No. 3 Mules Baseball Opens 2022 Season at Houston Winter Invitational

Baseball | 2/10/2022 5:57:00 PM

• The No. 3-ranked University of Central Missouri Mules baseball team is scheduled to open its 2022 season with four games in the Houston Winter Invitational Feb. 11-13 at Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, Texas.
• Central Missouri is slated to play a pair of games Friday, Feb. 11, taking on Arkansas-Monticello at 1:30 p.m. and Maryville at 5 p.m., before facing St. Mary's at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, and closing out the Houston Winter Invitational with a 1:30 p.m. contest Sunday, Feb. 13, against Augustana (S.D.).
• Last season, UCM posted an overall record of 46-8 on the way to its 28th MIAA championship and 19th NCAA-II regional crown. The Mules fell just short of claiming another national title, falling to Wingate in the national championship game, 5-3, to finish as the national runner-up.

• Central Missouri totaled 46 wins in 2021. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all seven full seasons under Coach Crookes. They won 20 of 23 games in 2020 before the season was cut short.
• The team made their 19th trip to the NCAA-II World Series in 2021.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 34 seasons.
• The Mules have won back-to-back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships (2018, 2019, 2021).

• Going into the 2022 campaign, Central Missouri baseball returns four position starters from 2021, including starting second-baseman Donovan Ditto (.351 avg., 46 H, 26 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 13 BB, 7-11 SB), infielder Harrison Schnurbusch (.241 avg., 32 H, 38 R, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 16 BB), 2021 NCAA-II World series All-Tournament Team outfielder Garrett Pennington (.354 avg., 34 H, 23 R, 7 2B, 6 HR, 27 RBI, .615 SLG%, 9 BB, 10 HBP) and outfielder Brennen van Breusegen (.333 avg., 10 H, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI).
• On the mound, the Mules welcome back 2021 third team All-MIAA right-handed starting pitcher Collin Jones (8-2, 4.58 ERA, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 1 SV, 88.1 IP, 89 H, 50 R, 45 ER, 20 BB, 78 SO), in addition to reliever Brady Gavin, who tossed the second-most innings in relief for UCM last season at 24 (1-0, 3.75 ERA, 1 SV, 24 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 2 BB, 20 SO).

• Arkansas-Monticello: The Mules are 4-2 all-time against the Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello. The two teams last met in 2016, with UCM falling to UAM in the Houston Winter Invitational, 5-4.
• Maryville: First meeting
• St. Mary's (Texas): UCM is 6-4 all-time against the Rattler's of St. Mary's. Central Missouri last faced St. Mary's in 2021, defeating the Rattler's, 8-7, in the Houston Winter Invitational.
• Augustana (S.D.): The Mules are 3-1 all-time against the Augustana Vikings. Central Missouri won the last two meetings against the Vikings in 2019, 6-4 and 5-2, in the NCAA-II Super Regional.

• Kyle Crookes has a 256-99 (.721) record now in his eighth 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 two 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. The 2021 season brought Crookes his third MIAA regular season and tournament championship.
• Crookes is up to six MIAA Championships, three regular season and three tournament.
• He also has three regional championships to his credit in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
• During his six+ seasons at the helm, 63 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 18 First Team nods and Players of the Year in Erik Webb in 2019 and Dusty Stroup in 2021. 16 players have earned All-Region honors, six All-American and four 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.

• The 2022 season marks the 66th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,015-785-9 (.719) record in 2,809 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 20 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games nine times.
• The Mules have won or shared 27 MIAA regular season championships, 24 MIAA tournament championships, captured 19 regional titles and two national championships.

• 30 NCAA Regional Appearances (23 of the last 26 years)
• 27 MIAA Regular Season Titles (19 of the last 27)
• 24 MIAA Tournament Titles (20 of the last 27)
• 19 Regional Championships
• 17 Regionals as host site
• 16 Top Five national finishes
• 5 Third place finishes
• 2 National Runner-Up
• 2 National Championships

• 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 985-271 (.784) 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.

• UCM returns home to Warrensburg to host No. 18 Davenport in a four-game series at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field Feb. 18-20.