WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 30, 2020) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball kicks off the 2020 season this weekend at the annual Houston Winter Invitational. The Mules will play Friday-Sunday against three of the top teams in Division II.

Opponents
Flagler Saints
Millersville Marauders
Colorado School of Mines Orediggers

Where
Houston, Texas - Minute Maid Park

When
Friday - Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2
Friday, Jan. 31 vs. Flagler - 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1 vs. Millersville - 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 2 vs. Colorado School of Mines - 1:30 p.m.

On the Air
• All Houston Winter Invitational games will be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO and streaming live on www.warrensburgradio.com. Bob Jackson will be on the call for all Mules games.
• Live stats for all games will also be available at www.ucmathletics.com

First Pitch
• Central Missouri hits the field for the first time in 2020 at the Houston Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park, home of the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros.
• The Mules will kick things off Friday at 5 p.m. against Flagler. That'll be followed up with 1:30 p.m. start times Saturday and Sunday
• Central Missouri won their 26th MIAA regular season championship in 2019, 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 2019 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 where they finished third.

Quick Hits
• Central Missouri totaled 46 wins last year. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all five seasons under Coach Crookes.
• The team made their first trip to the NCAA Division II World Series since 2016 and their 18th overall.
• The Mules 46 wins last season marked the 26th straight season UCM has won at least 30 games and was the most under Coach Kyle Crookes in his five years at the helm.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 32 seasons. 
• The Mules have won back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships.

The Series
• This is just the first ever meeting between the Mules and Flagler.
• The Mules and Millersville have met twice previously with each team collecting a win. The Mules won the first ever meeting 10-2 in 2006 with Millersville returning the favor in 2011 in a 1-0 win to knock the Mules out of the NCAA Division II World Series.
• Central Missouri and Colorado School of Mines met for the first time in 2018 at the Houston Winter Invitational. The Orediggers picked up a 6-0 win in the Mules third game of the season.

Flagler
• Flagler finished last season at 30-23 and went 19-11 in Peach Belt Conference play. 
• They advanced to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament going 1-2 to end their season.
• The Saints will enter the year with a new starting staff as they lost three of their top-four starters from a year ago. Derick Garcia started eight games last year going 3-3 with a 6.04 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 442. innings pitched. Of the 53 games they played, only 14 were started by pitchers currently on the roster.
• The team is also without closer Nick Martinez who saved six games with a 2.79 ERA.
• Offensively it's a different story with two of their top-hitters back. Aaron Anderson led the team in hitting last year at .343 and scored 42 runs. Sean Lawlor supplied the power with a team-best seven long balls and 44 runs batted in. Anderson was a First Team All-PBC selection and Lawlor made the Second Team.

Millersville
• Millersville spent much of last season ranked in the ABCA top-25. They went 38-16 and 23-5 in the PSAC.
• The Marauders stumbled at the end of the season however, losing their last four games. They went 1-2 in the PSAC Tournament and 0-2 at the Atlantic Regional. Both regional losses were by a combined three runs. The 2-0 loss to end their season was to Atlantic Region Champions Mercyhurst.
• Millersville hit plenty of home runs last year, 52 of them to be exact. They bring back First Team All-Region selection Cole Friese who hit .368 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI. He collected 75 hits in 2019, scored 66 runs and stole 27 bases.
• The Marauders liked to run swiping 85 bases on the year. 
• Millersville is down two of their top three starters from a year ago, but do return Drew Miller. The lefty was 6-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 56.2 innings with 46 strikeouts. 
• The Marauders had a team ERA of 4.11 on the season.
• Millersville has four players on their roster with the last name Miller. 

Colorado School of Mines
• Colorado School of Mines is another top-25 team. They won 40 games last year and were eliminated in the South Central Regional by eventual NCAA National runner-up Colorado Mesa. 
• The Orediggers mashed last year hitting 90 home runs which was third in all of Division II. Derek Daly shared the team lead in home runs with 18 and returns this season. 
• Pitching in the Rocky Mountain Conference is always a challege. Despite their 40-15 record, the Orediggers had a staff ERA of 5.88.
• The good news is they return all three of their top starters from a year ago. Walter Pennington was 10-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 93 strikeouts. Drew Hill struck out 111 batters in 79.2 innings and was 8-3 with a 3.95 ERA. Tyler Blomster started 13 games and was 10-3 with a 4.30 ERA. 
• The team also brings back closer Gabe Garvens who saved six games on the season.

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 All-MIAA 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 MIAA Gold Glove in centerfield. 
• Webb was also 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.

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
• The Mules played to a 10-4 non-conference regular season record in 2019. They went 12-3 in nonconference postseason games. 
• The Mules are 56-31 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 are 121-53 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.

Mules at Home
• UCM went 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 were 14-7 this season in true road games.
• They went 12-9 on the road in 2018.
• The Mules are 66-45 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes. 

Mules in Neutral Site Games
• In 16 games last season, UCM went 11-5 at neutral sites. 
• UCM went 3-4 in neutral site games in 2018
• The Mules are 34-22 in neutral site games under Crookes.

UCM During the Crookes Era
• Kyle Crookes has a 190-88 (.683) record through five seasons 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 2020 season marks the 64th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,949-774-9 (.715) record in 2,732 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)
• 26 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
• 16 Top Five national finishes
• 5 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 918-263 (.777) since the year 2000. An average of 46 wins per season over the last 20 years.

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Central Missouri has won a combined 219 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports entering 2019-20 to lead all schools.
• UCM has since added two more MIAA Championships trophies thus far in 2019-20 with the Mules Football and Jennies Soccer regular season 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. 
• In 2017-18, Central Missouri won two Naional Championships. Jennies Soccer won their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-1 (5-3 PK) win over Carson-Newman. Jennies Basketball then 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.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 165 MIAA championships, more than any other league school entering the 2019-20 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 350 student-athletes named to the 2018-19 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 33 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.
• 23 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• 5 had student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in their respective sports and 3 Academic All-Americans.
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 119 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.