No. 3 Mules Baseball Opens 2025 Season at Houston Winter Invitational January 31-February 2

Baseball | 1/30/2025 3:00:00 PM

• No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (0-0) is scheduled to begin its 2025 season with three games in the annual Houston Winter Invitational January 31-February 2 at Daikin Park in downtown, Houston, Texas.
• UCM is slated to face preseason No. 18-ranked Ashland (0-0) in its season opener Friday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. before taking on preseason No. 19-ranked Arkansas-Monticello (0-0) Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1:30 p.m. and Jefferson Sunday, Feb. 2, at 1:30 p.m.
• Central Missouri is coming off a 2024 season that saw it compile an overall record of 52-10 and a MIAA record of 29-4. The Mules captured their 30th overall and fifth straight MIAA Regular Season Championship and 20th NCAA-II Regional Title, advancing to the Division II World Series for the 20th time in program history. 

• Entering the 2025 season, UCM baseball welcomes back three position starters, including All-MIAA performers Chase Heath (.378 avg., 55 R, 59 H, 13 2B, 16 HR, 62 RBI, .769 SLG%, 25 BB, 15 SO, .466 OB%, 6 SB), Jacob Steele (.362 avg., 78 R, 77 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 64 RBI, .610 SLG%, 34 BB, 30 SO, .450 OB%, 21 SB) and Vance Tobol (.342 avg., 60 R, 64 H, 15 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 59 RBI, .643 SLG%, 22 BB, 44 SO, .415 OB%, 22 SB). 
• On the mound, Central Missouri welcomes back four starting pitchers, including All-American and Central Region and MIAA Pitcher of the Year Conner Wolf (12-0, 4.05 ERA, 4 CG, 2 SHO, 97.2 IP, 82 H, 46 R, 44 ER, 16 BB, 90 SO, .226 opp. avg.), MIAA Freshman of the Year Jack Scott (5-2, 3.71 ERA, 53.1 IP, 46 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 16 BB, 49 SO, .224 opp. avg.), All-MIAA starting pitcher Jake Wilson (5-0, 4.26 ERA, 1 SV, 57.0 IP, 49 H, 29 R, 27 ER, 18 BB, 48 SO, .233 opp. avg.) and Jack Kreisman (6-1, 4.36 ERA, 64.0 IP, 68 H, 33 R, 31 ER, 23 BB, 50 SO). In addition, the Mules return three relievers who threw at least 15 innings last season, including All-American closer JD McReynolds (8-2, 3.25 ERA, 4 SV, 27.2 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 24  BB, 49 SO, .170 opp. avg.), Bryce Taylor (4-0, 5.48 ERA, 44.1 IP, 52 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 15 BB, 35 SO, .291 opp. avg.) and Jonah Walker (2-1, 5.77 ERA, 1 SV, 34.1 IP, 35 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 15 BB, 25 SO, .271 opp. avg.). 
• UCM will have several new faces for 2025, including 10 transfers and 13 high school freshmen. 

• Starting pitcher Conner Wolf was named a NCBWA Preseason First Team All-American. 
• Wolf and infielder Jacob Steele were both named to the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-Central Region Team. 

• The Mules are ranked in three preseason Division II top 25 poll. UCM checks in at No. 3 in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Preseason Poll, and is fourth in both the NCBWA and Division II Baseball preaseason rankings. 
• UCM was picked first in the 2025 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

• Ashland: Friday's season opener vs. Ashland will mark the sixth meeting in the all-time series. The Mules lead the series, 5-0. UCM and Ashland last met during the 2019 Division II World Series in Cary, N.C., with the Mules defeating the Eagles twice, 9-4 and 11-3. 
• Arkansas-Monticello: Central Missouri and UAM will meet for the 10th time in the all-time series Saturday in Houston. UCM leads the series, 7-2. Central Missouri defeated the Weevils last season in the NCAA-II Super Regional in Warrensburg, 11-6 and 9-4.
• Jefferson: Sunday's contest vs. Jefferson will be the first-ever in the all-time series. 

• Kyle Crookes has a 398-133 (.750) record in his 11th season as head coach at Central Missouri. He sits two wins shy of notching 400 career victories as the head coach for the Mules.
• Crookes is the second winningest coach in program history, trailing just former UCM head coach Brad Hill, who posted a 418-91 record from 1995-2003. 
• 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. The 2024 regular season crown was the sixth for Crookes. 
• Crookes is up to 11 MIAA Championships, six regular season and five tournament.
• He also has four regional championships to his credit in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
• During his 10 seasons at the helm, 102 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 33 First Team nods, Players of the Year in Erik Webb in 2019, Dusty Stroup in 2021 and Brennen van Breusegen in 2022 and 2024, Pitcher of the Year Conner Wolf in 2024, and Co-Freshman of the Year Jack Scott in 2024. Twenty-nine players have earned All-Region honors, 13 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 2025 season marks the 69th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,156-819-9 record in 2,984 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 23 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games 10 times.
• The Mules have won or shared 30 MIAA regular season championships, 16 MIAA tournament championships, captured 20 regional titles and two national championships (1994, 2003).

• 34 NCAA Regional Appearances (26 of the last 29 years)
• 30 MIAA Regular Season Titles
• 16 MIAA Tournament Titles
• 20 Regional Championships
• 20 Regionals as host site
• 16 Top Five national finishes
• 5 Third place finishes
• 2 National Runners Up finishes
• 2 National Championships

• Central Missouri totaled 52 wins in 2024. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all 10 full seasons under Coach Crookes. They won 20 of 23 games in 2020 before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The team made their 20th trip to the NCAA-II College World Series in 2024. 
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 37 seasons.

• The Mules are scheduled to host Arkansas Tech for their 2025 home-opening series February 7-9 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg.