Central Missouri is Host for NCAA Regional Tournament

Warrensburg, Mo. (May 16, 2000) -- For the third straight year Central Missouri State University will be the host for the NCAA Division II Central Region Baseball Tournament. Joining the top-seeded Mules (45-10) in the double-elimination event this week (May 18-20) are second-seeded Rockhurst University (40-16), third-seeded Winona State University (42-12) and fourth-seeded Minnesota State University-Mankato (35-16).

Thursday's opening game at 1 p.m. at CMSU's Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field matches Rockhurst against Winona State, while at 7 p.m. the Mules take on Minnesota State-Mankato. Friday's schedule pits the losers of Thursday's games at 11 a.m., the winners of Thursday's games at 3 p.m., while game three on Friday at 7 p.m. is 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 that contest. The Central Regional winner will join the seven other regional winners for the Division II Championships May 27-June 2 at Montgomery, Ala.

Ticket for the tournament are $6 for adults and $3 for students, with children age five and under admitted free. Tourney passes cost $15 for adults and $7 for students.

Coach Brad Hill's Mules are making their seventh straight NCAA appearance and 14th overall. CMSU won the 1994 Division II crown and finished third in 1995. Hill, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career, is 255-63 in his sixth season with the Mules and this season became the career leader in coaching wins at CMSU.

The Mules earned the top seed in the regional on the basis of their 45-10 overall record that has them ranked sixth in this week's Collegiate Baseball Division II Coaches' Poll. They won their sixth MIAA title in the last seven years last Sunday, coming through the loser's bracket to beat Washburn University twice, 8-1 and 6-5.

Josh Reynolds, the MIAA Most Valuable Player, leads the league's best pitching staff. The junior right-hander is 12-1 with a 2.16 ERA. His career record is 32-3 in less than three full seasons and he is the conference and school career leader in pitching wins.

Behind Reynolds, the Mules have junior right-hander Corey Clinefelter (9-2, 4.34 ERA), junior left-hander Adam Cline (7-1, 2.69) and junior right-hander Josh Monroe (7-0, 3.48 ERA). Out of the bullpen, junior right-hander Jeff Beshears has tied CMSU's season record for saves with seven.

Senior second baseman Chris Curry is the Mules' leading hitter with a .454 average. Junior right fielder Seth Collins is second on the team with a .434 average and also is second in home runs (9) and RBI (56). Senior center fielder Nathan Lipowicz leads the team in home runs (14) and RBI (65) to go with a .317 average, while sophomore third baseman Craig Ringe is the team's top base stealer with 24 in 28 attempts.

Rockhurst, the defending regional champion, is making its second NCAA appearance in its second season of Division II competition. The Hawks finished fourth at the national tournament last season and are tied for 11th in this week's Division II poll.

In their seventh season under coach Gary Burns, the Hawks have an outstanding pitching duo in senior right-handers Jonathan Krysa and Jason Forge. Krysa is 14-2 with a 2.16 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings, while Forge is 11-4 with a 4.03 ERA.

Junior second baseman Brad Nelson is the team's leading hitter with a .426 average. Also hitting over .400 for the Hawks are sophomore center fielder Burt Schreiber (.413) and sophomore right fielder Luke Fritz (.401). Junior catcher Bruce Nelson leads the team in home runs (10) and RBI (50), while junior shortstop Warren Strickland is the Hawks' top base stealer with 22 in 24 attempts.

Winona State, winner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, returns to the Central Regional for its second NCAA appearance, after reaching the regional finals in 1998. The Warriors are in their 33rd season under coach Gary Grob, the Northern Sun coach of the year who has over 900 career coaching wins.

Tied for 25th in this week's Division II poll, Winona State has won 31 of its last 34, including a 22-game winning streak at one time, and swept through the Northern Sun Tournament in three straight games. Senior catcher Mike Van Eperen has the team's top batting average at .408. Junior first baseman Travis Zick, the Northern Sun player of the year, is hitting .406, while sharing the team lead in home runs (6) and RBI (40).

The Warriors feature a strong pitching staff, led by senior right-hander Andy Davis, who is 9-1 with a 3.72 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. Davis is a transfer from Minnesota State-Mankato. Sophomore right-hander Dan Weinkauf is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA, junior right-hander Derek Johnson is 7-1 with a 2.60 ERA and junior right-hander John Spaeth is 7-2 with a 1.05 ERA. Out of the bullpen, WSU has senior right-hander Mat O'Brien, who is 5-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 11 saves.

North Central Conference champion Minnesota State-Mankato is making its 22nd NCAA appearance. After a 4-8 start to the season, the Mavericks have won 31 of their last 39 games. They won the North Central Conference title in three straight games last weekend.

Coach Dean Bowyer is in his 23rd season with the Mavericks and has 718 career wins. Junior designated hitter Joe Klatke has MSUM's top batting average at .392, while junior second baseman Jim Solum is batting .375 and senior first baseman Brady Ranweiler is batting .366 to go with 10 home runs and a team-leading 52 RBI. Senior right fielder Richard Austin, with a .349 average and a team-leading 11 home runs, is one of four Mavericks with 10 or more home runs for the season. Sophomore shortstop Eric Lonnquist is perfect in the stolen base category with 21 steals in 21 attempts.

A pair of sophomore lefthanders, Aaron Heitzman and Chris Rupert, lead the Minnesota State-Mankato's pitching staff. Heitzman is 6-3 with a team-leading 3.01 ERA, while Rupert is 9-1 with a 3.62 ERA.

The Mules won two games from Minnesota State-Mankato on Mar. 4-5 (4-0, 9-2) and split two games with Rockhurst (winning 4-0 Mar. 22 and losing 9-1 Apr. 12). Rockhurst also owns a pair of wins over Minnesota State-Mankato Feb. 26-27 (8-5, 10-6). Winona State won two games from Minn. State-Mankato Apr. 25 (4-3, 2-1).