CMSU Mules add 17 for run at 2005 NCAA-II Baseball title

Central Missouri State University head baseball coach Darin Hendrickson and his staff were not at all satisfied with finishing third in the 2004 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in their first year with the Mules. Rather, they are now hungrier than ever.To that end, the Mules have added 17 new signees to an already impressive lineup. Joining the Mules for the 20005 campaign are:

Cole Armstrong - 6-2, 180, shortstop from Colby Community College

A native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan (where he did not have a baseball team at Swift Current Comprehensive School), Armstrong stood out at Colby (Kan.) College. There he was a second-team All-Jayhawk West selection as a shortstop last spring.

Jon Buettner - 6-3, 240, catcher from Porterville College

Buettner is a native of Pasco, Wash., where he lettered all four years at Pasco High School. From there, he earned a pair of letters and was twice named all-conference at Porterville (Calif.) College. There he also played in the California Junior College All-Star Game in the fall of 2003, and helped lead Porterville to the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.

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.

Jon Heisterberg - 6-2, 195 pound lefthanded pitcher from Crowder College

Heisterberg is a local talent from Sedalia, Mo. He transferred to CMSU from Crowder College in Neosho, Mo. At Smith-Cotton High School, he earned three letters in basketball and baseball, and was a three-time all-conference pick on the baseball diamond. He then played two years at Crowder before coming to Central Missouri State.

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.

Josh Kohrs - 6-3, 225 pound righthanded pitcher from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette

A graduate of Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Mo., Kohrs was a standout at Louisiana-Lafayette. Prior to that he was an all-region pick as a freshman and sophomore at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Mo. He was all-conference and all-state as a sophomore, junior and senior at Francis Howell, and this past summer played in the prestigious Northwest League with the St. Cloud (Minn.) River Bats, where he posted a 2.51 earned-run average.

Scott Lucas - 6-2, 200 pound first baseman/outfielder from the University of Arizona

Lucas saw limited action in two years at Arizona after transferring from Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kan. A native of Overland Park, Kan., he was an All-Jayhawk Conference East pick and was selected to play in the Kansas Junior College Athletics Association All-Star Game. He also earned three letters at Blue Valley North High School, and was an All-Eastern Kansas League, All-Sun Country, and All-Johnson County pick, and was chosen for the Kansas-Missouri High School All-Star Game. At Arizona, Lucas saw action in two games last spring.

Brian McBryde - 6-1, 160 pound shortstop from Humble (Texas) High School

A three-year letterwinner at Humble High School, McBryde earned all-district honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He capped his career by earning all-state honors last season, and was chosen for the Greater Houston All-Star Game and the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game.

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.

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.

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 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.

- 2005 CMSU Mules Baseball -