Warrensburg, Mo. (May 14, 2001) -- For the fourth straight year, Central Missouri State University will be the host for the NCAA Division II Central Regional Baseball Tournament, scheduled for Thursday through Sunday at CMSU's Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Joining the top-seeded Mules (46-8) in the double-elimination event are second-seeded Wayne (Neb.) State College (34-8), third-seeded Minnesota State University-Mankato (30-13) and fourth-seeded Missouri Southern State College (36-18).

Thursday's opening game at 1 p.m.  will match Wayne State against Minnesota State-Mankato. At 7 p.m., the Mules will take on Missouri Southern. Friday's schedule will match the losers of Thursday's games at 11 a.m. and the winners of Thursday's games at 3 p.m. Game three Friday at 7 p.m. will be between the 11 a.m. winner and 3 p.m. loser. Saturday's championship is scheduled for 1 p.m., with a second game, if needed, to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 1 p.m. game.

The Central Region winner will join the seven other regional winners for the Division II Championship Tournament May 26-June 2 at Montgomery, Ala.

Tickets for the regional are $15 for adults and $7 for students for all-tournament passes and $6 for adults and $3 for students for single-day tickets. Children age five and under are admitted free.

Coach Brad Hill's Mules, the defending regional champions, are making their 15th NCAA appearance overall and eighth in a row. Under his guidance the Mules have won four regional titles in his six previous seasons: 1995, 1997, 1998 and last year.

Hill, the MIAA coach of the year this season for the fifth time in his career, is 306-74 (.805) in his seventh campaign with the Mules. He has the highest winning percentage of any active Division II coach with at least five seasons on the job.

The Mules earned the top seed for the regional on the basis of their 46-8 record that has them ranked second in this week's Collegiate Baseball Division II Coaches' Top 30 poll. They won their seventh conference title in the last eight years with a 26-3 league record, then claimed the MIAA Post-Season Tournament crown this past Sunday.   After going 4-5 in their first nine games of the season, the Mules have won 42 of their last 45 games.

Senior Corey Clinefelter, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year, leads the league's best pitching staff. He is 12-0 with a 2.60 ERA. Junior P.J. McGinnis is also 12-0 with a 3.15 ERA. Behind Clinefelter and McGinnis, the Mules have seniors Adam Cline (8-3, 3.36 ERA) and Josh Monroe (5-1, 4.86 ERA) and junior Jason Herz (6-1, 2.47 ERA).

Junior first baseman Chris Umphres is the Mules' top hitter, as he leads the team in batting (.473), home runs (11) and RBI (79). Sophomore second baseman Boomer Berry has returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a broken hand and is batting .417. Senior center fielder Seth Collins, a second-team All-America selection last year, is batting .376 with seven home runs and 51 RBI. Junior left fielder Clabe Gaines leads the team in stolen bases with 26 in 30 attempts, while hitting .360 with nine home runs and 49 RBI. He is one of three Mules' players with at least 20 stolen bases. Berry has 22 and shortstop Craig Ringe has 20.

Wayne State, winner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament, is making its first NCAA baseball appearance. The Wildcats beat regular-season league champion Winona State University twice in the tournament finals at Winona last weekend to earn their regional bid.

In their ninth season under coach John Manganaro, the Wildcats have won 25 of their last 28 games and are ranked 21st in this week's Division II poll. Senior Andy Schultz is Wayne State's top hitter, batting .407 with two home runs and 40 RBI. Senior Eric Fitch is batting .386 with seven home runs and 35 RBI. Senior Brian Zimmerman is the Wildcats' leader in home runs (10) and RBI (45) to go with a .313 batting average.

Leading the pitching staff is senior Brady Borner, who is 8-2 with a 2.92 ERA. He has thrown four shutouts, nine complete games and has struck out 98 in 86.3 innings. Junior Aaron Hyde is 7-0 with a 4.21 ERA, while junior Nathan Miller is 7-2 with a 2.47 ERA.

North Central Conference champion Minnesota State-Mankato is making its 23rd NCAA appearance. The Mavericks came back through the loser's bracket of their conference tournament last weekend and won a third straight league title by beating South Dakota State University twice in the finals. Coach Dean Bowyer is in his 25th season with the Mavericks and has 749 career wins at the school.

Senior Ryan Dutton is the Mavericks' leading hitter at .451 with six home runs and 30 RBI. He also is Minnesota State-Mankato's top pitcher with an 8-1 record and a 2.80 ERA. Senior Tim Huber is batting .403 with a team-leading 31 RBI and 22 stolen bases. Junior Aaron Heitzman is 6-3 with a 2.56 ERA, while junior Chris Rupert is 5-3 with a 3.17 ERA. Senior Keith Meyers has been strong out of the bullpen for the Mavericks, collecting all four of the team's saves and striking out 35 while walking just three in 22 1/3 innings.

Missouri Southern is making its fifth NCAA appearance and its first since 1995. Coach Warren Turner's Lions, ranked 26th in this week's Division II poll, finished second to Central Missouri in the MIAA regular-season standings and in the post-season tourney. Turner, in his 25th season as the Lions' head coach, has 760 career coaching wins.

The Lions feature the MIAA Player of the Year in senior outfielder/pitcher Matt Meyr, who is batting .464 with seven home runs and 72 RBI. On the mound, he is 2-0 in relief with a 3.92 ERA. The Lions also feature the league's freshman of the year in first baseman/pitcher Nathan Hughes. Hughes is batting .362 with seven home runs and 49 RBI.

Still another combination player for the Lions is senior outfielder/pitcher Jeremy Hatfield. He is batting .370 with five home runs and a team-leading 50 RBI and on the mound he is 7-1 with a 2.41 ERA. Senior John Langenbacher is the Lions' top starter with a 7-3 record and a 4.43 ERA, while freshman reliever Jake Lawver is 8-0 with a 5.21 ERA

Thursday's Central Missouri-Missouri Southern clash will be the seventh meeting of the season between the two teams, with the Mules winning five of the previous six. The Mules are 13-5 all-time against Minnesota State-Mankato, but the two teams have not met this season. The Mules have never met Wayne State in baseball. Missouri Southern, Wayne State and Minnesota State-Mankato have not played each other this season.