Top-Seeded Mules Take On Eighth-Seeded St. Cloud State in NCAA-II Central Regional First Round

2023 NCAA-II Central Regional (Double-Elimination)
Game 1: No. 1 Central Missouri (41-13) vs. No. 8 St. Cloud State (32-18)
Thursday, May 18 | 6 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Live Video (free) | Radio: 98.5 The BAR (Bob Jackson, pxp; Alex Kent, analyst)

UCM Stats | UCM Roster | St. Cloud State Roster | St. Cloud State Stats | Record Book

First Pitch

Top-seeded Central Missouri Mules baseball (41-13) is scheduled to take on the eighth-seeded St. Cloud State Huskies (32-18) in the opening round of the NCAA-II Central Regional Thursday, May 18, at 6 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg.
This is the 33rd time in program history Central Missouri has qualified for an NCAA-II Regional. It is also the 19th time UCM has served as a regional host.
Thanks to the President's Office, all UCM students will get in FREE to all UCM NCAA-II regional games. Students just need to show a valid student ID to receive free admission to the games.
Central Missouri earned its fifth straight and 16th overall MIAA Baseball Championship after rolling to a 15-0, seven-inning win over Missouri Southern May 13 in Warrenburg.
The Mules clinched their 29th MIAA Regular Season Championship after sweeping Fort Hays State in a MIAA series April 28-30 in Warrensburg. UCM finished the regular season with a MIAA record of 27-6.
The Mules are ranked No. 4 in the most recent NCBWA Division II poll and check in at No. 6 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II poll.
Through 54 games, Central Missouri is led at the plate by outfielders Carter Young (.362 avg., 57 R, 79 H, 13 2B, 3 3B, 16 HR, 59 RBI, .670 SLG%, 24 BB, .426 OB%, 10 SB), Mason Lowe (.346 avg., 31 R, 45 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 14 BB, .448 OB%, 9 SB) and Vance Tobol (.360 avg., 50 R, 67 H, 11 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 62 RBI, .656 SLG%, 21 BB, 12 SB), and infielders Jack Schark (.381 avg., 52 R, 67 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 37 RBI, .528 SLG%, 25 BB, .477 OB%, 29 SB), John Prudhom (.347 avg., 60 R, 68 H, 15 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 56 RBI, .689 SLG%, 24 BB, 21 SB) and Cole Moore (.342 avg., 53 R, 63 H, 13 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 43 RBI, .549 SLG%, 30 BB, .441 OB%, 11 SB).
On the mound with 54 games elapsed, UCM is paced by right-handers Conner Wolf (3.76 ERA, 10-3, 1 CG, 76.2 IP, 65 H, 36 R, 32 ER, 16 BB, 70 SO), Tyler Kotsis (2.33 ERA, 3-0, 27.0 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 29 SO), JD McReynolds (0.61 ERA, 5-0, 5 SV, 29.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 BB, 46 SO), Jake Wilson (4.10 ERA, 3-0, 41.2 IP, 39 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 28 SO), Cole LaLonde (2.86 ERA, 2-1, 50.1 IP, 43 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 24 BB, 65 SO) and Ethan Peterson (2.78 ERA, 3-0, 22.2 IP, 25 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 17 SO), and left-hander Cole Schroeder (2.48 ERA, 1-1, 29.0 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 17 BB, 27 SO).
As a team through 54 games, Central Missouri is hitting .324 while its opponents are hitting .229. UCM has a team ERA of 4.23 and a team fielding percentage of .973.
In the latest NCAA-II national statistics, UCM ranks in the top-25 of the following categories: batting average (23rd at .324), double plays (sixth with 47), ERA (22nd at 4.23), fielding percentage (.21st at .973), hits (16th with 584), homers (22nd with 73), runs (21st with 457), slugging percentage (20th at .526), stolen bases (eighth with 152), triples (12th with 21) and win-loss percentage (13th at .759).
In the most recent NCAA-II individual national statistics, Prudhom and Young are tied for 29th in homers (16), and Moore is 21st in triples (five).

Last Time Out: No. 4 Mules Baseball Clinches Fifth Straight MIAA Tournament Title

For the 16th time in program history, Central Missouri Baseball sits atop the MIAA. The No. 4-ranked Mules secured their fifth straight and 16th overall MIAA Baseball Tournament Championship in emphatic fashion, dismantling No. 11-ranked Missouri Southern, 15-0 in seven innings, Saturday afternoon, May 13, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
Central Missouri scored four runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back enroute to the run-rule triumph. UCM plated at least one run in every inning except the fourth and fifth, including a six-run explosion in the top of the seventh that sealed the tournament crown.
Vance Tobol went 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBI, Cole Moore had three hits, including a triple, Max Holy drove in three runs, Mason Lowe belted his third homer of the season, Jack Schark went 2-for-4 with a double, four runs scored and two stolen bases, and John Prudhom was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI, leading Central Missouri at the plate.
UCM left-handed starting pitcher Cole Schroeder (1-1) earned the win on the mound, throwing six shutout innings and allowing just two hits with four strikeouts and only one walk on 79 pitches.
Lowe was named the MIAA Baseball Championship Most Outstanding Player while Holy, Moore, Tobol, Schroeder and pitcher Cole LaLonde joined him on the All-Tournament Team.

Mules Baseball Garners 13 All-MIAA Honors, Crookes Named Coach of the Year

Central Missouri Mules baseball had 13 student-athletes garner All-MIAA postseason honors, and head coach Kyle Crookes was voted the MIAA Coach of the Year.
Conner Wolf (starting pitcher), JD McReynolds (relief pitcher), Jack Schark (third base), Carter Young (outfield) and Vance Tobol (designated hitter) all garnered First Team All-MIAA accolades. Cole Moore (second base) received Second Team All-MIAA honors, while Cole LaLonde (starting pitcher) and John Prudhom (first base) earned Third Team All-MIAA recognition. Prudhom (first base) and Brennen van Breusegen (outfield) were both voted to the MIAA Gold Glove Team, and Jake Wilson (starting pitcher), Chase Heath (catcher), Max Holy (shortstop), Mason Lowe (outfield) and van Breusegen (outfield) earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors.

Notable Streaks

John Prudhom has reached base safely his last 18 games while Carter Young and Cole Moore have reached in their last 17 contests, Brennen van Breusegen has reached in his last 13 games, and Jack Schark has reached in his last 11 contests.
Vance Tobol is on a nine-game hitting streak, while van Breusegen has at least one hit in his last six contests.
Tobol (21), Young (17), Prudhom (16) and Jack Schark (13) all have at least 10 multi-RBI games entering NCAA-II tournament action.

Turning Two

Entering Thursday's Central Regional contest, UCM leads the MIAA and ranks sixth in the country in double plays turned with 47.

Late-Inning Success

Through 54 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the sixth inning, 72-28.
Combined in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, Central Missouri is outscoring opponents, 188-88.
UCM is 34-2 this season when leading after six innings.

Series History

Thursday's NCAA-II Central Regional game vs. St. Cloud State will mark just the eighth meeting in the all-time series going back to 1971. The Huskies lead the series, 5-2. UCM and SCSU last met at the Houston Winter Invitational in 2019, with St. Cloud State posting a 7-3 win.

UCM During the Crookes Era

Kyle Crookes has a 344-121 (.740) 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 marked Crookes's fourth regular season and tournament titles. UCM's 2023 regular season and tournament titles were the fifth with Crookes as the skipper.
Crookes is up to 10 MIAA Championships, five regular season and five tournament.
He also has three regional championships to his credit in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
During his six+ seasons at the helm, 89 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 26 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 2,102-807-9 record in 2,918 games played.
The Mules have won 40 or more games 22 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games nine times.
The Mules have won or shared 29 MIAA regular season championships, 16 MIAA tournament championships, captured 19 regional titles and two national championships.

Mules Baseball by the Numbers

33 NCAA Regional Appearances (25 of the last 28 years)
29 MIAA Regular Season Titles (21 of the last 29)
16 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 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-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023).

Up Next

With a win over St. Cloud State, UCM would advance in the double-elimination NCAA-II Central Regional and would face the winner of the No. 4 seed Ouachita Baptist vs. No. 5 seed Augustana first round game, which is slated for 2 p.m. Thursday in Warrensburg, on Friday, May 19, at 6 p.m. If Central Missouri were to lose, it would drop into the elimination bracket and would take on the loser of the OBU vs. Augie contest in an elimination game Friday at 2 p.m.

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