North by Northwest (NxNW) - University of Central Missouri

The B2R presents a series it will call "North by Northwest" where we will take a look at the MIAA Baseball programs on a school-by-school basis.  First stop - Warrensburg and the University of Central Missouri.

University of Central Missouri (UCM)
Located - Warrensburg, Missouri
Founded - 1871
Enrollment - 11,000
Colors - Cardinal & Black
Nickname - Men (Mules) Women (Jennies)

Why the Mules?

The Mules affiliation with Central Missouri originates in the early 1920s when school officials felt the "Normals" and "Teachers" were no long appropriate names for its athletics teams.  So a committee was formed and suggestions sought.  The winning suggestion was offered a free 3-year subscription to the school newspaper.  The Mules were selected over the likes of the skunks, bobcats, and hippopotamus.

Notable UCM Baseball Head Coaches -

Dave Van Horn - 1994 (took Nebraska Cornhuskers and Arkansas Razorback to NCAA D1 College World Series and won a D2 National Championship in his only season at UCM);
Brad Hill 1995-2003 - (Head Coach of Kansas State);
Darin Hendrickson - 2004-2007 - SLU Baseball Head Coach;

Baseball success -

22 MIAA Baseball Titles
16 NCAA Regional Titles
2 National Championships

Current Head Coach - Tom Myers

Tom Myers was hired as UCM's 13th Baseball Coach in 2007 and has a record of 192-53.  In his 5 seasons at UCM, he has taken the Mules to the College World Series 3 times.  He has been an Assistant Coach at UCM, an Assistant Coach at K-State, and a Head Coach at Pitt State prior to being appointed as the Head Coach at UCM.

Tom Myers recruits strongly in Central Missouri with several Mules coming from the KC-area, Columbia/Jeff City, and St. Louis.  Of the 2012 roster, 18 of 39 players transferred in from another school.  Missouri State was listed as previous school 2 times, Longview CC listed 3 times, SLU listed 1 time, and K-State listed 1 time.

Go Cats!!
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