Skip To Main Content

University of Central Missouri Athletics

Sawyer Allen (15) and Chase Heath (10)
Mallory Murray

Baseball

No. 1 Seed Mules Baseball Opens NCAA-II Central Regional Thursday vs. No. 8 Seed Harding

2025 NCAA-II Central Region Tournament (Double-Elimination)
Game 50: No. 1 Central Missouri (38-11) vs. No. 8 Harding (39-17)
Thursday, May 15 | 2 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field)
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Alex Kent, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Buy Tickets

2025 UCM Stats (XML) | 2025 UCM Roster | NCAA-II Central Regional Info
First Pitch
  • Top-seeded, No. 3-ranked and MIAA Regular Season Champion Central Missouri Mules Baseball (38-11) is hosting the NCAA-II Central Regional Tournament May 15-18 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg. The Mules will open play in the double-elimination tournament Thursday, May 15, at 2 p.m. against the No. 8 seed Harding Bisons (39-17) out of the Great American Conference.
  • The other first round game in the four-team, Warrensburg portion of the regional will feature No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma (36-15) and No. 5 seed Arkansas Tech (31-21). That contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday. 
  • The No. 2 seed Minnesota State Mavericks are hosting the other half of the Central Regional Tournament in Mankato, Minn.
  • This will be the Mules' 35th appearance in the NCAA-II Baseball Tournament in program history and 21st time UCM has hosted a regional tournament. 
  • Central Missouri is coming off a 7-2 loss in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals against Missouri Southern May 8 in Joplin, Mo.
  • Entering the MIAA tournament, UCM is led at the plate by  infielders Jacob Steele (.390 avg., 58 R, 78 H, 12 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 54 RBI, .645 SLG%, 29 BB, .475 OB%, 9 SB), Cole Kreisel (.368 avg., 43 R, 53 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, .500 SLG%, 32 BB, .511 OB%, 11 SB) and Grant Hollister (.313 avg., 30 R, 41 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 34 RBI, .466 SLG%, 9 BB, .415 OB%, 9 SB), and outfielders Vance Tobol (.367 avg., 63 R, 73 H, 14 2B, 3 3B, 19 HR, 64 RBI, .754 SLG%, 23 BB, .445 OB%, 21 SB), Dayvin Johnson (.343 avg., 55 R, 62 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 53 RBI, .669 SLG%, 21 BB, .419 OB%, 11 SB) and Isaiah Keller (.328 avg., 38 R, 58 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 51 RBI, .588 SLG%, 17 BB, .383 OB%, 15 SB). On the mound, the Mules are paced by right-handers Jack Scott (4-1, 4.33 ERA, 60.1 IP, 69 H, 33 R, 29 ER, 23 BB, 52 SO, .290 opp. avg.), Evan O'Toole (5-0, 3.86 ERA, 51.1 IP, 44 H, 26 R, 22 ER, 21 BB, 49 SO, .233 opp. avg.), JD McReynolds (6-0, 1.59 ERA, 3 SV, 39.2 IP, 23 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 13 BB, 63 SO, .142 opp. avg.), and left-hander Sawyer Allen (5-0, 4.25 ERA, 1 SV, 36.0 IP, 33 H, 23 R, 17 ER, 17 BB, 32 SO, .239 opp. avg.). 
  • As a team, UCM is hitting .324 while limiting opponents to .249 hitting. The Mules have a 4.61 team ERA and a .972 fielding percentage. 
  • Through 49 games, Central Missouri leads the MIAA in hitting (.324) and ranks second in pitching (4.61 ERA) and sixth in fielding (.972 pct.).
  • In the latest NCAA-II statistics, Tobol is 17th in home runs (19), 26h in runs per game (1.31) and RBI per game (1.33) while Steele is 18th in hits per game (1.63). The Mules are 22nd in batting average (.324), 16th in home runs (74), 17th in slugging percentage (.538), 25th in stolen bases (128), 15th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.2) and ninth in win-loss percentage (.776).
Fourteen Mules Earn All-MIAA Honors; Steele Co-Player of the Year, Kreisel Freshman of the Year (full details)
  • Jacob Steele was voted the Co-Player of the Year and Cole Kreisel was tabbed Freshman of the Year, highlighting numerous All-MIAA postseason accolades for the 2025 MIAA Regular Season Champion University of Central Missouri Mules Baseball Team, it was announced Tuesday, May 6, by the conference office.
  • Steele (3B), Vance Tobol (OF) and Dayvin Johnson (DH) all earned First Team All-MIAA honors while Evan O'Toole (SP), JD McReynolds (RP) and Isaiah Keller (OF) were Second Team All-MIAA selections and Jack Scott (SP), Jack Kreisman (SP), Jake Wilson (RP), Chris Massey (RP), Chase Heath (C), Grant Hollister (2B) and Kreisel (SS) garnered Honorable Mention All-MIAA recognition.
  • Steele (3B) and Chase Wilcox (1B) both were selected to the All-MIAA Gold Glove Team for their defensive performances throughout the regular season.
Series History
  • Harding: Thursday's NCAA-II Central Regional opening round game vs. the Harding Bisons will mark the sixth meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1996. The Mules hold a narrow 3-2 advantage in the series. The last time the two teams met was back in the 1999 season opener with Central Missouri defeating Harding, 26-3. 
  • Central Oklahoma: If the Mules and Central Oklahoma Bronchos face each other in the Central Regional, it'll mark meeting number 72 in the all-time series going back to 1995. UCM swept a three-game MIAA series against the Bronchos earlier this season in Warrensburg April 11-13, winning 8-3, 7-6 and 3-2 (10 innings). 
  • Arkansas Tech: Should Central Missouri face the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys in the regional, it'll mark meeting number 36 in the all-time series dating back to 1995. The Mules lead the series, 24-11. UCM and Arkansas Tech met earlier this season for a four-game series in Warrensburg Feb. 7-8, with UCM going 3-1, winning game one, 13-4, dropping game two, 4-3 (12 innings), winning game three, 6-0 (seven innings) and winning the series finale, 13-2 (seven innings).
Mules in the Rankings
  • Central Missouri is ranked number seven in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division II Poll released May 13 and is third in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Poll unveiled May 14.  
Notable Streaks Late-Game Dominance
  • Through 49 games, UCM is outscoring its opponents in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, 199-100. Overall, the Mules are outscoring their adversaries, 447-260. 
Getting on the Board Early
  • Central Missouri is 23-2 on the season when it scores in the first inning and 26-5 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. 
UCM During the Crookes Era
  • Kyle Crookes has a 436-144 (.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 while the Mules' 2025 regular season title marks Crookes's seventh as head coach. 
  • Crookes is up to 13 MIAA Championships, seven 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, 116 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including 36 First Team nods, Players of the Year in Erik Webb in 2019, Dusty Stroup in 2021, Brennen van Breusegen in 2022 and 2024, and Jacob Steele in 2025, Pitcher of the Year Conner Wolf in 2024, and Co-Freshman of the Year Jack Scott in 2024 and Freshman of the Year Cole Kreisel in 2025. 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 2,194-830-9 record in 3,033 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 31 MIAA regular season championships, 16 MIAA tournament championships, captured 20 regional titles and two national championships (1994, 2003).
Mules Baseball by the Numbers
  • 35 NCAA Regional Appearances (27 of the last 30 years)
  • 31 MIAA Regular Season Titles
  • 16 MIAA Tournament Titles
  • 21 Regionals as host site
  • 20 Regional Championships
  • 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
  • With a win Thursday, UCM would advance in the winner's bracket of the Central Regional and play the winner of the Central Oklahoma/Arkansas Tech contest at 6 p.m. Friday, May 16. If Central Missouri drops Thursday's game, they would face the loser of the UCO/ATU game in an elimination game Friday at 2 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Brennen van Breusegen

#48 Brennen van Breusegen

OF
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Ayden Blachowicz

#9 Ayden Blachowicz

OF
6' 2"
Senior
L/R
Chase Heath

#10 Chase Heath

C
5' 10"
Senior
R/R
Jack Kreisman

#19 Jack Kreisman

RHP
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
Will Krzykowski

#23 Will Krzykowski

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Chris Massey

#14 Chris Massey

LHP
5' 9"
Sophomore
L/L
JD McReynolds

#47 JD McReynolds

RHP
6' 4"
Senior
L/R
Jack Scott

#16 Jack Scott

RHP
6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Jacob Steele

#8 Jacob Steele

INF
6' 2"
Senior
R/R
Vance Tobol

#22 Vance Tobol

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Chase Wilcox

#25 Chase Wilcox

INF
6' 0"
Junior
L/R
Jake Wilson

#26 Jake Wilson

RHP
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Brennen van Breusegen

#48 Brennen van Breusegen

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
OF
Ayden Blachowicz

#9 Ayden Blachowicz

6' 2"
Senior
L/R
OF
Chase Heath

#10 Chase Heath

5' 10"
Senior
R/R
C
Jack Kreisman

#19 Jack Kreisman

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Will Krzykowski

#23 Will Krzykowski

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
OF
Chris Massey

#14 Chris Massey

5' 9"
Sophomore
L/L
LHP
JD McReynolds

#47 JD McReynolds

6' 4"
Senior
L/R
RHP
Jack Scott

#16 Jack Scott

6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Jacob Steele

#8 Jacob Steele

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
INF
Vance Tobol

#22 Vance Tobol

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
OF
Chase Wilcox

#25 Chase Wilcox

6' 0"
Junior
L/R
INF
Jake Wilson

#26 Jake Wilson

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
RHP