Central Missouri is Host For MIAA Tournament

Warrensburg, Mo. (May 9, 2000) -- For the third straight year, Central Missouri State University will host the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Baseball Tournament, scheduled for May 12-14 at CMSU's James R. Crane Stadium/Robert N. Tompkins Field. Joining the top-seeded Mules (41-9) are second-seeded Washburn University (35-19), third-seeded Missouri Southern State College (31-21-1) and fourth-seeded Northwest Missouri State University (25-28).

Friday's opening game at noon will match Central Missouri against Northwest Missouri, while Washburn will take on Missouri Southern at 3:30 p.m. Game three on Friday will be between the losers of the first two games and will start 30 minutes after the completion of the 3:30 game.

On Saturday, the winners of games one and two will play at noon, while the winner of Friday's third game will take on the loser of Saturday's first game at 3:30. The championship will be decided on Sunday at 1 p.m. If a second game is needed on Sunday, it will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.

Single-game ticket prices for the tournament will be $4 for adults and $2 for students, with children under five admitted free. An all-session tourney pass will be $8 for adults and $4 for students.

Coach Brad Hill's Mules, ranked seventh in the NCAA Division II this week, bring a 16-game win streak into the tournament and are 24-2 at home this season. Their only conference loss in a 29-1 MIAA regular season was a 13-6 setback at Pittsburg State University on Apr. 2. They won 22 straight league games since that loss.

In this week's MIAA statistics, the Mules lead the league in batting (.351 avg.), pitching (4.13 ERA) and fielding (.969 pct.). The Mules' pitching staff is led by junior right-hander Josh Reynolds, who is a conference-best 11-1 with a league-leading 2.35 ERA and is CMSU's & MIAA's career leader in victories with 31. Senior second baseman Chris Curry paces the Mules in batting with a .460 average, while junior right fielder Seth Collins is second on the team with a .432 average and senior center fielder Nathan Lipowicz tops the team in home runs (14) and RBI (60). Hill is in his sixth season with the Mules and has the most career baseball coaching wins in school history with a 251-62 record. The Mules are seeking their sixth MIAA title in the last seven years and 14th overall.

Washburn finished second in the MIAA with a 21-9 mark and is just two victories away from matching its school record for wins in a season. In their 20th year under Coach Steve Anson, the Ichabods are led by junior right fielder Pat Colley, who is batting a league-leading .466 and paces the team with 61 RBI. Senior center fielder Harley Douglas has set a school record with 47 stolen bases and is batting .421. Senior right-hander Dennis Banks is Washburn's top pitcher as he is 9-1 with a 4.41 ERA. The Ichabods are seeking their first MIAA baseball crown.

Missouri Southern, in its 24th season under coach Warren Turner, is enjoying its best season since 1996, when the Lions finished 31-22 and were 17-11 in the MIAA. Junior left fielder Jeremy Hatfield is Southern's top hitter, batting .370, and also leads the team in home runs with eight and in RBI with 54. Sophomore right-hander Jerrod Reinke tops the pitching staff with five wins and three others each have four wins, including reliever Nick Johnson, who leads the team with seven saves and a 4.14 ERA. The Lions' won their only two MIAA titles back-to-back in 1991 and 1992.

First-year head coach Darin Loe guided Northwest Missouri to a 16-14 league mark. The Bearcats, who have won six MIAA titles (the last was in 1983), are led by junior left fielder Adam Bailey, the conference's top home-run hitter with 18. He is also their leader in RBI with 60 and bats a team-leading .428. NWMSU also features the league's top relief pitcher in junior right-hander Matt Goodman, who has set an MIAA record with 12 saves and has the team's top ERA of 3.09. Senior right-hander Hans Schnell has six wins to top the staff, while sophomore left-hander Gary Hall is third in the conference in strikeouts with 69 in 71 innings.

CMSU swept the regular-season series from all three foes. Washburn swept Missouri Southern and split two games with Northwest Missouri, while Missouri Southern won two of three from Northwest Missouri.