No. 8 Mules Baseball Treks to Pittsburg State for Three-Game MIAA Series April 14-16

Baseball | 4/13/2023 12:41:00 PM

• No. 8-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (28-10, 19-5 MIAA) is scheduled to trek to Pittsburg, Kan., for a key three-game MIAA series against the Pittsburg State Gorillas (27-11, 18-6 MIAA) April 14-16 at Al Ortolani Field on the Pittsburg State University campus. The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, April 14, with game two at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 15, and the series finale at noon Sunday, April 16.
• The Mules are coming off a 10-5 victory over Missouri Western in a midweek MIAA game Tuesday in Warrensburg.
• Through 38 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by outfielders Carter Young (.393 avg., 38 R, 59 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 43 RBI, .687 SLG%, 14 BB, .440 OB%, 9 SB), Mason Lowe (.338 avg., 21 R, 24 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 11 BB, .466 OB%, 7 SB) and Vance Tobol (.306 avg., 35 R, 41 H, 5 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 40 RBI, .567 SLG%, 18 BB, .401 OB%, 7 SB), and infielders Jack Schark (.410 avg., 33 R, 48 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 25 RBI, .556 SLG%, 17 BB, .496 OB%, 18 SB), John Prudhom (.324 avg., 41 R, 44 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 39 RBI, .662 SLG%, 12 BB, 12 SB), Cole Moore (.349 avg., 38 R, 45 H, 10 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, .558 SLG%, 20 BB, .434 OB%, 9 SB) and Max Holy (.325 avg., 20 R, 27 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 14 BB, .457 OB%, 13 SB).
• On the mound with 37 games elapsed, UCM is paced by right-handers Conner Wolf (3.75 ERA, 7-2, 1 CG, 48.0 IP, 41 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 10 BB, 49 SO), Tyler Kotsis (0.59 ERA, 1-0, 15.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 20 SO), JD McReynolds (0.46 ERA, 3-0, 2 SV, 19.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 32 SO), Jake Wilson (3.49 ERA, 2-0, 28.1 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 19 SO), Cole LaLonde (3.76 ERA, 1-1, 26.1 IP, 27 H, 16 R, 11 ER, 14 BB, 39 SO) and Ethan Peterson (1.76 ERA, 2-0, 15.1 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 14 SO), and left-hander Cole Schroeder (2.84 ERA, 0-0, 19.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 12 BB, 18 SO).
• As a team through 38 games, Central Missouri is hitting .329 while its opponents are hitting .223. UCM has a team ERA of 4.26 and a team fielding percentage of .967.
• In the latest MIAA statistics, the Mules are first in team batting (.329) and team pitching (4.26 ERA) and fifth in team fielding (.967 fielding percentage).
• In the most recent MIAA individual position player statistics, Schark is third in batting average (.410), on-base percentage (.496) and stolen bases (18), and sixth in sacrifice bunts (6); Young is sixth in batting average (.393) and slugging percentage (.687), and fifth in hits (59); Prudhom is seventh in slugging percentage (.662) and eighth in home runs (12); and Wolf is fifth in ERA (3.75) and sixth in opposing batting average (.229).

• Jack Schark is on a team-best 10-game hitting streak entering the weekend.
• Max Holy has reached base safely in a team-best 25 straight games while Schark has reached in his last 18 contests.

• Through 38 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the sixth inning, 57-21.
• Combined in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, Central Missouri is outscoring opponents, 131-48.
• UCM is 23-1 this season when leading after six innings.

• MIAA Hitter of the Week: Jack Schark, April 10; Carter Young, March 21

• The three-game MIAA series at Pittsburg State will mark meetings 100-102 in the all-time series going back to 1991. The Mules lead the series, 84-15. Last season, UCM went 4-0 against the Gorillas, sweeping a three-game series in Warrensburg, 7-1, 8-5 and 11-0 in seven innings, and defeating Pittsburg State in the MIAA Baseball Championship in Edmond, Okla., 15-4.

• 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.
• In the latest NCBWA Division II Poll release Wednesday, April 12, UCM checks in at No. 8.

• Kyle Crookes has a 331-118 (.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.

• The 2023 season marks the 67th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,089-804-9 record in 2,902 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).

• UCM begins a four-game homestand with a midweek contest vs. Drury Wednesday, April 19, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.