Baseball | 3/27/2023 3:37:00 PM

• Central Missouri Mules baseball (21-8, 13-3 MIAA) is scheduled to travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for a midweek MIAA game at Missouri Western (6-20, 3-13 MIAA) Tuesday, March 28, at 5 p.m. at the Spring Sports Complex.
• The Mules are coming off a 2-1 MIAA series win at Rogers State March 25-26 in Claremore, Okla. UCM won game one, 12-1 in seven innings, before dropping game two, 5-4, and winning the series finale, 9-1.
• Through 29 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by outfielders Carter Young (.417 avg., 23 R, 45 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 33 RBI, .731 SLG%, 11 BB, .463 OB%, 5 SB), Mason Lowe (.340 avg., 17 R, 18 H, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 6 BB, .462 OB%, 7 SB) and Vance Tobol (.340 avg., 23 R, 36 H, 4 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, .604 SLG%, 11 BB, .421 OB%, 7 SB), and infielders John Prudhom (.367 avg., 29 R, 36 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 26 RBI, .755 SLG%, 8 BB, .434 OB%, 9 SB), Jack Schark (.346 avg., 19 R, 28 H, 5 2B, 14 RBI, 12 BB, .449 OB%, 11 SB), Max Holy (.338 avg., 15 R, 23 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 7 BB, .462 OB%, 7 SB) and Cole Moore (.323 avg., 24 R, 30 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 17 RBI, 13 BB, .452 OB%, 7 SB).
• On the mound with 29 games elapsed, UCM is paced by right-handers Conner Wolf (2.84 ERA, 5-2, 38.0 IP, 29 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 38 SO), JD McReynolds (0.57 ERA, 3-0, 15.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 27 SO), Wyatt Clark (1.12 ERA, 0-0, 4 SV, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO), Ethan Peterson (2.25 ERA, 2-0, 12.0 IP, 14 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO), Jake Wilson (3.63 ERA, 1-0, 17.1 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 16 SO) and Cole LaLonde (3.43 ERA, 1-0, 21.0 IP, 20 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 9 BB, 32 SO).
• As a team through 29 games, Central Missouri is hitting .332 while its opponents are hitting .224. UCM has a team ERA of 4.07 and a team fielding percentage of .969.
• In the latest MIAA statistics, the Mules are first in team batting (.332) and team pitching (4.07 ERA) and fourth in team fielding (.969 fielding percentage).
• In the most recent MIAA individual statistics, Young is third in the conference in batting average (.417), ranks fifth in slugging percentage (.731) and hits (45), eighth in home runs (8) and 10th in RBI (33) while Prudhom is second in slugging (.755) and third in home runs (10), and Clark is fifth in saves (4). Wolf is also in the top-10 of the conference statistics through 29 games, ranking second in ERA (2.84) and fifth in opposing batting average (.209).

• Carter Young is on a team-high nine-game hitting streak while John Prudhom has at least one hit in his last seven contests.
• Young has reached base safely in a team-high 21 straight games while Holy has reached in his last 19 contests. Vance Tobol has reached successfully in 14 consecutive games, and Jack Schark has reached in his last nine contests.

• Through 29 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the sixth inning, 41-10.
• Combined in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, Central Missouri is outscoring opponents, 98-23.
• UCM is 17-0 on the season after leading through six innings.

• 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.

• Tuesday's game at Missouri Western will mark the 159th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the first meeting in 1970. The Mules lead the series, 121-37, and have won the last eight meetings with the Griffons. UCM defeated Missouri Western earlier this season on March 14, winning 11-1 in Warrensburg. Central Missouri's last loss to MWSU was an 11-8 setback in St. Joseph in 2019.

• Brennen van Breusegen was voted a First Team NCBWA Preseason All-American and was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Central Region Team. 

• The Mules were picked first in the MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.

• Kyle Crookes has a 324-116 (.736) 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.

• The 2023 season marks the 67th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,082-802-9 record in 2,893 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.

• 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

• 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).

• The Mules return home to host Washburn in a three-game MIAA series at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field March 31-April 2.