Baseball | 3/11/2024 10:52:00 AM

• No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (19-3, 8-1 MIAA) is scheduled to travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for a midweek MIAA contest at Missouri Western (12-8, 4-4 MIAA) Tuesday, March 12, at 5 p.m. at the Griffon Baseball Field. 
• UCM is coming off a three-game, MIAA series sweep of the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats March 8-10 in Warrensburg, winning 14-0 in seven innings, 13-12 and 10-8. 
• Central Missouri has won eight straight games and 18 of its last 19 contests going into Tuesday's tilt at Missouri Western. 
• Through 22 games, UCM is paced at the plate by designated hitter Vance Tobol (.417 avg., 18 R, 30 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, .708 SLG%, 7 BB, 9 SB), outfielders Jack Schark (.387 avg., 22 R, 29 H, 9 2B, 5 HR, 22 RBI, .707 SLG%, 14 BB, 7 SB), Brennen van Breusegen (.385 avg., 22 R, 25 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, .754 SLG%, 17 BB, 5 SB) and Carter Young (.386 avg., 26 R, 32 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .651 SLG%, 18 BB, .9 SB), infielders Josh Patrick (.394 avg., 27 R, 28 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 16 RBI, .718 SLG%, 16 BB, 10 SB), Jacob Steele (.320 avg., 25 R, 24 H, 5 2B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, .587 SLG%, 13 BB, 7 SB), Cole Moore (.357 avg., 22 R, 25 H, 5 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 6 BB, 5 SB) and Max Holy (.357 avg., 27 R, 25 H, 4 2B, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 9 BB, 10 SB) and catcher Chase Heath (.463 avg., 22 R, 19 H, 5 2B, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 1.098 SLG%, 14 BB, 3 SB).
• On the mound through 22 contests, the Mules are led by Conner Wolf (5-0, 2.31 ERA, 35.0 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 6 BB, 33 SO) and Bryce Taylor (2-0, 3.94 ERA, 16.0 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 16 SO). 
• As a team through 22 games, Central Missouri is hitting .378 while holding opponents to a .255 average. In addition, UCM has a .984 fielding percentage and 5.82 team ERA with 22 games in the books. UCM ranks first in the MIAA in hitting (.378 avg.), sixth in pitching (5.82 ERA) and first in fielding (.984 pct.). 

• Hitting streaks: Josh Patrick (12 games), Brennen van Breusegen (8 games), Max Holy (7 games)
• Reached base safely: Josh Patrick (21 games), Carter Young (21 games), Brennen van Breusegen (21 games), Cole Moore (11 games), Jack Schark (10 games), Max Holy (7 games)

• Max Holy hit .529 with 13 RBIs in UCM's four games last week. He had nine hits in 17 at bats, including three doubles and two homers. In the Mules 13-12, game two win over Northwest Missouri March 9, he went 3-for-5 with a career-best seven RBIs and hit the go-ahead, two-run home run for Central Missouri in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

• Starting pitcher Conner Wolf tossed his third complete-game of the season in UCM's 14-0, seven-inning win over Northwest Missouri March 8, allowing no earned runs on just three hits with three strikeouts and only one walk on 73 pitches. Wolf is 5-0 on the season with a 2.31 ERA in 35 innings pitched. 

• Catcher Chase Heath has a sizzling 1.098 slugging percentage to go along with a .463 batting average in 19 games this season. He leads the team with seven homers this season. 

• No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball upped its winning streak to eight games as it posted a 10-8 victory over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in the series finale of a three-game MIAA series Sunday, March 10, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
• Chase Wilcox went a career-best 4-for-5, Chase Heath belted his team-best seventh home run of the season and had two RBIs, Cole Moore went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs driven in, and Ayden Blachowicz and Carter Young each had two hits, pacing Central Missouri at the plate.
• UCM reliever Bryce Taylor (2-0) earned the win on the mound after giving up four earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and zero walks in 3 1/3 innings while Grayson Senn secured his first save of 2024 after getting the final out of the game with the tying run on deck in the top of the ninth inning.

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

• Central Missouri is No. 3 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II Poll released March 6. 
• The Mules were picked first in the MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.

• Tuesday's game at Missouri Western will be the 161st meeting in the all-time series going back to 1970. UCM leads the series, 123-37, and have won the last 10 meetings with the Griffons. Last season, Central Missouri went 3-0 against Missouri Western, winning 11-1 in seven innings, 14-7 and 10-5. 

• Kyle Crookes has a 365-126 (.743) 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 2,123-812-9 record in 2,944 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 head to Topeka, Kan., for a three-game MIAA series at Washburn March 15-17.