JD McReynolds
Andrew Mather Photography

MIAA Series at Rogers State On Deck for Mules Baseball

Game 27: Central Missouri (19-7, 11-2 MIAA) at Rogers State (18-8, 6-7 MIAA)
Saturday, March 25 | 1 p.m. (DH) | Claremore, Okla. (Diamond Sports Complex)
TV: MIAA Network (PPV)

Game 28: Central Missouri at Rogers State
Saturday, March 25 | 4 p.m. (DH) | Claremore, Okla. (Diamond Sports Complex)
TV: MIAA Network (PPV)

Game 29: Central Missouri at Rogers State
Sunday, March 26 | 1 p.m. | Claremore, Okla. (Diamond Sports Complex)
TV: MIAA Network (PPV)

Live Stats (all games) | UCM Stats | UCM Roster | Rogers State Roster | Rogers State Stats | Record Book
First Pitch
  • Central Missouri Mules baseball (19-7, 11-2 MIAA) is back on the road this weekend for a three-game MIAA series against the Rogers State Hillcats (18-8, 6-7 MIAA) March 25-26 in Claremore, Okla., at the Diamond Sports Complex. The two teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader to open the series Saturday, March 25, before wrapping up with a single game Sunday, March 26, at 1 p.m.
  • UCM is coming off a three-game, MIAA series sweep of the Newman Jets March 19-20 in Warrensburg. UCM won game one, 11-0 in seven innings, game two, 16-6 in seven innings, and game three, 8-4.
  • Through 26 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by outfielders Carter Young (.426 avg., 20 R, 40 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 27 RBI, .745 SLG%, 11 BB, .486 OB%, 5 SB), Mason Lowe (.362 avg., 15 R, 17 H, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 6 BB, .483 OB%, 6 SB) and Vance Tobol (.319 avg., 19 R, 30 H, 3 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, .574 SLG%, 10 BB, 4 SB), and infielders John Prudhom (.321 avg., 25 R, 27 H, 5 2B, 9 HR, 23 RBI, .702 SLG%, 7 BB, 8 SB), Jack Schark (.347 avg., 17 R, 25 H, 3 2B, 11 RBI, 12 BB, 10 SB) and Cole Moore (.329 avg., 22 R, 27 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 16 RBI, 12 BB, 7 SB).
  • On the mound with 26 games elapsed, UCM is paced by right-handers Conner Wolf (3.19 ERA, 4-2, 31.0 IP, 26 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 8 BB, 34 SO), JD McReynolds (0.00 ERA, 3-0, 14.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 25 SO), Wyatt Clark (1.29 ERA, 0-0, 4 SV, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO), Ethan Peterson (1.64 ERA, 2-0, 11.0 IP, 13 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO), Jake Wilson (3.86 ERA, 1-0, 16.1 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 16 SO) and Cole LaLonde (4.15 ERA, 0-0, 17.1 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 8 BB, 25 SO).
  • As a team through 26 games, Central Missouri is hitting .327 while its opponents are hitting .229. UCM has a team ERA of 4.23 and a team fielding percentage of .969.
  • In the latest MIAA statistics, the Mules are first in team batting (.327), second in team pitching (4.23 ERA) and fourth in team fielding (.969 fielding percentage).
  • In the most recent MIAA individual statistics, Young leads the conference in batting average (.426), ranks fourth in slugging percentage (.745), fifth in hits (40), and tied for in home runs (7) while Prudhom is eighth in slugging (.702) and third in home runs (9), and Clark is third in saves (4). Wolf is also in the top-10 of the conference statistics through 26 games, ranking 10th in strikeouts at 34 and sixth in ERA at 3.19.
Notable Streaks
  • Mason Lowe is on a team-high 10-game hitting streak entering Friday while Carter Young and Max Holy are on six-game hitting streaks.
  • Young has reached base safely in a team-high 18 straight games while Holy has reached in his last 16 contests. Tobol has reached successfully in 11 consecutive games, and Lowe and Cole Moore have reached in their last 10 contests.
Late-Inning Success
  • Through 26 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the sixth inning, 36-9.
  • Combined in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, Central Missouri is outscoring opponents, 86-20.
  • UCM is 15-0 on the season after leading through six innings.
Weekly Awards
  • Carter Young was voted the MIAA Hitter of the Week on March 21 for his performance on the diamond during the week of March 14-20.
  • Young earned his first-career Hitter of the Week honor after hitting .412 with seven hits, four runs, 11 RBI, three doubles, two homers, two stolen bases, a .941 slugging percentage and .412 on-base percentage as the Mules went a perfect 4-0 on the week with a win over Missouri Western March 14 and a three-game series sweep of Newman March 19-20.
Series History
  • The three-game series at Rogers State will mark meetings 10-12 in the all-time series dating back to 2020. UCM leads the series, 8-1. Last season, the Mules swept the Hillcats in a three-game series in Warrensburg, winning 13-5, 10-7 and 5-4.
Preseason Honors
  • Brennen van Breusegen was voted a First Team NCBWA Preseason All-American and was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Central Region Team. 
Mules in the Rankings
  • The Mules were picked first in the MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 322-115 (.737) record in his ninth season as head coach at Central Missouri.
  • Crookes is currently second all-time in coaching wins at UCM and is the fifth head coach to ever win 200 games. Crookes passed former UCM head coach Tom Myers, who tallied 311 wins in seven seasons from 2008-14, with the 6-5, walk-off victory over Northwest Missouri State Saturday, Feb. 25. 
  • 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, and the 2022 season marks Crookes's fourth regular season and tournament titles.
  • Crookes is up to eight MIAA Championships, four regular season and four tournament.
  • He also has three regional championships to his credit in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
  • During his six+ seasons at the helm, 76 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 21 First Team nods and Players of the Year in Erik Webb in 2019, Dusty Stroup in 2021 and Brennen van Breusegen in 2022. Nineteen players have earned All-Region honors, seven All-American and five 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 2023 season marks the 67th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,080-801-9 record in 2,890 games played.
  • The Mules have won 40 or more games 21 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games nine times.
  • The Mules have won or shared 28 MIAA regular season championships, 15 MIAA tournament championships, captured 19 regional titles and two national championships.
Mules Baseball by the Numbers
  • 32 NCAA Regional Appearances (24 of the last 27 years)
  • 28 MIAA Regular Season Titles (20 of the last 28)
  • 15 MIAA Tournament Titles
  • 19 Regional Championships
  • 18 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 2022. 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 35 seasons.
  • The Mules have won back-to-back-to-back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022).
Up Next
  • The Mules are scheduled to travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for a midweek MIAA game at Missouri Western Tuesday, March 28, at 5 p.m.
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