Chase Heath (L) and Ryan Lumpkin (R)
Stephen O'Brien

Road Trip to Missouri Western on the Docket for No. 9 Mules Baseball Wednesday

Game 19: No. 9 Central Missouri (15-3, 9-0 MIAA) at Missouri Western (4-14, 2-7 MIAA)
Wednesday, March 16 | 3 p.m. | St. Joseph, Mo. (Spring Sports Complex)

UCM Stats (HTML) | 2022 UCM Record Book (PDF) | UCM Roster | Missouri Western Stats | Missouri Western Roster | CB News Poll | NCBWA Poll
First Pitch
  • No. 9-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (15-3, 9-0 MIAA) will look to extend its winning streak to 11 games when it travels to St. Joseph, Mo., for an MIAA game against the Missouri Western Griffons (4-14, 2-7 MIAA) Wednesday, March 16, at 3 p.m. at the Spring Sports Complex. 
  • The Mules are coming off their third straight series sweep of the season with a trio of victories over the Emporia State Hornets March 13-14 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. Central Missouri won game one, 12-2 in seven innings, before taking game two, 10-5, and the series finale, 4-3.  
  • UCM is ranked ninth in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll and are 13th in the latest NCBWA Division II Poll. 
  • Through 18 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by infielders Harrison Schnurbusch (.355 avg., 22 H, 19 R, 5 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, .581 SLG%, 8 BB, .438 OB%, 7 SB), John Prudhom (.349 avg., 22 H, 14 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, .603 SLG%, 11 BB, .463 OB%, 3 SB) and Cole Moore (.333 avg., 22 H, 18 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .500 SLG%, 11 BB, .429 OB%, 2 SB), and outfielder Michael Chrisman (.359 avg., 23 H, 21 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, .500 SLG%, .462 OB%, 5 SB).
  • On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHPs Collin Jones (3-0, 2.49 ERA, 25.1 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 19 SO) and Max Abramovich (0-0, 4.22 ERA, 21.1 IP, 17 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 9 BB 16 SO), and relievers Tyler Kotsis (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 14.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 10 SO), Caleb Rogge (1-0, 2.16 ERA, 1 SV,  8.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO) and Brady Gavin (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 1 SV, 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO). 
  • As a team, the Mules are hitting .319 while limiting opponents to a .203 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.59 and a team fielding percentage of .964.
  • In the latest MIAA team statistics, UCM leads the conference in pitching (3.59 ERA) and ranks third in both batting (319) and fielding (.964). 
  • Jones is third in the conference in pitching through five starts with his 2.49 ERA while Abramovich is 11th with his 4.22 ERA in five starts. Abramovich ranks fifth in the MIAA in opposing batting average (.213) while Jones is seventh (.219). 
Last Time Out for the Mules
  • Ninth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball won its 10th consecutive game and completed its third straight series sweep with a 4-3, comeback win over the Emporia State Hornets in the final game of a three-game MIAA series Monday, March 14, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
  • After falling behind early, 2-0, Central Missouri rallied back and tied the game, 2-2, with a run each in the fourth and fifth innings on RBI singles from Donovan Ditto and John Prudhom.
  • The Mules took their first lead of the game, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth after Isaiah Pani hit a bunt to the pitcher and Garrett Pennington beat the throw to the plate.
  • The Hornets answered in the top of the eighth, scoring on a Central Missouri error, knotting the game, 3-3. UCM responded, however, and took the lead for good in the bottom-half of the inning.
  • Jacob Steele worked a one-out walk before sneaking over to second base on a caught foul ball. After Pani was hit by a pitch, Michael Chrisman stepped to the plate and drove of 2-1 pitch into right field, allowing Steele to cross home plate for the 4-3 advantage.
  • Emporia State attempted to mount a comeback in the top of the ninth when Sam Chaput hit a two-out single through the left side, but Mule reliever Brady Gavin coaxed a fly-out to center fielder Brennen van Breusegen, securing the win for Central Missouri.
  • Chrisman finished the day going 3-for-5 with an RBI while Prudhom went 3-for-4 and drove in a run and Pennington went 2-for4 with a double and two runs scored, leading UCM at the plate.
  • Gavin (1-1) earned the victory on the mound for the Mules after giving up an earned run on two hits with one strikeout and a walk in two innings.
Notable Streaks
  • John Prudhom is on a team-best 11-game hitting streak going into Wednesday's game at Missouri Western. Carter Young, Harrison Schnurbusch, and Brennen van Breusegen are each on a six-game hitting streak. 
  • Prudhom has reached base safely in each of his last 15 games -- a team-best -- while Young and van Breusegen have each reached in their last 10 contests. 
Fourth Inning Success
  • Through 18 games, the Mules are outscoring opponents in the fourth inning, 32-3. Other notable innings that UCM is outscoring adversaries in so far in 2022 include the first (29-10) and seventh (20-4). The only innings Central Missouri has been outscored in after 18 contests are the third, 20-16, and the sixth, 17-6. 
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
  • Wednesday's game at Missouri Western will mark the 158th meeting in the all-time series between the Mules and the Griffons. UCM leads the series, 120-37. Last season, Central Missouri swept Missouri Western in a three-game series in Warrensburg, winning 13-3 in seven innings, 15-4 in eight innings and 13-2 in seven innings. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 271-102 (.727) record now in his eighth season as head coach at Central Missouri.
  • Crookes is currently third all-time in coaching wins at UCM and is the fifth head coach to ever win 200 games. Crookes is 40 wins behind the second winningest coach in program history, Tom Myers, who went 311-91 (.774) in seven seasons as the Mules' head coach from 2008-2014. 
  • 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 2,030-788-9 record in 2,827 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 2020s.
  • The Mules are 998-272 (.786) 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 slated to trek to Wichita, Kan., for a three-game MIAA series at Newman March 18-20. 
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