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University of Central Missouri Athletics

Max Abramovich
Hunter Little

No. 6 Mules Baseball Welcomes Rogers State for Weekend MIAA Series

Game 1: No. 6 Central Missouri (19-3, 13-0 MIAA) vs. Rogers State (15-11, 9-4 MIAA)
Friday, March 25 | 4 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 2: No. 6 Central Missouri vs. Rogers State
Saturday, March 26 | 2 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 3: No. 6 Central Missouri vs. Rogers State
Sunday, March 27 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR

UCM Stats (HTML) | 2022 UCM Record Book (PDF) | UCM Roster | Rogers State Stats | Rogers State Roster | CB News Poll | NCBWA Poll
UCM Probable Starting Pitchers vs. Rogers State First Pitch
  • No. 6-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (19-3, 13-0 MIAA) is scheduled to open a four-game homestand with a three-game MIAA series against the Rogers State Hillcats (15-11, 9-4 MIAA) March 25-27 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The series opener is slated for 4 p.m. Friday, March 25, with game two at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 27. 
  • The Mules, who are on an 14-game winning streak, are coming off a three-game series sweep of the Newman Jets March 18-19 in Arkansas City, Kan. Entering the weekend, UCM has won its last five series, including sweeping its last four. 
  • UCM is ranked sixth in both the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA Division Polls entering the weekend series vs. Rogers State. 
  • Through 22 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by infielders John Prudhom (.354 avg., 28 H, 20 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 26 RBI, .684 SLG%, 14 BB, .465 OB%, 5 SB), Harrison Schnurbusch (.347 avg., 26 H, 22 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, .547 SLG%, 9 BB, .425 OB%, 7 SB) and Cole Moore (.321 avg., 25 H, 20 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .513 SLG%, 13 BB, .418 OB%, 2 SB), and outfielder Michael Chrisman (.367 avg., 29 H, 26 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 10 BB, .544 SLG%, .453 OB%, 6 SB).
  • On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHPs Collin Jones (4-0, 1.95 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 32.1 IP, 23 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 27 SO) and Max Abramovich (0-0, 4.24 ERA, 23.1 IP, 19 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 14 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), Conner Wolf (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 16 SO), Caleb Rogge (1-0, 3.86 ERA, 1 SV,  9.1 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 9 SO) and Brady Gavin (2-1, 1.64 ERA, 1 SV, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO). 
  • As a team, the Mules are hitting .331 while limiting opponents to a .203 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.44 and a team fielding percentage of .968.
  • In the latest MIAA team statistics, UCM leads the conference in pitching (3.36 ERA), ranks second in batting (.344 avg.) and fourth in fielding (.968). 
  • Jones leads the conference in pitching through six starts with his 1.95 ERA while Abramovich is ninth with his 4.26 ERA in six starts. Jones is fourth in the MIAA in opposing batting average (.193) and Abramovich is eighth (.219).
  • Chrisman is 10th in hitting in the MIAA through 22 games with his .373 batting average while Prudhom is ninth in slugging percentage at .714. 
Last Time Out for the Mules
  • Ninth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball made it 14 consecutive wins with a doubleheader sweep of the Newman Jets Saturday, March 19, at Tiger Ball Park, winning game one, 15-1 in seven innings, before taking game two, 11-7 in 10 innings.
  • In Central Missouri's 15-1, seven-inning, run-rule victory in game one Saturday over the Jets (14-11, 4-8 MIAA), UCM plated a combined 12 runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to turn a narrow 3-1 advantage into a 15-1 dominate win.
  • The Mules' scored three runs in the fifth and seventh innings and exploded for six in the sixth.
  • Brennen van Breusegen went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run – his first of the season – and four RBIs, while Michael Chrisman added a 2-for-4 showing with two runs scored, three RBIs and a triple, and Jacob Steele went 4-for-5 with his first homer of 2022, a double and two runs driven in, leading Central Missouri at the plate in game one. John Prudhom tallied his team-best seventh home run of the season and compiled a double.
  • UCM reliever Conner Wolf (2-0) earned the victory on the mound in the opener, throwing three hitless and scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk.
  • In the nightcap, the Mules scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 7-7 stalemate with Newman and go on to post the 11-7, extra-inning win.
  • van Breusegen scored on a wild pitch for the opening run of the decisive 10th frame prior to Chrisman and Steele crossing home plate on a Newman error for the second and third runs of the inning. Carter Young smacked an RBI single to right field, plating Donovan Ditto for what proved to be the final run of the game.
  • Steele went 1-for-2 with three runs scored and crushed his second home run of the season, and Garrett Pennington went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, pacing the Mules in game two.
  • Central Missouri reliever Brady Gavin (2-1) was the winning pitcher in the second contest, throwing three scoreless frames and giving up just two hits with four Ks and no walks on 45 pitches.
Notable Streaks
  • John Prudhom is on a team-best 15-game hitting streak going into the weekend series against the Hillcats. Brennen van Breusegen has a 10-game hitting streak while Carter Young is on a seven-game hitting streak. 
  • Prudhom has reached base safely in each of his last 19 games -- a team-best -- while van Breusegen has reached in his last 14 games. Young, Jacob Steele and Donovan Ditto have each reached in their last 12 games, and Michael Chrisman has successfully gotten on base in his last 11 contests. 
Fourth Inning Success
  • Through 22 games, the Mules are outscoring opponents in the fourth inning, 36-4. Other notable innings that UCM is outscoring adversaries in so far in 2022 include the first (32-13) and seventh (28-4).
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 Rogers State Hillcats will mark meetings 7-9 in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 5-1. Last season, UCM won two of three games over the Hillcats in Claremore, Okla., taking games one, 5-2, and three, 9-4, and dropping game two, 5-3. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 275-102 (.729) 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 36 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 2,034-788-9 record in 2,831 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 1,002-272 (.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
  • Central Missouri wraps up its four-game homestand with a midweek contest vs. Missouri Western Tuesday, March 29, at 6 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. 
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