SEWARD, Neb. – An eventful past weekend saw Joey Grabanski rise to the top of the NAIA’s all-time home run leaderboard while at the same time, the 15th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team struggled to contain Morningside’s attack. The Mustangs won three of four games in the series played at MercyOne Field in Sioux City, Iowa. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will look to regroup as it hits the road to play Jamestown before returning to Plum Creek Park for a Sunday matinee with Hastings. The Bulldogs stand at 29-12 (13-7 GPAC) and are currently tied for second place in the GPAC standings.
This week
Friday, April 19 at Jamestown (25-11, 11-7 GPAC), 2 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Jack Brown Stadum (Jamestown, N.D.)
Sunday, April 21 vs. Hastings (12-30, 3-17 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· It was a weekend chalk full of slugfests as Morningside outscored Concordia, 44-39, for the series. The Bulldogs took game one, 13-11, before the Mustangs won the next three, 8-5, 14-12 and 11-9. Concordia was unable to fully take advantage of stellar offensive production. In the series, seven Bulldogs collected at least five hits: Jay Adams (9-for-15), Brad Hallock (6-for-16), Matt Rhoades (6-for-16), Alec Blakestad (5-for-13), Ty Nekoliczak (5-for-13), Joey Grabanski (5-for-15) and Jaidan Quinn (5-for-17). Home runs came from Grabanski (three), Hallock (two), Adams (one), Quinn (one) and Tompkins (one). Concordia’s weekend starting pitchers, in order, were Braxton Greenburg, Caden Johnson, Matt Rhoades and Christian Gutierrez. A total of 10 pitchers were used to navigate 29 innings.
· Grabanski will go down as a Concordia, GPAC and NAIA legend. The Grand Forks, N.D., native entered the weekend needing one homer to tie and two to break the NAIA’s all-time home run record. The standard of 77 had been held by Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)’s Brice Cutspec (2007-10). Grabanski reached 78 in game one of the series at Morningside with a three-run blast in the fourth inning. The amazingly consistent Grabanski has produced homer totals of 17 as a freshman, 18 as a sophomore, 27 as a junior and 17 so far as a senior. In 211 career collegiate games, Grabanski has also totaled 207 runs, 281 hits, 48 doubles, 269 RBIs and 566 total bases while hitting .375 (281-for-750).
· The three defeats at Morningside were costly in terms of the race for the GPAC regular season title. Doane (15-5 GPAC) now owns a two-game lead over Concordia and Morningside while Jamestown and Briar Cliff are both 11-7 in league play. Doane won three of four this past weekend as it swept a road doubleheader from Briar Cliff and then split a home twin bill with Midland. A top-two GPAC finish comes with the reward of hosting a four-team pod in the conference tournament. During Dupic’s tenure, the Bulldogs have been a GPAC tournament host in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. As for the Tigers, they are seeking to win the GPAC regular season championship for a fourth-straight year.
· One more win would give Concordia 30 on the season. Through Dupic’s first eight full seasons (2020 shortened by COVID-19), the Bulldogs have hit the 30-win mark five times with a high of 42 victories during the 2021 NAIA World Series qualifying campaign. The Bulldogs were one of seven NAIA programs nationally to win at least 40 games each season from 2021 through 2023. Earlier this season, Dupic (311-175-1) reached the 300-win milestone. He is the winningest coach in the history of the program.
· The pitching staff has experienced its share of ups and downs this spring. Two top rotation arms were lost for the season in Caden Bugarske and Alex Johnson. In addition, Blake Benson has been a scratch of late due to injury. Dupic has been able to mix and match effectively enough for Concordia to sport a team ERA south of 5.00 (4.97). Gutierrez has been a lifesaver for his ability to go deep into games. He’s logged at least six innings in six of his last seven starts. He is 5-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 58 innings. The hope is for two-time First Team All-GPAC hurler Caden Johnson (4-2, 7.43 ERA) to tighten up down the stretch and for Benson (5-1, 4.00 ERA) to return to the mix. Out of the bullpen, Jacob Lycan (2.20 ERA in 12 appearances) and Maverick Wylder (five saves) have been counted upon frequently.
· Not surprisingly, Concordia paces the GPAC in virtually all key offensive categories, including batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.437), slugging percentage (.584), runs scored (364), home runs (84) and extra-base hits (155). Four of the league’s top five RBI producers are Bulldogs: Grabanski (57), Quinn (55), Rhoades (45), Blakestad (40) and Adams (36). In addition, Adams (.387), Hallock (.383) and Quinn (.381) rank Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively, in batting average. Four of the GPAC’s top five in home runs are from Concordia: Quinn (20), Grabanski (17), Rhoades (12) and Blakestad (10). Quinn is the first Bulldog to ever hit 20-plus home runs in back-to-back seasons.
The opponents
Jamestown is the mix for a spot in the top two spots in the GPAC standings as it winds down its final season as a league member. The Jimmies have been a consistently strong program under 25th-year Head Coach Tom Hager. He led Jamestown to a school record 52 wins in 2016. The 2024 edition has racked up 25 wins and is coming off taking three of four in a series at Dakota Wesleyan this past weekend. The weather up north has held up well enough for the Jimmies to play 12 games (9-3 record) at home this season. The likes of Alex Alva (.373 BA, 5 HR, 35 RBIs) and Jordan Singleton (.359 BA, 4 HR, 28 RBIs) have enjoyed strong campaigns. The pitching staff has been led by Avery Liestman (6-0, 2.15 ERA) and Cade Torgerson (7-1, 2.65 ERA). The staff ERA stands at a rock solid 4.00. A year ago, Concordia swept a home doubleheader from Jamestown.
Hastings continues to make progress under second-year Head Coach Joel Schipper. The Broncos sit at 12-30 overall (3-17 GPAC) after finishing 2023 at 12-34 overall (6-20 GPAC). The top hitters for Hastings have been Tyler Kissler (.371 BA, .441 OBP) and Eli Merritt (.329 BA, .419 OBP). As a team, the Broncos have hit .239 and have averaged 3.8 runs per game. Hastings ace pitcher James Velasquez (5-2, 1.56 ERA) has been dominant in limiting opponents to a .170 batting average. Before heading to Seward, the Broncos will host Dordt on Friday. Concordia has won each of the past nine series games versus Hastings.
Next Week
It will be the final week of the regular season as the Bulldogs look forward to hosting doubleheaders with Mount Marty on April 26 and Dakota Wesleyan on April 27. Concordia will celebrate its senior class on April 27.