No. 4 Mules Baseball Set to Host Fort Hays State for Senior Weekend April 28-30

Baseball | 4/27/2023 2:30:00 PM

• No. 4-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (33-13, 24-6 MIAA) is scheduled to wrap up its 2023 regular season schedule with a three-game, MIAA series against the Fort Hays State Tigers (20-27, 10-20 MIAA) April 28-30 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The series opener is slated for Friday, April 28, at 3 p.m., with game two Saturday, April 29, at 2 p.m. and the series finale and Senior Day Sunday, April 30, at 1 p.m. Senior recognition will occur after the game on Sunday.
• The Mules are coming off an 8-6 setback at then No. 13-ranked Quincy Tuesday, April 25, in Quincy, Ill.
• Through 46 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by outfielders Carter Young (.383 avg., 48 R, 70 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .716 SLG%, 21 BB, .442 OB%, 9 SB), Mason Lowe (.354 avg., 24 R, 34 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 14 BB, .470 OB%, 7 SB) and Vance Tobol (.305 avg., 37 R, 47 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 47 RBI, .578 SLG%, 18 BB, 8 SB), and infielders Jack Schark (.366 avg., 39 R, 53 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, .510 SLG%, 21 BB, .460 OB%, 23 SB), John Prudhom (.337 avg., 48 R, 56 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 45 RBI, .669 SLG%, 17 BB, 17 SB) and Cole Moore (.353 avg., 46 R, 55 H, 13 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 38 RBI, .583 SLG%, 24 BB, .437 OB%, 10 SB).
• On the mound with 46 games elapsed, UCM is paced by right-handers Conner Wolf (4.53 ERA, 7-3, 1 CG, 57.2 IP, 48 H, 33 R, 29 ER, 15 BB, 57 SO), Tyler Kotsis (2.21 ERA, 2-0, 20.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 8 BB, 24 SO), JD McReynolds (0.35 ERA, 3-0, 5 SV, 25.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 41 SO), Jake Wilson (3.72 ERA, 3-0, 38.2 IP, 34 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 11 BB, 27 SO), Cole LaLonde (3.09 ERA, 2-1, 35.0 IP, 33 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 19 BB, 51 SO) and Ethan Peterson (2.29 ERA, 3-0, 19.2 IP, 21 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 14 SO), and left-hander Cole Schroeder (3.13 ERA, 0-1, 23.0 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 16 BB, 23 SO).
• As a team through 46 games, Central Missouri is hitting .319 while its opponents are hitting .232. UCM has a team ERA of 4.56 and a team fielding percentage of .972.
• In the latest MIAA statistics, the Mules are second in team pitching (4.56 ERA), third in team batting (.319 avg.) and team fielding (.972 fielding pct.)
• In the most recent MIAA individual position player statistics, Schark is third in stolen bases (23); Young is fourth in hits (70), fifth in homers (15), and sixth in batting average (.383) and slugging percentage (.716); Prudhom is eighth in home runs (13) and 10th in slugging percentage (.669); Lowe is 10th in on-base percentage (.470); Wolf is third in opposing batting average (.224) and ninth in ERA (4.53); and McReynolds is fifth in saves (5).

• Max Holy has reached base safely in a team-best 31 straight games.

• Through 46 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the sixth inning, 63-28.
• Combined in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, Central Missouri is outscoring opponents, 154-73.
• UCM is 26-2 this season when leading after six innings.

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

• The three-game series against Fort Hays State will mark meetings 63-65 in the all-time series going back to 1995. The Mules lead the series, 49-13. Last season, UCM swept a three-game series in Hays, Kan., winning 29-2 in seven innings, 20-13 and 12-2 in eight innings.

• 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 26, UCM checks in at No. 4.

• Kyle Crookes has a 336-121 (.735) 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 2,094-807-9 record in 2,910 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 nine 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 will host a to-be-determined opponent in a best-of-three MIAA Baseball Championship first round series May 5-7 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg.