No. 3 Mules Baseball Wraps Up Regular Season Home Slate vs. Northeastern State April 25-27

Baseball | 4/24/2025 10:56:00 AM

Game 43: No. 3 Central Missouri (33-9, 24-6 MIAA) vs. Northeastern State (13-31, 10-20 MIAA)
Friday, April 25 | 6 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Alex Kent, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

Game 44: No. 3 Central Missouri vs. Northeastern State
Saturday, April 26 | 2 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
**UCM Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day**
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Jason Ketz, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

Game 45: No. 3 Central Missouri vs. Northeastern State
Sunday, April 27 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
**SENIOR DAY (after the game)**
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Alex Kent, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV) | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

2025 UCM Stats (XML) | 2025 UCM Roster |  ABCA Poll | NCBWA Poll

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First Pitch

• No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball (33-9, 24-6 MIAA) is scheduled to conclude the 2025 home portion of its regular season schedule with a three-game MIAA series against the Northeastern State RiverHawks (13-31, 10-20 MIAA) April 25-27 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, April 25, with game two at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 27.
• Saturday's game is UCM Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day while Sunday's regular season home finale will be Senior Day. Mules baseball will honor its 2025 Senior Class in a postgame ceremony. 
• The Mules are coming off a 9-2 win over the Washburn Ichabods in a midweek MIAA game Wednesday, April 23, in Warrensburg. 
• Through 42 games, UCM is led at the plate by  infielders Jacob Steele (.392 avg., 45 R, 69 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 45 RBI, .614 SLG%, 21 BB, .459 OB%, 6 SB), Cole Kreisel (.353 avg., 37 R, 42 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, .513 SLG%, 28 BB, .506 OB%, 8 SB) and Grant Hollister (.342 avg., 25 R, 38 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBI, .505 SLG%, 6 BB, .427 OB%, 8 SB), and outfielders Vance Tobol (.353 avg., 52 R, 60 H, 11 2B, 3 3B, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .735 SLG%, 18 BB, .431 OB%, 16 SB), Dayvin Johnson (.367 avg., 50 R, 58 H, 14 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 49 RBI, .703 SLG%, 14 BB, .418 OB%, 10 SB) and Isaiah Keller (.333 avg., 33 R, 50 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 45 RBI, .600 SLG%, 16 BB, .393 OB%, 13 SB). On the mound, the Mules are paced by right-handers Jack Scott (4-1, 3.06 ERA, 53.0 IP, 52 H, 21 R, 18 ER, 21 BB, 48 SO, .257 opp. avg.), Evan O'Toole (5-0, 3.93 ERA, 50.1 IP, 43 H, 26 R, 22 ER, 20 BB, 49 SO, .232 opp. avg.), JD McReynolds (6-0, 1.38 ERA, 3 SV, 32.2 IP, 19 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 52 SO, .162 opp. avg.) and Jake Wilson (4-0, 3.79 ERA, 35.2 IP, 33 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 18 BB, 51 SO, .246 opp. avg.), and left-hander Sawyer Allen (4-0, 3.86 ERA, 1 SV, 28.0 IP, 23 H, 18 R, 12 ER, 13 BB, 24 SO, .215 opp. avg.). 
• As a team, UCM is hitting .324 while limiting opponents to .241 hitting. The Mules have a 4.52 team ERA and a .971 fielding percentage. 
• Through 42 games, Central Missouri leads the MIAA in hitting (.327) and pitching (4.30 ERA) and is sixth in fielding (.971 pct.).
• In the latest NCAA-II statistics, Tobol is 19th in home runs (16) while Steele is 13th in hits per game (1.68) and 26th in hits (68). 

Series History vs. Northeastern State

• The three-game series against the RiverHawks will mark meetings 52-54 in the all-time series dating back to 1968. The Mules lead the series, 38-13. Last season, UCM swept a three-game series in Tahlequah, Okla., against NSU, winning 18-2 in seven innings, 19-14 and 17-7 in seven innings. 

Keller Earns National Hitter of the Week Honors

• Redshirt senior outfielder Isaiah Keller was named the NCBWA Division II National Hitter of the Week for the week of April 14-20. He's the first National Hitter of the Week for Mules baseball since former Central Missouri standout outfielder Brennen van Breusegen earned the honor in 2022. 
• Keller hit a sizzling .500 with 11 hits, including six home runs, one double and one triple, going along with 20 RBI, eight runs scored, a 1.455 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage in four games. 
• He went 3-for-7 and was a single shy of hitting for the cycle in UCM's 17-10 win at Northwest Missouri State April 15, going 3-for-7 with a homer, double and triple while tallying five RBI before going 3-for-5 with a home run and driving in four runs in the Mules' 11-5 victory at Missouri Southern in game one of a three-game MIAA series April 17. 
• Keller capped off his week by going 2-for-5 with two homers and six RBI in game one of a doubleheader April 18 before going 3-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in game two of twin bill against the Lions April 18. 

Tobol Eclipses 200 Career Hits; Steele Approaching Milestone

• Vance Tobol tallied his 200th career hit as a Mule on a single to left field in the fourth inning of game one of a doubleheader Friday, April 18, at Missouri Southern. Entering Friday, he has 203 career hits. 
• Jacob Steele is just four hits away from 200 in his UCM tenure. He has 196 entering the series against Northeastern State.

Swinging for the Fences!

• The Mules hit 16 home runs and scored 44 runs in their three-game series sweep at Missouri Southern  April 17-18 in Joplin, Mo. In UCM's doubleheader sweep alone against the Lions April 18, Central Missouri had 11 homers and plated 33 runs. 

Notable Streaks

• Hitting streaks: Dayvin Johnson, 7 games; Cole Kreisel, 5 games; Chase Heath, 4 games; Grant Hollister, 4 games
• On-base streaks: Dayvin Johnson, 7 games; Kaleb Ceola, 5 games; Isaiah Keller, 5 games; Cole Kreisel, 5 games, Will Krzykowski, 5 games; Ayden Blachowicz, 4 games; Grant Hollister, 4 games

Second and Eighth-Inning Dominance

• Through 42 games, the Mules are outscoring their opponents in the second inning, 54-19, and eighth-inning, 55-23. Overall, UCM is outscoring its adversaries, 377-219 on the season. 

Getting on the Board Early

• Central Missouri is 19-2 on the season when it scores in the first inning and 22-5 when it scores first in a game. 

Crookes Becomes All-Time Winningest Coach in Mules Baseball History

• Eleventh-season head coach Kyle Crookes became the winningest coach in Mules baseball history after earning career win number 419 Friday, March 28, vs. No. 24 Fort Hays State (recap).
• Crookes passed former UCM head coach Brad Hill, who went 418-91 from 1995-2003. Entering the weekend, Crookes has a career record of 431-142. 

Mules in the Rankings

• Central Missouri is ranked number five in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division II Poll released April 22 and is third in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Poll unveiled Wednesday, April 23. 
• The Mules were picked first in the 2025 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

UCM During the Crookes Era

• Kyle Crookes has a 431-142 (.752) 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 winningest coach in program history.
• 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 2,189-828-9 record in 3,026 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 11 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 travel to Springfield, Mo., for a non-conference, midweek game at Drury Tuesday, April 29, at 6 p.m.