No. 5 Mules Baseball Hosts Arkansas Tech in Four-Game Series Feb. 9-10

Baseball | 2/8/2024 11:55:00 AM

• No. 5-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (1-2) is scheduled to host Arkansas Tech (2-1) for its 2024 home-opening series Friday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The Mules and Wonder Boys will play a pair of 1 p.m. doubleheaders each day. 
• Tickets are available at UCMAthletics.com/tickets for this weekend's series. All regular season home events will be general admission. A season ticket is available for $50 while single game tickets are $6 and under.
• UCM is coming off a 1-2 showing at the Houston Winter Invitational Feb. 2-4 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Central Missouri defeated No. 9-ranked Southern New Hampshire, 5-4, and fell to No. 6-ranked Millersville, 15-13, and No. 3 Tampa, 16-4. 
• Through three games, UCM is paced at the plate by infielders Jack Schark (.500 avg., 4 R, 6 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .833 SLG%, 2 BB, 2 SB), Jacob Steele (.417 avg., 2 R, 5 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI) and Josh Patrick (.417 avg., 4 R, 5 H, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 1.167 SLG%, 1 BB, 2 SB), and outfielder Carter Young (.417 avg., 5 R, 5 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .833 SLG%, 3 BB, 1 SB).
• As a team through three games, Central Missouri is hitting .343 while holding opponents to a .318 average. In addition, UCM has a .980 fielding percentage with three games in the books. 
• Central Missouri is coming off a 2023 season that saw it post an overall record of 43-15 and a MIAA tally of 27-6. UCM captured both the MIAA Regular Season and Postseason Tournament Championships and advanced to the NCAA-II Central Region Championship game.

• Entering the 2024 campaign, Mules baseball welcomes back six position starters, including 2023 Honorable Mention All-American outfielder Carter Young (.361 avg., 60 R, 83 H, 13 2B, 3 3B, 16 HR, 61 RBI, .652 SLG%, 27 BB, .431 OB%, 11 SB), and All-MIAA performers Jack Schark (.366 avg., 53 R, 70 H, 13 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 38 RBI, .508 SLG%, 27 BB, .466 OB%, 29 SB), Vance Tobol (.351 avg., 54 R, 71 H, 13 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 64 RBI, .634 SLG%, 22 BB, .427 OB%, 14 SB), Cole Moore (.342 avg., 55 R, 67 H, 14 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, .556 SLG%, 34 BB, .445 OB%, 11 SB), Chase Heath (.319 avg., 15 R, 22 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 9 BB, 3 SB) and Max Holy (.282 avg., 32 R, 40 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 36 RBI, .408 SLG%, 26 BB, 20 SB). 
• On the mound, Central Missouri returns eight pitchers that tossed at least 15 innings in 2023, including All-American starting pitcher Conner Wolf (11-3, 3.90 ERA, 1 CG, 83.0 IP, 73 H, 40 R, 36 ER, 16 BB, 71 SO) and All-American closer JD McReynolds (5-0, 1.08 ERA, 6 SV, 33.1 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 11 BB, 51 SO), as well as All-MIAA starting pitcher Jake Wilson (3-1, 4.70 ERA, 46.0 IP, 46 H, 26 R, 24 ER, 14 BB, 29 SO). UCM also welcomes back pitchers Harrison Babbitt (1-0, 2.35 ERA, 15.1 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 14 SO), Jack Payne (1-0, 2.55 ERA, 17.2 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 14 BB, 19 SO), Tyler Kotsis (3-0, 3.41 ERA, 29.0 IP, 18 H, 14 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 31 SO), Jacob Beauchamp (2-0, 5.28 ERA, 15.1 IP, 16 H, ,9 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 18 SO) and Grayson Senn (2-1, 8.28 ERA, 25.0 IP, 24 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 19 BB, 24 SO). 

• The Mules hit a combined five homers in their three games at the Houston Winter Invitational. Josh Patrick led the charge with three, including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in UCM's 5-4 win over Southern New Hampshire, while Jack Schark and Carter Young each went deep once. 

• Starting pitcher Conner Wolf, reliever JD McReynolds and outfielder Carter Young were all tabbed NCBWA Preseason All-Americans. 

• Central Missouri is No. 5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II Preseason Poll.
• The Mules were picked first in the MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.

• Arkansas Tech: UCM and Arkansas Tech will play games 28-31 in the all-time series Friday and Saturday dating back to the first meeting in 1995. Central Missouri leads the series, 17-10. Last season, UCM and Arkansas Tech split a four-game series in Warrensburg, with the Mules winning 2-1 in eight innings and 1-0 in seven innings, and Wonder Boys winning 10-8 and 9-5. 

• Kyle Crookes has a 347-125 (.735) record in his 10th season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• 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. Twenty-three players have earned All-Region honors, 10 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 2024 season marks the 68th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,105-811-9 record in 2,925 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.

• 33 NCAA Regional Appearances (25 of the last 28 years)
• 29 MIAA Regular Season Titles (20 of the last 28)
• 16 MIAA Tournament Titles
• 19 Regional Championships
• 19 Regionals as host site
• 16 Top Five national finishes
• 5 Third place finishes
• 2 National Runners Up finishes
• 2 National Championships

• Central Missouri totaled 43 wins in 2023. 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 36 seasons.
• The Mules have won back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back MIAA Tournament Championships (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023).

• The Mules are scheduled to host Davenport in a four-game series Feb. 16-18 in Warrensburg.