UCM’s Crookes Picks Up Baseball’s Coach of the Year Award

For the second time in the last four years, Central Missouri Mules Baseball Coach Kyle Crookes took his team to the NCAA Division II National Championship, and for that, Crookes earned the 2019 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region Coach of the Year.

According to the story on ucmathletics.com:

This is the second ABCA Regional Coach of the Year award for Crookes, also earning it in 2016. The Mules this season finished in third place nationally, going 3-2 at the National Championship, advancing to the semifinal round. UCM won 46 games during the season, the most in any one season in Crookes' tenure.

During the season, the Mules picked up their 26th MIAA Regular Season Championship and 23rd MIAA Tournament Championship. They also won their 18th regional crown. The Mules had 11 named to the All-MIAA team, one at each position on the diamond, a starter and a relief pitcher.

Crookes also led a pair of All-Americans in Erik Webb and Mason Janvrin. Webb was the Central Region Player of the Year and Janvrin was drafted in the 14th round by the Baltimore Orioles.