MIAA Play Begins with Three-Game Series at Northwest Missouri for Mules

Baseball | 2/25/2022 1:35:00 PM

• Central Missouri Mules baseball (5-3, 0-0 MIAA) is slated to begin MIAA play with a three-game series at Northwest Missouri State (4-6, 0-0 MIAA) Feb. 26-28 at Bearcat Baseball Field in Maryville, Mo. The Mules and Bearcats will open the series Saturday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. before playing games two and three of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, and Monday, Feb. 28. 
• Through eight games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by redshirt junior outfielder Michael Chrisman (.357 avg., 10 H, 7 R, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 4 BB, .471 OB%, 3 SB), senior infielder Harrison Schnurbusch (.360 avg., 9 H, 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, .520 SLG%, 4 BB, .484 OB%, 4 SB) and senior infielder John Prudhom (.292 avg., 7 H, 6 R, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .625 SLG%, 6 BB, .441 OB%).
• On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHPs Collin Jones (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 10.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO), Max Abramovich (0-0, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB 9 SO) and Jacob Merithew (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO), and reliever Tyler Kotsis (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO). 
• As a team, the Mules are hitting .275 while limiting opponents to a .206 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.73 and a team fielding percentage of .969. 
• 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).

• The three-game series against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats will mark meetings 222-224 in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 149-72. Last season, UCM won two of three games against NWMSU in Warrensburg, taking games one and two, 8-4 and 12-2 in seven innings, before falling in the series finale, 4-2. 
• Central Missouri has not played in Maryville since 2018. That season, the Mules dropped two of three contests, losing games one and two, 9-8 in 10 innings and 8-3, prior to taking game three, 7-5. 

• Kyle Crookes has a 261-102 (.719) 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.

• 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).

• The 2022 season marks the 66th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,020-788-9 record in 2,817 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 988-272 (.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.

• The Mules are slated to return home to Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field for a three-game MIAA series against Northeastern State March 4-6.