Skip To Main Content

University of Central Missouri Athletics

Brennen van Breusegen (48) and Donovan Ditto (00)
Erik Williams Photography

Baseball

No. 1 Mules Host Gorillas for MIAA Series April 14-16; Senior & Military Appreciation Day Set for April 16

Game 1: No. 1 Central Missouri (30-4, 23-1 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State (23-13, 17-7 MIAA)
Thursday, April 14 | 3 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 2: No. 1 Central Missouri vs. Pittsburg State
Friday, April 15 | 2 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR

Game 3: No. 1 Central Missouri vs. Pittsburg State
Saturday, April 16 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR
**Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day**

UCM Stats (HTML) | 2022 UCM Record Book (PDF) | UCM Roster | Pittsburg State Stats (HTML) | Pittsburg State Roster | CB News Poll | NCBWA Poll
First Pitch
  • Winners of 25 of its last 26 games, No. 1-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (30-4, 23-1 MIAA) is scheduled to host the Pittsburg State Gorillas (23-13, 17-7 MIAA) for its final home series of the regular season April 14-16 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The series opener is slated for 3 p.m. Thursday, April 14, with game two scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch Friday, April 15, and the series finale at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Saturday's game will be Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. 
  • The Mules can clinch at least a share of their 28th MIAA regular season championship with two wins against the Gorillas. 
  • UCM is ranked No. 1 in the most recent Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II poll and third in the latest NCBWA Division II poll. Central Missouri is back at No. 1 in a poll for the first time since last season. 
  • Through 34 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by infielders John Prudhom (.375 avg., 45 H, 38 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 44 RBI, .767 SLG%, 22 BB, .477 OB%, 8 SB), Cole Moore (.364 avg., 40 H, 30 R, 7 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, .509 SLG%, 16 BB, .457 OB%, 6 SB) and Donovan Ditto (.309 avg., 25 H, 20 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 8 BB, 5 SB), and outfielders Brennen van Breusegen (.438 avg., 46 H, 33 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI, .762 SLG%, 10 BB, .492 OB%, 4 SB), Michael Chrisman (.347 avg., 43 H, 43 R, 4 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, .532 SLG%, 14 BB, .421 OB%, 8 SB) and Garrett Pennington (.330 avg., 32 H, 24 R, 9 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 3 SB).
  • On the mound, UCM is paced by starting RHP Collin Jones (7-0, 2.76 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 49.0 IP, 41 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 9 BB, 40 SO), and relievers Conner Wolf (3-0, 1.45 ERA, 18.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 23 SO), Ethan Peterson (3-0, 2.33 ERA, 1 SV, 1 SHO, 19.1 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 23 SO), Caleb Rogge (1-0, 2.51 ERA, 1 SV,  14.1 IP, 15 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 12 SO) and Brady Gavin (3-1, 1.06 ERA, 4 SV, 17.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 16 SO). 
  • As a team, the Mules are hitting .330 while limiting opponents to a .218 batting average. Central Missouri has a team ERA of 3.61 and a team fielding percentage of .969.
  • In the latest MIAA team statistics, UCM leads the conference in pitching (3.61 ERA) and batting (.330 avg.) and fourth in fielding (.969). 
  • Jones leads the conference in pitching through nine starts with his 2.76 ERA and ranks first in wins (7), while Gavin is tied for fourth in saves (4). 
  • van Breusegen is second in the conference in batting average at .438. He is also in the top-10 in slugging (6th at .762) and on-base percentage (3rd at .492).
  • Prudhom is ninth in the MIAA in batting average at .375 and ranks in the top-10 in slugging (5th at .767), on-base (5th at .477), RBIs (6th with 44) and homers (7th with 13). 
  • Chrisman is fourth in the conference with his five triples, while Jacob Steele is ninth in on-base percentage at .464. 
Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day
  • Saturday's game will be both Senior and Military Appreciation Day, with FREE admission for all military personnel (active or retired) and family members. Please show a valid ID at the ticket window for free admission Saturday. 
  • The Whiteman Air Force Base Honor Guard will present the colors for the National Anthem and Colonel Matthew Calhoun, 131st Bomb Wing Commander at Whiteman Air Force Base, will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. 
  • After the game, the Mules will honor their seniors in a ceremony. 
Last Time Out for the Mules
  • Top-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball scored 15 runs on 14 hits to coast to a 15-1, seven-inning victory over the Missouri Western Griffons Tuesday afternoon, April 12, at the Spring Sports Complex.
  • With the victory, the Mules secured a three-game, season series sweep over the Griffons and guaranteed head coach Kyle Crookes his eighth straight season with at least 30 wins in his eight seasons as the UCM skipper. 
  • Cole Moore went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs while Brennen van Breusegen homered for the sixth time in his last seven games, and Carter Young drove in a team-best four runs, leading Central Missouri at the plate for the contest.
  • Right-hander Grayson Senn (1-0) earned the victory on the mound after surrendering just one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk in four innings of work.
  • UCM opened a 4-1 lead after scoring a combined four runs in the first and second innings. van Breusegen had the big hit in the opening two frames, belting a solo shot to left field in the second for his eighth home run of 2022.
  • The Mules put the game away with a six-run fourth and five-run fifth for their 15 total runs.
  • In Central Missouri's six-run fourth inning, Ethan Imel, Prudhom and Moore each recorded RBI singles while Young hit a two-RBI single, and Imel scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Michael Chrisman.
  • For the five-run fifth, Chrisman, Prudhom, Moore and Seth Kenagy all belted RBI singles.
Notable Streaks
  • Brennen van Breusegen has a team-high 22-game hitting streak going into the series against Pittsburg State.John Prudhom is on a six-game hitting streak while Cole Moore has at least one hit in his last four contests.  
  • van Breusegen has reached in his last 26 games -- a team-best -- while Prudhom is on an eight-game reached base streak.
van Breusegen Voted MIAA Hitter of the Week
  • Brennen van Breusegen was voted the MIAA Hitter of the Week for his performance on the diamond during the week of April 4-10, the conference office announced Monday, April 11.
  • A native of Columbia, Ill., van Breusegen earned his first-career Hitter of the Week accolade after hitting a sizzling .667 as the Mules went a perfect 4-0 on the week, including a three-game sweep of Missouri Southern and a non-conference victory over Drury. In his four games, he tallied 12 hits in 18 at bats, including four home runs and a double, going along with 13 RBIs, a 1.389 slugging percentage and .667 on-base percentage.
  • In the win over Drury, van Breusegen went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs before going a perfect 5-of-5 with four runs scored, a home run and four RBIs in the game one win over Missouri Southern. He added a 2-of-4 performance with a homer and two RBIs vs. the Lions in game two before going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored in the series finale vs. Missouri Southern.
  • van Breusegen became the 38th Mule to tally five hits in a game with his 5-of-5 performance in game two vs. MSSU.
Previous MIAA Weekly Honors Fourth Inning Success
  • Through 34 games, the Mules are outscoring opponents in the fourth inning, 53-13. Other notable innings that UCM is outscoring adversaries in so far in 2022 include the first (46-26), second (40-16) and seventh (32-5).
Series History
  • The three-game series against the Gorillas will mark meetings 96-98 in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 80-15. Last season, Central Missouri went 5-0 against Pittsburg State, sweeping a three-game series in Pittsburg, Kan., 10-3, 18-6 and 13-1 (7 inn.), and downing the Gorillas in the MIAA baseball tournament twice, 9-5 and 11-2. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 286-103 (.735) 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 25 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 2,045-789-9 record in 2,843 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 eight 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 1,013-273 (.788) 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 travels to Edmond, Okla., for a three-game MIAA series at Central Oklahoma April 22-24. 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Dusty Stroup

#18 Dusty Stroup

INF
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Erik Webb

#16 Erik Webb

OF
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Donovan Ditto

#0 Donovan Ditto

INF
5' 9"
Senior
R/R
Brady Gavin

#56 Brady Gavin

RHP
6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Ethan Imel

#31 Ethan Imel

C
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
R/R
Collin Jones

#36 Collin Jones

RHP
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Seth Kenagy

#6 Seth Kenagy

INF
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Garrett Pennington

#20 Garrett Pennington

OF
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
John Prudhom

#37 John Prudhom

INF
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Grayson Senn

#33 Grayson Senn

RHP
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Brennen van Breusegen

#48 Brennen van Breusegen

OF
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Carter Young

#29 Carter Young

OF
6' 0"
Sophomore
L/R

Players Mentioned

Dusty Stroup

#18 Dusty Stroup

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
INF
Erik Webb

#16 Erik Webb

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
OF
Donovan Ditto

#0 Donovan Ditto

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
INF
Brady Gavin

#56 Brady Gavin

6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Ethan Imel

#31 Ethan Imel

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
R/R
C
Collin Jones

#36 Collin Jones

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
RHP
Seth Kenagy

#6 Seth Kenagy

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
INF
Garrett Pennington

#20 Garrett Pennington

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
OF
John Prudhom

#37 John Prudhom

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
INF
Grayson Senn

#33 Grayson Senn

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Brennen van Breusegen

#48 Brennen van Breusegen

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
OF
Carter Young

#29 Carter Young

6' 0"
Sophomore
L/R
OF