Andrew Mather | University Photographer

No. 2 Mules Baseball Set to Open 2026 Season at Houston Winter Invitational

1/28/2026 12:15:00 PM

First Pitch

No. 2-ranked Central Missouri Mules Baseball (0-0) is scheduled to begin its 2026 season with three games in the annual Houston Winter Invitational, January 30-February 1 at Daikin Park in downtown Houston, Texas.
UCM is slated to face the Rollins College Tars (0-0) in its 2026 season opener on Friday, Jan. 30, at 5 p.m. in Houston before facing off against preseason No. 10-ranked North Greenville (0-0) on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1:30 p.m. The Mules are slated to wrap up the Houston Winter Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 1, with a 12:30 p.m. game against Ashland (0-0).
Central Missouri is coming off a 2025 season that saw it compile an overall record of 48-14 and a MIAA record of 29-7. The Mules captured their 31st overall and sixth straight MIAA Regular Season Championship and 21st NCAA-II Regional Title, advancing to the Division II World Series for the 21st time in program history. UCM advanced all the way to the best-of-three national championship series at the World Series in Cary, N.C., ultimately finishing as the national runner-up to the Tampa Spartans.

Previewing the 2026 Mules

Entering the 2026 season, UCM baseball welcomes back three position starters, including 2025 MIAA Freshman of the Year infielder Cole Kreisel (.328 avg., .908 OPS, 51 R, 63 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 37 BB, .476 OB%, 13 SB), Honorable Mention All-MIAA infielder Grant Hollister (.333 avg., .927 OPS, 40 R, 59 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 49 RBI, 14 BB, .430 OB%, 9 SB), and MIAA Gold Glove Team first baseman Chase Wilcox (.278 avg., .841 OPS, 48 R, 60 H, 11 2B, 8 HR, 38 BB, .401 OB%, 16 SB)
On the mound, Central Missouri welcomes back two starting pitchers, including Honorable Mention All-MIAA selections Jack Scott (4.41 ERA, 4-1, 1 SV, 85.2 IP, 103 H, 46 R, 42 ER, 30 BB, 73 SO, .299 opp. avg.) and Jack Kreisman (6.06 ERA, 3-3, 1 SV, 78.2 IP, 76 H, 56 R, 53 ER, 31 BB, 66 SO, .252 opp. avg.) In addition, the Mules return four relievers who threw at least 15 innings last season, including Honorable Mention All-MIAA reliever Chris Massey (5.75 ERA, 3-1, 1 SV, 36.0 IP, 34 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 25 BB, 47 SO, .250 opp. avg.), Sam Wyrick (2.91 ERA, 3-0, 4 SV, 34.0 IP, 27 H, 18 R, 11 ER, 15 BB, 20 SO, .218 opp. avg.), Sawyer Allen (4.62 ERA, 7-1, 1 SV, 48.2 IP, 46 H, 31 R, 25 ER, 22 BB, 40 SO, .250 opp. avg.) and Egan Keeler (4.79 ERA, 4-1, 20.2 IP, 20 H, 20 R, 11 ER, 13 BB, 22 SO, .247 opp. avg.).
The Mules have numerous newcomers to the 2026 roster, including 14 transfers and 11 high school freshmen.

Mules in the Rankings

The Mules are ranked number two in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and D2 Baseball Division II Top 25 Preseason Polls.
UCM was picked first in the 2026 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

Series History

Rollins College: Friday's season opener vs. Rollins College will mark just the second meeting in the all-time series. Rollins won the only previous meeting with Central Missouri, defeating the Mules at the 1989 NCAA Division II World Series in Montgomery, Ala., 6-3.
North Greenville: Central Missouri and North Greenville have met just one other time in the all-time series. The Trailblazers posted a 12-1, seven-inning victory over UCM in the 2023 Houston Winter Invitational.
Ashland: Sunday's game against the Ashland Eagles will be the seventh meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1992. Central Missouri leads the series, 6-0. UCM and Ashland met in the 2025 Houston Winter Invitational, with the Mules defeating the Eagles, 15-5 in eight innings.

UCM During the Crookes Era

Kyle Crookes has a 446-147 (.752) record in his 12th season as head coach at Central Missouri.
Crookes is the winningest coach in Mules Baseball history with his 446 victories entering the season.
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 the seventh for Crookes as head coach.
Crookes has won up to 13 MIAA Championships, seven regular season and six tournament.
He also has five regional championships to his credit in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and 2025.
During his 11 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 Freshman of the Year Jack Scott in 2024 and Cole Kreisel in 2025. Thirty-three players have earned All-Region honors, 17 All-American and eight 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 2026 season marks the 70th in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 2,204-833-9 record in 3,046 games played.
The Mules have won 40 or more games 24 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 21 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
21 Regional Championships
16 Top Five national finishes
5 Third-place finishes
3 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 Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 38 seasons.

Up Next

The Mules are scheduled to host Arkansas Tech for their 2026 home-opening series February 6-8 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in Warrensburg.

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