52 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 11 First Team nods and Player of the Year Erik Webb in 2019. 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 2019 season marks the 63rd in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,941-772-9 (.715) record in 2,722 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 26 MIAA regular season championships, 23 MIAA tournament championships, captured 17 regional titles and two national championships.

Mules Baseball by the Numbers
• 30 NCAA Regional Appearances (23 of the last 26 years)
• 25 MIAA Regular Season Titles (18 of the last 26)
• 23 MIAA Tournament Titles (19 of the last 26)
• 17 Regional Championships
• 16 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 910-261 (.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 has since added four more MIAA Championships trophies this season with the Mules Baseball regular season and tournament titles and Mules Indoor and Outdoor Conference Track and Field titles. 
• The Mules Baseball MIAA Tournament Championship in 2019 was their 23rd in program history along with 26 regular season, and they have now won back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships. 
• 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 winner of this sub-regional will take on the winner of the other half of the bracket, hosted by Augustana May 24-25 in a best two-out-of-three series.