Mules Baseball Starts MIAA Play At Rogers State

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 26, 2021) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball will begin the MIAA portion of their schedule this weekend on the road in Oklahoma.

Opponent
Rogers State Hillcats (3-1, 0-0 MIAA)

When
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 27-28
Saturday - 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday - 1 p.m.

Where
Claremore, Okla. - Diamond Sports Complex

On the Air
• Rogers State will have live video of each game this weekend on the MIAA Network. Live stats will also be provided and can be found at www.ucmathletics.com 

First Pitch
• Central Missouri hits the road for their first true road games of the 2021 season. They take on Rogers State in a three-game set. It is also their first MIAA games in 2021. 
• Last year, the Mules played just eight conference games and won them all before the season was shut down due to COVID-19. 
• 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 Championship. 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 in 2019 The Mules have won at least 30 games in all five full seasons under Coach Crookes. They won 20 of 23 games in 2020 before the season was cut short. 
• The team made their first trip to the NCAA Division II World Series since 2016 in 2019 and their 18th overall.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 33 seasons. 
• The Mules have won back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships.

The Series
• Last season was the first time the Mules and Hillcats met. Central Missouri swept the three-game set in Warrensburg in Rogers State's first year in the MIAA. 

Rogers State
• Rogers State is still looking for their first MIAA win. Last year the Hillcats were 0-6 (three losses were to the Mules) in their first year in the MIAA. They finished with a 9-11 record overall.
• The Hillcats started 2021 taking two of three from Northwestern Oklahoma State.
• Brett Karalius picked up a win on the mound throwing five innings of one-run ball. He allowed two hits in his first start of the season.
• Brandon Bradshaw has hit both the Hillcats home runs this season. He's 4-9 and has already driven in eight runs.
• Jonathan Soto is hitting .417 with five hits including three doubles. 
• Rogers State is reaching base at a 41.5% clip. They've drawn 14 walks in addition to their 29 hits. 
• Rogers State displayed some power in their season opening series with a team .449 slugging percentage hitting seven doubles, one triple and two home runs. 
• Overall, Rogers State has a 6.00 staff ERA. They've struck out 23 in 24 innings pitched and walked 12. 
• The Hillcats defense was sharp to start the season, committing just one error and turning three double plays. 

Individual Milestones
• Erik Webb is sixth all-time in hits. He stands at 259, and is two behind fifth place. Webb currently shares the all-time record for doubles with 66 and triples with 17. He set the all-time career home run record in the final game of 2020 and has 47 for his career. He is now fifth at UCM in RBI with 182 and just six behind fourth place. With 201 runs scored, Webb is eighth and seven behind seventh place. 
• Conor Dryer needs five more strikeouts for 50 in his career.
• With three more strikeouts, Mason Green will reach 150. 
• Donovan Ditto is five hits away from reaching 100 for his career. 

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 in 2019.
• Following 2020, Mule pitchers Jordan Fowler, Jonathan Sprinkle and Evan Reifert all signed minor league free agent contracts with MLB clubs. 

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• Central Missouri has seven nonconference games on their schedule. They finished their slate with a 4-3 record.
• The Mules are 72-38 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' six-plus seasons.
• UCM went 12-3 in nonconference games in 2020. 

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules won the MIAA with a 24-9 record in 2019. It was 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 129-53 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.
• UCM played just eight conference games in 2020 going 8-0. 

Mules at Home
• Last season, UCM was 13-2 in 15 games played at home. They are off to a 1-2 start so far in 2021.
• UCM went 27-5 in 2019 when playing at Crane Stadium.
• Central Missouri is 113-25 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 852-169-1 (.803) in 1,022 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 weren't on the road much in 2020, just five games, but they won all five averaging 18.2 runs per game. 
• The Mules are 71-45 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes. 
• UCM's first road games in 2021 will be at Rogers State at the end of February. 

Mules in Neutral Site Games
• In 16 games in 2019, UCM went 11-5 at neutral sites. 
• The Mules went 2-1 in neutral site games in 2020 and are 3-1 in 2021.
• The Mules are 39-24 in neutral site games under Crookes.

Scoring Early
• The Mules scored 32 runs in the first inning in 2020. They scored in the opening inning in 12 of 21 games and were 10-2 when scoring in the first.
• In 17 of 20 wins last year, the Mules put the first run on the board. 
• In the first three innings, UCM scored a total of 85 runs.
• On the flip side, UCM pitchers allowed 13 first-inning runs and just 25 total runs in the first three innings last season.  
• UCM scored in the first inning twice last week against Davenport, going 1-1.

Playing From Behind
• Uncharacteristically, the Mules fell behind in all four games in Houston. Mule starters allowed a first inning run in all four games, and multiple runs twice. 
• The Mules were able to come back in three of the four games and are 3-1 this season when their opponent scores in the first inning. 
• The Mules have done most of their offensive damage late in game. Of their 41 runs scored, 17 have come in the seventh inning or later. Their nine runs scored in the eighth is the highest of any inning this season.  

UCM During the Crookes Era
• Kyle Crookes has a 214-94 (.695) record now in his seventh season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• Crookes is currently fourth all-time in coaching wins at UCM and is the fifth head coach to ever win 200 games. Crookes is currently 44 wins behind Bob Tompkins for third 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 six+ 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 2021 season marks the 65th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,973-780-9 (.716) record in 2,762 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 943-266 (.780) since the year 2000. An average of almost 47 wins per season over the last 20 years, the most of any team in Division II. 

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Central Missouri has won a combined 223 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports entering 2020-21 to lead all schools.
• 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 National 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 169 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 and the Commissioner's Cup for 2019-20 as well. 

A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• Central Missouri had 275 student-athletes named to the 2019-20 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 31 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.
• 28 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• 4 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 122 Academic All-Americans.
• Mason Janvrin became the sixth CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2019. 
• Before the 2019 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.