CMSU Mules Baseball Signings

(As of June 14, 2004)

(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – There is an old baseball axiom that says good pitching beats good hitting. With that thought in mind, Central Missouri State University head baseball coach Darin Hendrickson has added six players for the 2005 season, including five pitchers.

A pair of four-year transfers, a junior college standout, a high schooler, and a former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect make up the list. They join five early signees to make up the 2005 Mules recruiting class.

Joining the Mules for the 2004-05 campaign are:

Andrew Burdine - 6-1, 185 pound righthanded pitcher from the University of Louisiana-Monroe

A native of Yukon, Okla., he was a two-time All-Jayhawk Conference pitcher at Barton County Community College before enrolling at Louisiana-Monroe. He comes to CMSU as a senior after posting a 3-3 record with a 5.25 earned run average last spring. In 12 appearances with four starts, he pitched 36 innings, striking out 25 and walking eight.

Mark Carey - 6-1, 170, righthanded pitcher from Civic Memorial High School in East Alton, Ill.

Carey was named the Metro East Baseball Coaches AA Pitcher of the Year as a senior. He posted a 9-2 record with a 2.20 earned run average in 12 starts while striking out 89 and walking just 16 in 70 innings of work. For his career, Carey went 19-8.

Pat Evers - 6-0, 190 pound righthanded pitcher from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Evers played for Hendrickson two years at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park before enrolling at SIU-E. A native of St. Louis, Mo., where he graduated from Christian Brothers College High School, he is expected to be a set-up man for the Mules after going 3-4 with a 3.79 ERA for the Cougars last spring. He had 40.1 innings of work in a team-high 18 appearances.

Wes Hopkins - 6-2, 210 pound righthanded pitcher from St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo.

Hopkins lettered for head coach Rob Struckhoff as a pitcher at St. Francis Borgia. A year-round player, he also was selected to the American Legion All-Star Team every year from 2000-03.

Adam Milauskas - 6-1, 195 pound outfielder from St. Charles (Ill.) East High School

Milauskas played two years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before deciding to return to college. He attended Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2003-04 but did not play baseball in accordance with NCAA requirements for student-athletes returning to college from professional competition, and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. At St. Charles East High School, he was a two-time all-conference selection, and as a senior in 2001 was chosen all-state and District IV All-American.

Owen Williams - 6-1, 180 pound lefthanded pitcher from Edmonds (Wash.) Community College

A native of Sehome, Wash., he is a former draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates. As a sophomore last spring, he was named first-team All-Northern Division in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, and second-team All NWAACC. He posted a 7-2 record with a 1.18 earned run average with 65 strikeouts against just 13 walks in 53.1 innings pitched.

The Mules’ early signees included:

Josh Outman - 6-1, 180 pound pitcher/outfielder from St. Louis (Mo.) Community College at Forest Park

A graduate of Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, Mo., Outman was a first-team All-American last year for St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. He was twice named team MVP and a two-time all-conference pick at Lindbergh High. As a senior he hit 13 home runs and went 5-1 on the mound.

Steven Porter - 5-11, 180 pound outfielder from McCluer High School in Florissant, Mo.

Porter is a three-year letterwinner at McCluer High School. He has twice been named all-conference and as a junior last year was an all-state outfielder. He has played two seasons for the nationally-acclaimed Midwest Prospects team out of St. Louis, Mo.

Jason Schutt - 6-2, 225 pound righthanded pitcher from Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College

Schutt enjoyed a stellar career at Jamestown (N.D.) High School, and will be Des Moines Area C.C.’s number one starter this spring.

Tommy Smoot - 6-1, 170 pound righthanded pitcher from Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan.

A Tecumseh, Kan. native and a graduate of Shawnee Heights High School, Smoot could be the Mules’ closer of the future. He set a new Cloud County record for saves in a season in 2003 with seven, to rank fourth in the nation. He also was 12^th in NJCAA in strikeouts-per-inning (31-in 21 innings, 13.29 K/9) as a freshman last year. At Shawnee Heights, Smoot was a two-time All-City pick, and as a senior was also chosen all-conference and all-state.

Ryan Wagner - 6-0, 175 pound lefthanded pitcher from Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan.

Wagner, a native of Lowry City, Mo. and a Lowry City High School graduate, is considered an “inning-eater.” He should replace one of the five lefties the Mules will lose after the 2004 campaign. As a freshman last spring at Barton County, Wagner went 4-4 in 10 appearances with six starts. He threw 37.2 innings, striking out 25.

The Mules finished the 2004 campaign with a mark of 57-8, a school-record for wins. Central Missouri State won its fifth consecutive MIAA title and its fifth straight NCAA-II Central Regional Crown. The Mules, in their first year under Hendrickson, then advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA-II National Championships for the fourth consecutive season.

CONTACT: JOE MOORE, (660) 543-4312