Jacob Merithew
Hunter Little

Three-Game MIAA Series at Washburn Next on the Docket for No. 4 Mules Baseball

Game 1: No. 4 Central Missouri (23-3, 17-0 MIAA) at Washburn (21-9, 12-5 MIAA)
Friday, April 1 | 5 p.m. | Topeka, Kan. (Falley Field)
Radio: None

Game 2: No. 4 Central Missouri at Washburn
Saturday, April 2 | 2 p.m. | Topeka, Kan. (Falley Field)
Radio: None

Game 3: No. 4 Central Missouri at Washburn
Sunday, April 3 | 1 p.m. | Topeka, Kan. (Falley Field)
Radio: None

UCM Stats (HTML) | 2022 UCM Record Book (PDF) | UCM Roster | Washburn Stats | Washburn Roster | CB News Poll | NCBWA Poll
UCM Probable Starting Pitchers vs. Washburn First Pitch
  • No. 4-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (23-3, 17-0 MIAA) aims keep its season-best 18-game winning streak rolling when it travels to Topeka, Kan., for a three-game MIAA series at Washburn (21-9, 12-5 MIAA) April 1-3 at Falley Field. 
  • UCM is ranked fourth in both the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA Division II Polls entering the weekend.  
  • The 18-game winning streak is the longest since last season when UCM won 24 straight contests.
  • Through 26 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by infielders John Prudhom (.366 avg., 34 H, 25 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 31 RBI, .720 SLG%, 15 BB, .461 OB%, 6 SB), Harrison Schnurbusch (.322 avg., 28 H, 26 R, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI, .506 SLG%, 11 BB, .412 OB%, 9 SB), Donovan Ditto (.323 avg., 21 H, 16 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 8 BB, 2 SB) and Cole Moore (.321 avg., 27 H, 22 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .500 SLG%, 15 BB, .424 OB%, 4 SB), and outfielders Brennen van Breusegen (.423 avg., 30 H, 20 R, 3 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, .676 SLG%, 9 BB, .488 OB%, 4 SB) and Michael Chrisman (.348 avg., 32 H, 29 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 11 BB, .500 SLG%, .431 OB%, 6 SB).
  • On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHP Collin Jones (5-0, 1.89 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 38.0 IP, 30 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 9 BB, 30 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 (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 21 SO), Ethan Peterson (2-0, 3.14 ERA, 1 SV, 1 SHO, 15.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 19 SO), Caleb Rogge (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 1 SV,  12.0 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 12 SO) and Brady Gavin (2-1, 1.35 ERA, 2 SV, 13.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 12 SO). 
  • As a team, the Mules are hitting .333 while limiting opponents to a .213 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.53 and a team fielding percentage of .967.
  • In the latest MIAA team statistics, UCM leads the conference in pitching (3.53 ERA), is second in batting (.333 avg.) and fourth in fielding (.967). 
  • Jones leads the conference in pitching through seven starts with his 1.89 ERA and ranks sixth in opposing batting average at .211. 
  • van Breusegen is third in the MIAA in batting average at .423. He also ranks in the top-10 in on-base percentage (5th at .488), while John Prudhom is in the top-10 in slugging percentage (7th at .720). 
Last Time Out for the Mules
  • Fourth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball kept rolling, extending its winning streak to 18 games after grinding out a 6-5, midweek victory over the Missouri Western Griffons Tuesday evening, March 29, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
  • Brennen van Breusegen went a perfect 3-for-3 with a triple and RBI while Garrett Pennington and Karsen Reid were each 2-for-4, and Carter Young and Harrison Schnurbusch each drove in two runs, pacing Central Missouri at the plate.
  • UCM reliever Conner Wolf (3-0) earned the win on the mound after giving up no earned runs on just one hit with three strikeouts and zero walks in two innings of work. Ethan Peterson secured his inaugural save of 2022 after throwing a scoreless and hitless top of the ninth with a strikeout and no walks.
  • The Mules and Griffons battled to a 4-4 tie through four innings before Reid singled to center field and moved to second on a Missouri Western error, stole third base, and scored on an RBI ground out off the bat of Young, putting UCM in front for good the remainder of the contest.
Notable Streaks
  • Brennen van Breusegen has a team-high 14-game hitting streak going into the series at Washburn. Donovan Ditto has at least one hit in his last eight game while Garrett Pennington has one or more hits in his last six contests. 
  • van Breusegen has reached in his last 18 games -- a team-best . Ditto has reached in his last 15 games, Michael Chrisman in his last 14, and Garrett Pennington has reached in his last 12 games. 
Weekly Honors
  • The MIAA announced its eighth Baseball Athletes of the Week, presented by Mammoth Turf, for the 2022 season Monday, March 28. Fourth-ranked Central Missouri swept this week's honors with John Prudhom selected as the MIAA Hitter of the Week and Brady Gavin named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week.
Fourth Inning Success
  • Through 26 games, the Mules are outscoring opponents in the fourth inning, 38-5. Other notable innings that UCM is outscoring adversaries in so far in 2022 include the first (37-16) and seventh (28-4). The only inning the Mules have been outscored in this season is the third (27-23). 
Series History
  • The weekend series against the Ichabods in Topeka will mark meetings 114-116 in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 89-24. Last season, Central Missouri swept Washburn in a three-game series in Warrensburg, winning 12-10, 3-2 and 5-2. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 279-102 (.732) 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 32 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 2,038-788-9 record in 2,835 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
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).
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 1,006-272 (.787) 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
  • UCM returns home to Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field for a 6 p.m. midweek, non-conference game vs. Drury Wednesday, April 6. 
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