No. 4 Mules Baseball Heads to Arkansas-Fort Smith for Three-Game MIAA Series March 7-9

Baseball | 3/4/2025 3:00:00 PM

• Fourth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (11-3, 5-1 MIAA) is slated to travel to Fort Smith, Ark., for a three-game MIAA series March 7-9 against the MIAA newcomer Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions (7-9, 2-4 MIAA). The series opener is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, March 7, at Crowder Field, with games two and three slated for 1 p.m. first pitches Saturday, March 8, and Sunday, March 9. 
• The Mules are coming off a 3-1 week last week, defeating Maryville in a midweek game Feb. 26, 7-6, before winning two of three game against then No. 20-ranked Pittsburg State Feb. 28-March 2. UCM won game one, 11-6, and game two, 7-6 in 10 innings, before dropping the series finale to Pitt State, 7-4. 
• Through 14 games, UCM is led at the plate by catcher/first baseman Chase Heath (.407 avg., 15 R, 24 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, .593 SLG%, 5 BB, .439 OB%, 6 SB), infielder Jacob Steele (.351 avg., 11 R, 20 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, .509 SLG%, 8 BB, .424 OB%, 2 SB), and outfielders Vance Tobol (.305 avg., 15 R, 18 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .610 SLG%, 7 BB, 4 SB) and Isaiah Keller (.304 avg., 10 R, 14 H, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 9 BB, .418 OB%, 8 SB). On the mound, the Mules are paced by right-handers Evan O'Toole (2-0, 3.60 ERA, 15.0 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, 20 SO, .231 opp. avg.), JD McReynolds (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 11.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 12 SO, .179 opp. avg.) and Jake Wilson (1-0, 3.27 ERA, 11.0 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 15 SO, .244 opp. avg.). 
• As a team, UCM is hitting .310 while limiting opponents to .247 hitting. The Mules have a 4.46 team ERA and a .985 fielding percentage. 
• Through 14 games, Central Missouri is third in the MIAA in hitting (.310), pitching (4.46 ERA) and fielding (.980 pct.). Individually, Heath is seventh in the conference in hitting with his .407 batting average and O'Toole is 11th in pitching with his 3.60 ERA. In addition Cole Kreisel leads the conference in on-base percentage (.571), Heath is tied for fourth in hits (24), Steele is tied for second in triples (2) and Tobol is tied for fourth in homers (4). 
• 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. 

• The three-game series at Arkansas-Fort Smith will mark meetings 5-7 in the all-time series dating back to the first meeting in 2010. The Mules lead the series, 3-1, but haven't faced the Lions since a 10-4 setback in 2021. 

• Hitting streaks: Chase Wilcox, 5 games; Jacob Steele, Dayvin Johnson, Ayden Blachowicz, 4 games each; Cole Kreisel, 3 games
• On-base streaks: Chase Wilcox, 7 games; Jacob Steele, 5 games; Ayden Blachowicz, Dayvin Johnson, Cole Kreisel, Cody Moore, 4 games each

• 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.

• 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. 

• Central Missouri remained number four in the most recent ABCA Division II Coaches poll release Tuesday, March 4. 
• The Mules were picked first in the 2025 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

• Kyle Crookes has a 409-136 (.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 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 2,167-822-9 record in 2,998 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 travel to Quincy, Ill., for a doubleheader against the Quincy Hawks March 14 at noon and a neutral site twin bill against the Davenport (Mich.) Panthers March 15 at noon.