2010: OVC co-Pitcher of the Week (May 3)… Mueller pitched in 12 games, making 12 weekend starts… was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft and chose to sign, foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility… led the OVC in strikeouts per nine innings (10.27) in all games and conference play (11.16)… teamed with Mike Recchia to post the highest strikeout total (165) among teammates in program history… finished his EIU career with a 17-10 record and 221 strikeouts… limited opposing hitters to a team-best .251 batting average against… matched his career high with 10-strikeout performances against Murray State and Jacksonville State… also struck out eight in starts against UAB, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin… posted all three of his wins in OVC play to finish his EIU career with a 12-4 record in conference starts… also went 2-0 at home to finish his EIU career with a 10-1 at Coaches Stadium… limited opposing hitters to a team-best .238 batting average against with two outs… went 2-1 with 35 strikeouts and a .238 batting average against in May… struck out 45 in 35 innings in his six true road starts… worked five innings of scoreless two-hit ball, striking out six, in the season opener at Southeastern Louisiana… gave up only one run and did not issue a walk over 5 1/3 innings in the series opener at UAB… did not give up an earned run over 6 1/3 innings in the series finale at Tennessee Tech… pitched a seven-inning complete game in his win at Murray State… earned OVC Pitcher of the Week honors for his seven innings of one run ball in the series-opening win against UT Martin… limited Southeast Missouri to only one earned run over six innings in his series-opening victory… National Rankings: 36th in strikeouts per nine innings… OVC Top 10 Rankings: first in strikeouts per nine innings, second in batting average against, third in overall strikeouts, fourth in innings pitched per appearance and seventh in ERA… EIU Single-Season Rankings: seventh in strikeouts… EIU All-Time Rankings: fourth in strikeouts, fifth in innings pitch and 10th in wins.
2009: Second Team ABCA All-Mideast Region... Mueller pitched in 13 games, starting EIU’s first game of every weekend of the year… Eastern went 11-2 in the games he started… shared the team lead in wins and carried an 8-0 record into the OVC tournament… shared the team lead with four pickoffs… led the starting rotation with a .247 batting average against in OVC play, ranking fifth in the league… also averaged eight strikeouts per game in his seven conference starts… averaged a team-best six innings per start… gave up only five extra-base hits in 32 innings at home, limiting opposing batters to a .223 average… was stellar in the month of April, going 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA and .229 batting average against in his four starts… earned four victories during the 13-game win streak… went the distance in the series-opening win at UT Martin, surrendering two earned runs and striking out nine in the first nine-inning complete game by a Panther since 2007… ignited his season with a win against Milwaukee the first weekend of March, working 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball… beat South Florida in Tampa by limiting USF to three earned runs in six innings… struck out eight in back-to-back wins against Tennessee Tech and Murray State during the first two home weekends… teamed up with Brian Morrell to shutout SIU Edwardsville, giving up only five singles and striking out seven in seven innings… setup EIU’s comeback win at Southeast Missouri by keeping the Redhawks off the scoreboard after giving up four runs in the first inning… kept Eastern Kentucky off the scoreboard until the seventh inning in May 15 victory at Coaches Stadium… Top 100 National Rankings: 61st in victories… Top 10 OVC Rankings: fourth in wins and games started, seventh in strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched… EIU Single-Season Rankings: sixth in wins.
2008: OVC All-Freshman Team... Mueller pitched in 16 games and started an OVC-best 15 times… emerged as the staff ace around the beginning of OVC play and went on to lead the team in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts… his 79 strikeouts ranked as the third most in a season by an EIU pitcher… averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings… in his starts of at least five innings, registered more strikeouts than innings pitched on five occasions… opponents attempted to steal only six times with him on the mound… held OVC hitters to a .173 batting average, good for third best in the league… also posted four of his six victories in OVC play while being the only EIU pitcher to start a game in every conference series… tough on right-handed hitters (.201, 35-for-174), with runners on (.215, 28-for-130) and with two outs (.222, 18-for-81)… OVC hitters batted only .147 (11-for-75) against him with runners on… went 3-1 in his five home starts, surrendering just five extra-base hits (and no home runs) in 25 2/3 innings pitched… tossed a two-hit complete game in his home debut, a victory in the middle game of the Morehead State series… led the team with a .232 batting average against in true road games… shined in the month of March, registering a 2.08 ERA and .183 batting average against while striking out 23 in 21 2/3 innings pitched… started EIU’s first games at both the OVC Tournament and NCAA Regional… worked 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out six, in the OVC Tourney win against Tennessee Tech to set the tone for the memorable postseason run… struck out 10 over seven innings in the game two loss of the regular-season series at Tech, suffering the loss in the 1-0 game after a leadoff walk in the eighth scored against the bullpen… that outing marked the first 10-K performance by an EIU pitcher since May of 2005… followed that up with nine strikeouts in his next two starts – both wins – against UT Martin and Murray State… was robbed of a win in the opener of the Jacksonville State series by a two-hour rain delay; Eastern led 12-2 when the rain delay hit after the bottom of the second inning and he did not return to the mound when the game resumed… ended a three-game losing streak with six innings of three-hit ball in the opener of the Austin Peay series… earned his first collegiate victory with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings on the spring break trip versus Bucknell… Top 10 OVC Rankings: first in games started, second in strikeouts, third in batting average against, seventh in victories and 10th in ERA… Top 100 National Rankings: 40th in strikeouts per nine innings and 65th in fewest hits allowed per nine innings… EIU Single-Season Rankings: fourth in strikeouts.
HIGH SCHOOL: He was a two-year letter-winner for coach Dustin Nail… also lettered in soccer... Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class A All-State team selection after helping Columbia to the 2007 IHSA state title… Belleville News Democrat Player of the Year as a senior after earning All-Area recognition as a junior… pitched in all three CHS victories in the state finals, earning the win in game one and saves in the next two victories… struck out the side in the seventh inning of the title-clinching win… All-Cahokia Conference honoree as a senior.
PERSONAL: No. 1 sports highlight was striking out the side in the final inning of the state championship game and watching the fireworks go off in center field… his father has been a major influence on his sports career because "he is always pushing me to do my best, and taught me a lot about hard work and achieving your goals"… most admires coach Nail because "he was always there for me, and he told me if I wanted to do something bad enough I could achieve it"… his cousin is current teammate and fellow CHS grad Ben Thoma… son of Steve and Christina Mueller… MAJOR: Kinesiology and Sports Studies.
