PREVIEW: Mules Get Second Crack at Colorado Mesa

CARY, N.C. (June 5, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball marches on in the 2019 NCAA Division II Baseball National Tournament. They take on the top-seed Colorado Mesa 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
#1 Colorado Mesa Mavericks (52-10, 29-7 RMAC)

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

When (Please note time change)
Thursday, June 6 - 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 45 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 is just the third ever meeting between the Mules and Colorado Mesa.
• The first came back in 2006 when they were known as Mesa State.
• The Mules won the game 8-2 on February 10 which was played at a neutral site. 
• Colorado Mesa defeated the Mules in their last game, 6-5 Monday evening to advance to the national semifinals. 

Colorado Mesa
• Entering the National Championship, Colorado Mesa is the number two ranked team in the country by the NCBWA.
• They are 52-10 on the season having won the RMAC regular season with a 29-7 record and the RMAC Tournament where they went 4-0.
• To get here, the Mavericks won all three sub-regional games at their home site. They had to travel to No. 1 seed Angelo State in the super-regional where it took three games for the Mavericks to come out on top. All three games were decided by one run. In the final game, CMU was ahead 3-0 and held on despite allowing runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Three Mavericks have earned All-American awards this season. Will Dixon was named to all three, ABCA, NCBWA, D2CCA. The closer is 2-0 with 16 saves and a 0.66 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 41 innings. His 16 saves leads D2.
• Jordan Stubbings earned an All-American Honorable Mention nod by the D2CCA. The first baseman is hitting .351 with 13 home runs and a team-best 55 RBI.
• Starting pitcher Garrett Hutson is the RMAC Pitcher of the Year and an NCBWA All-American Honorable Mention. He's 10-1 on the season with a 3.32 ERA and 100 stikrouts in 84 innings pitched.
• In their first round game, Colorado Mesa defeated NYIT 11-4.
• The Mavericks are also led by Spencer Bramwell who's hitting .379 with seven home runs and 45 RBI.
• As a team, Colorado Mesa has hit 82 home runs and scored 516 runs. They have scored 10 or more runs 23 times this season. They are third in the country in runs scored and fifth in home runs. They also lead Division II with 150 doubles and 694 hits.
• Hunter Douglas leads the team with 14 home runs and a .449 on-base percentage. 
• The Mavericks have their fair share of stolen bases with 64. Josh Shapiro leads the club with 15 in 19 attempts.
• Colorado Mesa sports a .973 fielding percentage which is 10th in the country and led the RMAC.
• The pitching staff has used JR McDermott in a variety of ways. He's started nine games with 13 appearances and is 8-0 with a 2.56 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 59.2 innings. 

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 three hits and Donovan Ditto seven away from 100.
• Mason Janvin is the new UCM single-season hits record holder with 112. 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 (38, 2nd). He is six 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 one more for a single season and two for the career top-10 list. He's also three hits away from 100 this season.
• Luke Lucas needs six strikeouts for 100.
• 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 7-1 with a .355 team batting average and 2.62 team ERA.
• Mason Janvrin is hitting .514 in NCAA games with 19 hits and 10 runs scored. He has five extra-base hits and his .730 slugging percentage and 10 RBI are team-highs.
• Here in Cary, Harrison Schnurbusch is 8-12 with three RBI. 
• Josh Schumacher has a team-best .568 on base percentage in postseason 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 three  home runs and is hitting .394 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 19-3 in the 22 games he's started. 

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 the Pros
• Mason Janvrin became the 34th Mule to be drafted and the third under Coach Crookes. Janvrin was taken with the first pick in round 14, pick number 408 by the Baltimore Orioles. 

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 11-2 in nonconference postseason games. 
• The Mules are 55-30 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 14 games this season, UCM is 10-4 at neutral sites. 
• The Mules are 33-21 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 16-6 in NCAA Tournament games. 
• They sport a 31-32 all-time record in 63 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 189-87 (.685) 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 three 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 1,948-773-9 (.715) record in 2,730 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
• 15 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 917-262 (.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 student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports. 
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 115 Academic All-Americans.
• Mason Janvrin became the sixth CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2019. 
• 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.