Baseball | 3/25/2025 1:17:00 PM

Game 26: No. 3 Central Missouri (19-6, 10-3 MIAA) vs. Washburn (14-14, 7-9 MIAA)
Wednesday, March 26 | 3 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Buy Tickets

Game 27: No. 3 Central Missouri vs. No. 24 Fort Hays State (19-6, 14-2 MIAA)
Friday, March 28 | 3 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Buy Tickets

Game 28: No. 3 Central Missouri vs. No. 24 Fort Hays State
Saturday, March 29 | 2 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Alex Kent, play-by-play)
Promotion: UCM Campus Cupboard Day -- Any canned good donation comes with a $1 ticket & entry into a raffle for prizes from UCM Athletics partners.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

Game 29: No. 3 Central Missouri vs. No. 24 Fort Hays State
Sunday, March 30 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Alex Kent, play-by-play)
Promotion: Strike Out Cancer Day -- Any donation of $5 or more to the Johnson County Cancer Foundation at the game will be eligible for a free UCM water bottle.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

2025 UCM Stats (XML) | 2025 UCM Roster

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First Pitch

• Third-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (19-6, 10-3 MIAA) is back home at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg for four MIAA games this week. The Mules will host the Washburn Ichabods (14-14, 7-9 MIAA) in a midweek contest Wednesday, March 26, at 3 p.m. before welcoming the No. 24-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers (19-6, 14-2 MIAA) March 28-30 for a three-game conference series. The series opener is slated for 3 p.m. Friday, March 28, with game two at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, and the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 30. 
• UCM is coming off a 2-1 series win at Rogers State March 21-23 in Claremore, Okla. winning game one, 14-3 in seven innings, dropping game two, 4-1, and rolling to an 18-1, eight-inning victory in game three. 
• Through 25 games, UCM is led at the plate by  infielders Jacob Steele (.430 avg., 28 R, 43 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 23 RBI, .640 SLG%, 15 BB, .517 OB%, 4 SB), Cole Kreisel (.354 avg., 21 R, 23 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 11 BB, .488 OB%, 4 SB), Chase Wilcox (.304 avg., 14 R, 24 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 13 BB, .411 OB%, 11 SB) and Grant Hollister (.300 avg., 13 R, 18 H, 3 2B, 9 RBI, 4 BB, .419 OB%, 6 SB), and outfielders Vance Tobol (.374 avg., 32 R, 37 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 42 RBI, .859 SLG%, 11 BB, .457 OB%, 6 SB), Dayvin Johnson (.371 avg., 28 R, 33 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, .697 SLG%, 6 BB, .414 OB%, 7 SB) and Isaiah Keller (.372 avg., 17 R, 29 H, 4 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, .538 SLG%, 14 BB, .462 OB%, 12 SB). On the mound, the Mules are paced by right-handers Jack Scott (2-1, 3.82 ERA, 30.2 IP, 31 H, 16 R, 13 ER, 14 BB, 29 SO, .263 opp. avg.), Evan O'Toole (3-0, 4.99 ERA, 30.2 IP, 30 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 14 BB, 35 SO, .261 opp. avg.), JD McReynolds (3-0, 1.33 ERA, 20.1 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 32 SO, .155 opp. avg.) and Jake Wilson (2-0, 2.70 ERA, 20.0 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 9 BB, 28 SO, .208 opp. avg.). 
• As a team, UCM is hitting .331 while limiting opponents to .236 hitting. The Mules have a 4.40 team ERA and a .972 fielding percentage. 
• Through 25 games, Central Missouri leads the MIAA in hitting (.331), and pitching (4.40 ERA) and is sixth in fielding (.972 pct.). Individually at the plate, Steele is tied for second in batting average (.430), third in hits (43), fifth in on-base percentage (.517) and tied for sixth in triples (2), Tobol is second in slugging percentage (.859) and homers (13), third in RBI (42), eighth in runs (32) and ninth in batting average (.374), Johnson is fifth in slugging percentage (.697), Keller is 10th in batting average (.372) and third in stolen bases (12), Wilcox is tied for fourth in stolen bases (11), and Kreisel is 10th in on-base percentage (.488).
• In the latest NCAA-II statistics, Tobol is eighth in home runs (13) and 12th in RBI (42) while Steele is 13th in hits per game (1.79). 

Series History

• Washburn: Wednesday's midweek showdown with the Ichabods will mark the 128th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1983. UCM leads the series, 98-29. Last season, the Mules went 3-2 against Washburn. Central Missouri won two of three games against the Ichabods in Topeka, Kan., winning games one and two, 6-5 and 16-4 in seven innings, before losing game three, 10-9. The Mules and Ichabods also faced off in the MIAA tournament in Pittsburg, Kan. UCM fell to Washburn, 11-1 in eight innings in the semifinals before posting a 9-1 victory in an elimination game. 
• Fort Hays State: The three-game series against the Fort Hays State Tigers will mark meetings 72-74 in the all-time series going back to 1995. Central Missouri leads the series, 58-13. Last season, UCM posted a record of 5-0 against the Tigers, sweeping a three-game regular season series in Warrensburg, 13-0 in seven innings, 9-4 and 16-2 in seven innings, and winning a best-of-three MIAA first round series, 2-0, posting scores of 5-3 and 14-4 in eight innings. 

Notable Streaks

• Hitting streaks: Chase Wilcox, 8 games
• On-base streaks: Chase Wilcox, 18 games; Jacob Steele, 16 games

Eighth-Inning Dominance

• Through 25 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the eighth-inning, 42-10. Overall, UCM is outscoring its adversaries, 229-117 on the season. 

Crookes Approaching History

• Head coach Kyle Crookes is just one win shy of tying former Mules baseball coach Brad Hill (1995-2003) for most wins in program history (418).

Tobol Receives Weekly Honors

• Vance Tobol was named both the MIAA Hitter of the Week and NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week for the week of March 17-23.
• Tobol hit .385 with six runs, five hits, one triple, four homers, 13 RBI, a 1.462 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base percentage in the Mules' three-game series at Rogers State March 21-23 in Claremore, Okla.
• In UCM's 18-1, eight-inning, series finale triumph over the Hillcats March 23, Tobol went 3-for-5 with two home runs, including a grand slam, to go along with a triple, nine RBI and three runs after posting a 2-for-4 performance with three runs, two homers and four RBI in Central Missouri's 14-3, seven-inning win in game one against Rogers State March 21.
• Tobol's nine RBI in the series finale fell one short of the program single-game record of 10 set back in 1994 by former Mule Rick Ladjevich against Truman State.

Mules Baseball Announces 2025 Diamond Club Inductees, First Pitch Banquet Keynote Speaker

• The University of Central Missouri Mules baseball program has announced the newest class of inductees into the Mules Baseball Diamond Club as well as the keynote speaker for the annual First Pitch Banquet.
• Entering the Diamond Club this year are former Mules standout student-athletes Bret Schwartz, Mason Janvrin and Brad Wilson, and former longtime Mules baseball radio broadcaster Bob Jackson.  
• This year's keynote speaker at the First Pitch Banquet, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, at 5 p.m. inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center in Warrensburg, is MLB Hall of Famer George Brett.
• Register for the First Pitch Banquet by clicking here.

Preseason Honors

• 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. 

Mules in the Rankings

• Central Missouri is ranked third in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Divsion II Poll release Tuesday, March 25. 
• The Mules were picked first in the 2025 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

UCM During the Crookes Era

• Kyle Crookes has a 417-139 (.750) record in his 11th season as head coach at Central Missouri. Crookes earned his 400th career win in UCM's 11-8 victory over Jefferson in Houston, Texas, Feb. 2. 
• 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 12 MIAA Championships, six regular season and six 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.

Mules Baseball History

• The 2025 season marks the 69th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,175-825-9 record in 3,009 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).

Mules Baseball by the Numbers

• 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

Quick Hits

• 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.

Up Next

• The Mules are scheduled to host the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in a MIAA midweek game Tuesday, April 1, at 3 p.m. in Warrensburg.