Donovan Ditto
Erik Williams Photography

MIAA Play Rolls On as No. 11 Mules Entertain Emporia State March 13-14

Game 1: No. 11 Central Missouri (12-3, 6-0 MIAA) vs. Emporia State (8-11, 2-5 MIAA)
Sunday, March 13 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.5 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 2: No. 11 Central Missouri vs. Emporia State
Sunday, March 13 | 4 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.5 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 3: No. 11 Central Missouri vs. Emporia State
Monday, March 14 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.5 FM, 98.5 The BAR

UCM Stats (HTML) | 2022 UCM Record Book (PDF) | UCM Roster | Emporia State Stats | Emporia State Roster | CB News Poll | NCBWA Poll
UCM Probable Pitchers vs. Emporia State First Pitch
  • No. 11-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (12-3, 6-0 MIAA) is scheduled to continue MIAA play with a three-game series against the Emporia State Hornets (8-11, 2-5 MIAA) Sunday, March 13, and Monday, March 14, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The Mules and Hornets will open the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Sunday before wrapping up with a single game at 1 p.m. Monday. 
  • The Mules are coming off a 24-11 midweek victory at Drury Wednesday, March 9, in Ozark, Mo. 
  • UCM is ranked 11th in the first Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Regular Season Poll and are 13th in the latest NCBWA Division II Poll. 
  • Through 15 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by infielders Cole Moore (.333 avg., 17 H, 16 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .549 SLG%, 11 BB, .452 OB%, 1 SB), Harrison Schnurbusch (.345 avg., 19 H, 15 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, .545 SLG%, 5 BB, .413 OB%, 6 SB) and John Prudhom (.308 avg., 16 H, 12 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .615 SLG%, 10 BB, .433 OB%, 3 SB), and outfielder Michael Chrisman (.333 avg., 17 H, 16 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 8 BB, .451 SLG%, .444 OB%, 4 SB).
  • On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHPs Collin Jones (2-0, 2.25 ERA, 20.0 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 15 SO) and Max Abramovich (0-0, 3.24 ERA, 16.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 8 BB 14 SO), and relievers Tyler Kotsis (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO), Caleb Rogge (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1 SV,  7.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) and Brady Gavin (0-1, 1.50 ERA, 1 SV, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO). 
  • As a team, the Mules are hitting .306 while limiting opponents to a .204 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.79 and a team fielding percentage of .963.
  • In the latest MIAA team statistics, UCM leads the conference in pitching (3.79 ERA), ranks fifth in batting (306) and sixth in fielding (.963). 
  • Jones is third in the conference in pitching through four starts with his 2.25 ERA while Abramovich is sixth with his 3.24 ERA in four starts. Abramovich ranks third in the MIAA in opposing batting average (.183) while Jones is fifth (.211). 
Last Time Out for the Mules
  • Brennen van Breusegen and Harrison Schnurbusch each had three hits and four RBIs, and Jacob Steele drove in five runs as the No. 11-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball team pulverized Drury, 24-11, Wednesday, March 9, at U.S. Baseball Park.
  • van Breusegen, Schnurbusch and Steele were three of 12 Mules who recorded at least one hit in the game, with UCM tallying a total of 24 hits in the contest. The 24 hits and runs scored are the most in a single game for Central Missouri since March 12, 2020, when the Mules put up 24 runs on 25 hits against Fort Hays State.
  • van Breusegen had three hits in a team-high seven at bats, including a double and triple, going along with his four runs driven in while Schnurbusch tallied his trio of hits, which also included a double and triple, in five Abs and added four RBIs, pacing the Mules at the plate.
  • Steele tallied his game-high five RBIs on a 2-of-5 hitting performance with a triple.
  • Central Missouri put the game away early, putting up 10 runs in the top of the first inning to race out to a 10-0 lead.
  • Josh Bortka (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for UCM after giving up no earned runs on one hit with two strikeouts and no walks in an inning of relief.
Notable Streaks
  • John Prudhom is on a team-best eight-game hitting streak going into the series against Emporia State. Carter Young has posted at least one hit in his last five contests, while Schnurbusch has at least one hit in his last four games. 
  • Prudhom has reached base safely in each of his last 12 games -- a team-best -- while Sam Tatum and Young have reached in their last nine contests, and Jacob Steele and Brennen van Breusegen have gotten on base in their last seven games. Donovan Ditto has reached in his last six contests. 
Fourth Inning Success
  • Through 15 games, the Mules are outscoring opponents in the fourth inning, 31-3. Other notable innings that UCM is outscoring adversaries in so far in 2022 include the first (26-10) and seventh (16-3). The only innings Central Missouri has been outscored in after 15 contests are the third, 17-15, and the sixth, 17-4. 
Quick Hits
  • 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).
Series History
  • The three-game series against the Emporia State Hornets will mark meeting 172-174 in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 118-53. UCM went 5-0 against ESU last season, sweeping a three-game series in Emporia, Kan., 15-1 in 7 innings, 7-4 and 15-5 in 7 innings, and winning a pair of contests in the MIAA tournament, 3-2 and 7-3. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 268-102 (.724) 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.
Mules Baseball History
  • The 2022 season marks the 66th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,027-788-9 record in 2,824 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, 14 MIAA tournament championships, captured 19 regional titles and two national championships.
Mules Baseball by the Numbers
  • 30 NCAA Regional Appearances (23 of the last 26 years)
  • 27 MIAA Regular Season Titles (19 of the last 27)
  • 14 MIAA Tournament Titles
  • 19 Regional Championships
  • 17 Regionals as host site
  • 16 Top Five national finishes
  • 5 Third place finishes
  • 2 National Runners Up finishes
  • 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 995-272 (.785) 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.
Up Next
  • The Mules are scheduled to travel to Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo., for an MIAA game Tuesday, March 15, at 3 p.m.
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