PREVIEW: Mules Square Off With Eagles in an Elimination Game

CARY, N.C. (June 4, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball marches on in the 2019 NCAA Division II Baseball National Tournament. They play in an elimination game tomorrow morning. The game will begin at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT due to impending weather, after originally being scheduled for 7 p.m.

Opponent
#4 Ashland Eagles (48-14, 17-7 GLIAC)

Where
Cary, N.C. - UCM Baseball Training Complex

When (Please note time change)
Wednesday, June 5 - 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT

Tickets
All-Session Pass: $32
Per Session: $12
Seniors 55 and Over: $7
Children 12 and Under: $7 (children over the age of two will require a ticket)

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 going 4-1 in Pittsburg, Kan.
• UCM then went on to win the Central Region Champonship. They went 3-0 in Warrensburg with all three wins coming over MIAA teams. They defeated Augustana two games to none in a best two-of-three series to advance to 2019 National Championship.

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 44 wins this season, the 26th straight season UCM has won at least 30 games and the most under Coach Kyle Crookes.
• 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, hosting 16.
• The Mules have now won back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships.
• The 2019 Central Region Championship is their 18th regional title in school history.

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 Cary streaming online at www.warrensburgradio.com and on 1450 KOKO AM and 98.5 The Bar FM
• All games will also be live streamed by the NCAA.

The Series
• This will be just the fifth all-time meeting for the Mules against Ashland. The Mules are undefeated against the Eagles.
• The Mules have two wins against Ashland in the regular season and two in the postseason. The Mules also defeated Ashland 8-6 in the 2002 NCAA National Championship and 9-4 on Saturday in the first game of the 2019 National Championship.
• Two of the four meetings UCM has won via shutout. 

Ashland
• Ashland advanced to the Baseball National Championship with an 8-7 walk-off win in game three over Illinois-Springfield.
• In the Eagles first game, they lost 9-4 to the Mules. They staved off elimination with an 8-3 win over NYIT Monday.
• Ashland sports a 48-14 record. They won the GLIAC Tournament with an 8-2 win over Saginaw Valley.
• The Eagles then lost their first game of the Midwest Regional and won four straight to make it out of the losers bracket and to the Super Regional where it took three games but they bested Illinois-Springfield 2-1. 
• Ashland is led by the GLIAC Coach of the Year John Schaly. This is his 22nd year at Ashland with more than 800 wins. 
• Six Eagles were named to the All-GLIAC First Team. Austin Elfrid is one of the six. He's hitting a team-best .358 with a .502 on base percentage and 19 stolen bases.
• Carson Mittermaier and Michael Rogers have supplied the power with a team-high 11 home runs. Mittermaier, a GLIAC First Team selection leads with 48 RBI.
• Two starters were named to the All-GLIAC First Team, Devin Peters and Chance Hitchcock. Peters is 8-2 this season after suffering a loss to the Mules. He sports a 4.33 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 97.2 innings. Hitchcock has made 15 starts posting a 9-2 record and 2.89 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 99.2 innings.
• Chris Slavik has been the team's closer with eight saves. He has a 2.17 ERA and is striking out 12.87 batters per nine innings. 
• As a team, Ashland is hitting .306 with a .407 on base percentage and .442 slugging percentage.
• Their pitching staff has a 4.56 team ERA and they sport a .961 fielding percentage. 
• The Eagles' men's track team won the National Championship in the last event on back on May 25.
• Central Missouri Jennies Basketball won the 2018 National Championship defeating Ashland 66-52 on March 23, 2018.

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 were 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 has also been named the D2CCA, NCBWA and ABCA Central Region Player of the Year. All three publications made him a First Team All-American as well. 
• Jonathan Sprinkle, Mason Janvrin and Mason Green all have earned All-Region Awards. Sprinkle a D2CCA, NCBWA and ABCA First Team seletion, Janvrin Second Team D2CCA and NCBWA and First Team ABCA and Green a Second Team ABCA honoree. Janvrin was also an ABCA Second Team All-American.

Individual Milestones
• Zak Whalin is four hits and Donovan Ditto seven away from 100.
• Mason Janvin is the new UCM single-season hits record holder with 110. He needs one more stolen base to move to a tie for eighth in a single season and three more for seventh in a career. 
• Erik Webb is in the UCM all-time top-10 in doubles (61, T2nd), triples (14, 6th) and home runs (37, T2nd). He is seven home runs away from the all-time leader. He is also five doubles and three triples away from the UCM all-time record. He is also nearing the top-10 career and single season RBI lists, needing two more for a single season and three for the career top-10 list. He's also one hit away from the fifth most in a single-season.
• Luke Lucas needs six strikeouts for 100 and Mason Green 12. 
• Jonathan Sprinkle is three strikeouts away from 100 and one save for sixth most in a single season.
• Luke Mercer has 12 career saves, needing one more to move to eighth.
• Ben Kelsch made his 56th career appearances in game one to enter the all-time top 10. He needs two more to move into ninth all-time. He is also just 2.1 innings shy of 10th on the career top-10 innings pitched list.
• With two more doubles, Alex Madera will move into 10th all-time in a single season.

Who's Hot? NCAA Championship Edition
• This NCAA post season, the Mules are 6-1 with a .336 team batting average and 3.00 team ERA.
• Mason Janvrin is hitting .515 in NCAA games with 17 hits and nine runs scored. He has four extra-base hits and his .697 slugging percentage and eight RBI are team-highs.
• In his last 12 games, Harrison Schnurbusch is hitting .367 with 18 hits and seven RBI.
• Josh Schumacher has a team-best .481 on base percentage in his last 12 games.
• Ben Kelsch is 3-0 in NCAA play with a 2.61 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
• Bryce Kearns hasn't allowed a run in nine innings this NCAA postseason and has a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings since the start of the MIAA Championship Tournament. 
• Erik Webb has two home runs and is hitting .357 in the NCAA postseason.
• Coby Seiz hasn't allowed a run in his last 8.2 innings pitched dating back to April 6. 
• Since Josh Schumacher took over in left field, the team is 18-3 in the 21 games he's started. He's hitting .462 in that time with a team-best .528 on-base percentage. 

NCAA Leaders (As of June 4, 2019)
• As a team, the Mules are fifth in Division II with a .332 batting average. They have the second most hits with 682 and sixth most runs with 490. 
• It isn't all about offense though as the Mules have turned the most double-plays in Division II with 59. Their pitching staff is 23rd with a 3.98 ERA and their 7.64 hits allowed per nine innings is fifth in the country.
• Erik Webb is leading Division II with 190 total bases and 26 doubles. He also finds himself in the top-10 in home runs (20 - 4th), RBI (75 - 2nd), and slugging percentage (.823 - 7th).
• Mason Janvrin is not only the NCAA Division II hits leader. His 110 hits are the most across all three NCAA Divisions.
• Janvrin is also seventh with 36 stolen bases and fifth with 73 runs scored.
• Alex Madera is 6th in Division II striking out just once every 20.3 plate appearances.
• With 18 starts this season, Ben Kelsch is tied for the second most in Division II. 
• On the other end, Jonathan Sprinkle's nine saves are 17th. 

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 10-2 in nonconference postseason games. 
• The Mules are 54-30 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 27-5 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 99-21 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 838-165-1 (.835) in 1,004 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 hosted half of the NCAA Central Region Tournament where they went 3-0.

Mules on the Road
• The Mules went 12-9 on the road in 2018.
• They are 14-7 this season in true road games.
• The Mules are 66-45 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes. 
Mules in Neutral Site Games
• UCM went 3-4 in neutral site games last season.
• In 12 games this season, UCM is 9-4 at neutral sites. 
• The Mules are 32-21 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Mules in the NCAA Tournament
• Central Missouri has gone 77-26 in 103 NCAA Regional Tournament games. 
• Under Coach Crookes, the Mules are 15-6 in NCAA Tournament games. 
• They sport a 30-32 all-time record in 62 NCAA Championship games. 

Deja Vu?
• The Mules are hoping the No. 5 seed is a lucky one. Last season, Augustana was the No. 5 seed in the Championship Tournament and went on to win the whole thing.

UCM During the Crookes Era
• Kyle Crookes has a 188-87 (.684) 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.
• He also has two regional championships to his credit in 2016 and 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. Ten players have earned All-Region honors, three 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 1,947-773-9 (.715) record in 2,729 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 19 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 18 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)
• 18 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 30 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 916-262 (.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 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.
• Before the NCAA Championship, Mason Janvrin was named the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the NCAA finals site.