Bulldog Weekly Report (April 10)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 10, 2018 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Ben Pratt, Track & Field

Pratt, a Greeley, Colo., native took first place in the high jump with a personal best of 6’ 5” at last week’s Concordia Outdoor Invite. That mark ranks fourth best among GPAC competitors and puts him sixth on the program’s all-time list in the high jump.

Female: Murphy Sears, Golf

Sears, who hails from Crete, Neb., recorded her first career tournament win while shooting a career best one-over-par 73 at last week’s CSM/Midland Invite in Omaha. Sears’ performance paved the way for a third-place team finish. She was named the GPAC women’s golfer of the week.

Previous athletes of the week
March Athletes of the Month: Wade Council (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
April 3 – Scott Johnson (track & field) / Hhana Haro (softball)
March 27 – Cade Moring (baseball) / Mackinsey Schmidt (softball)
March 20 – Wade Council (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
March 13 – Cody Williams (track & field) / Samantha Liermann (track & field)
February Athletes of the Month: Deandre Chery (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 27 – Nick Little (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 20 – Deandre Chery (wrestling) / Samantha Liermann (track & field)
Feb. 13 – Jerry Stepps III (wrestling) / McKenzie Gravo (track & field)
Feb. 6 – Michael Duffy (wrestling) / Colby Duvel (basketball)
January Athletes of the Month: Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 30 – Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Anna Baack (track & field)
Jan. 23 – Jacob Cornelio (track & field) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track & field) / Brenleigh Daum (basketball)
Jan. 9 – Jared Woods (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
December Athletes of the Month: Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 12 – Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Dec. 5 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Sydney Feller (basketball)
November Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 28 – Jake Hornick (basketball) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 14 – Cameron Devers (wrestling) / Jeannelle Condame (soccer)
Nov. 7 – Tarence Roby (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
October Athletes of the Month: Ryan Durdon (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 31 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 24 – Marcelo Hernandez (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) and Grady Koch (football) / Sami Birmingham (soccer)
Oct. 10 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 3 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
September Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Kordell Glause (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
Sept. 19 – Lewis Rathbone (soccer) / Victoria Cera (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Tarence Roby (football) / Murphy Sears (golf)
Sept. 5 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)

News and notes:

Lammers tabbed All-Nebraska captain, six others honored by Omaha World-Herald: Sophomore Philly Lammers became the latest member of the Concordia women’s basketball program to be named captain of the Omaha World-Herald’s NAIA/NCAA Division III all-Nebraska state college basketball team. Lammers was one of seven Bulldog basketball players to receive some form of All-Nebraska recognition from the Omaha news outlet.

Council, Lammers voted Concordia’s March athletes of the Month: Sophomores Wade Council of the baseball program and Philly Lammers of the women’s basketball program were voted last week as the Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Month for March. Voting is conducted at the weekly booster luncheon held on Tuesdays at the Dog House Grill. For more on Council and Lammers, click HERE.

Linebacker core shaping up nicely for Bulldog football: With first team all-conference defensive backs D’Mauria Martin and Tarence Roby moving on, a linebacker core headed by Lane Napier now grabs more of the spotlight. Head coach Patrick Daberkow says that the success of the Concordia defense will have much to do with the linebacker unit. For more on how the group is progressing, click HERE.

Fall schedules available on the web: Fall 2018 schedules are now available on the web for the sports of cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. Schedule breakdowns for specific sports can be read by clicking the links below.
-Men’s Soccer | Volleyball

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its third year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2017-18 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene called volleyball action again this past fall.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Golf

  • Last week marked the beginning of the spring season for the women’s golf program, which hit the links for the first time since playing in two GPAC championship rounds back in October. Led by sophomore Murphy Sears, the Bulldogs made a big splash, placing third out of 12 teams at the CSM/Midland Spring Invitational in Omaha on April 5. It marked the highest team finish of 2017-18 for head coach Brett Muller’s squad. Meanwhile, the men have been idle since defeating Doane in the Bulldog-Tiger Cup on March 24. For more on Concordia golf, click the following links: men | women.
  • Entering last week, the Bulldog women’s team had not shot lower than a 372 over its eight rounds in the fall. That changed in a big way at the CSM/Midland Invite, where Concordia carded a 343, far exceeding what had been its season average of 385.9. The breakthrough performance allowed the Bulldogs to outshoot GPAC rivals Doane (352), Midland (358), Dordt (362), Mount Marty (367), Dakota Wesleyan (367), Northwestern (382) and College of Saint Mary ‘B’ (387).
  • When all-time great and GPAC champion Amy Ahlers graduated, it was natural for Sears to take over the leading role. Sears made the third-place team finish possible by shattering her previous career best of 78. She shot a one-over-par 73 and took first place among the field of 76 golfers at the Miracle Hill course. It was the first career tournament win for Sears, who has also turned in finishes of third and fifth in 2017-18. She lowered her team best season average to 84.44 and her career average to 86.0 (24 rounds) and was named the GPAC player of the week.
  • Sears was not alone. It was also a big day for sophomore Payton DeMers-Sahling, who also turned in a career best. She shot an 84, outperforming her previous career low of 92. The York native placed 12th while just missing out on her first career top 10 tournament claim. The back of the lineup also rose to the occasion with all six individuals who competed coming in under 100: Haley Nolde (93), Madison Pitsch (93), Paighton Barbre (95) and Gabrielle Coviello (97).
  • Seven Bulldog women’s competitors have played between seven and nine rounds in 2017-18. Sears is by far the team leader in terms of season 18-hole average. Next in line are DeMers-Sahling (98.44), Rebecca Day (98.75), Nolde (98.78), Barbre (103.56), Pitsch (103.71) and Coviello (106.71). Sears owns each of the team’s top three single-round scores (73, 78, 82) and nine of the top 10.
  • Eight players have represented the men’s program throughout 2017-18. In order of their season averages, the group includes Nolan Zikas (74.45), Russell Otten (76.82), Kort Steele (78.55), Tylar Samek (78.91), Tyler Ehresman (81.18), Harrison Helmer (85.86), Jayden Neal (87.29) and Grant Suchanek (87.57). The team average through 11 rounds is 306.91.
  • Both teams are scheduled to continue their seasons this week. Up next for the men is the recently added GPAC Spring Preview set to take place Wednesday and Thursday at Woodland Hills Golf Couse in Eagle, Neb. Start times are 11:45 a.m. on day one and 10 a.m. on day two. The women will also be in action on Thursday at the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite hosted by Doane. Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln will serve as the venue.

Softball

  • Since last week’s report, the Bulldogs have rattled off four home victories within conference play. They swept doubleheaders from both Hastings (April 5) and Briar Cliff (April 9) while shaking off a string of three nail-biting defeats to begin GPAC play. Concordia outscored Hastings/Briar Cliff by a combined total of 23-5. Fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad has moved to 15-12 overall and to 4-3 in the conference entering Tuesday’s (April 10) twin bill at Morningside. For more information on Bulldog softball, click HERE.
  • LaVelle relied almost exclusively upon Kylie Harpst and Michaela Woodward to cover innings in the circle in 2017. With both having graduated, some level of patience was likely needed for a new-look staff to come together. The last four games have been a good sign. Over that stretch, Brittany Woolridge and Grace Bernhardt have combined to cover all but one inning. Woolridge tossed a five-hit shutout versus Hastings and Bernhardt fired a four-hit shutout versus Briar Cliff. A native of Tucson, Ariz., Woolridge is likely to get many of the most critical innings during the stretch run. She’s considered the ace of the staff after arriving in Seward via Texas A&M University Commerce.
  • When counting players with at least 100 plate appearances, freshman Hhana Haro leads the entire NAIA in batting average (.530). She’s cranked out 53 hits in her first career 100 at bats at the college level. Haro’s average is so gaudy that it actually went down after she went 3-for-7 in the doubleheader with Briar Cliff. In seven GPAC games, the native of Garden Grove, Calif., is 15-for-26 (.577) with seven runs, four doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and a .962 slugging percentage.
  • Haro is one of several freshman that have taken on key roles for the 2018 team. Another in Allysia Thayer homered for the first time in her career in Monday’s action. With the Bulldogs leading by a 1-0 score in the bottom of the fourth of game two, Thayer belted a two-run homer, helping carry them to a 6-0 win. Fellow freshman Mackinsey Schmidt and Tori Homolka have also been regulars in the starting lineup.
  • Shortstop Jamie Lefebure (.429 batting average in conference play) is noteworthy for more than just her improving bat. Her defense stood out on Monday when she turned two separate 6-3 double plays and also made a sprawling stop up the middle to rob a Briar Cliff hitter of a single. Lefebure has been on reason why Concordia ranks No. 1 in the GPAC in fielding percentage (.957). She and Leah Kalkwarf team up for an experienced duo up the middle.
  • The Bulldogs have moved up to No. 18 on the national leaderboard in runs scored per game (6.9). Among conference teams, they rank second in the following categories: batting average (.345), slugging percentage (.500), runs scored per game and hits per game (10.3). In conference games only, Concordia is hitting .325 with an average of 5.6 runs per contest. The pitching staff owns a 3.21 ERA in GPAC games, a significant improvement from its 5.43 overall ERA.
  • With the doubleheader sweep of Briar Cliff, LaVelle claimed his 50th career GPAC regular-season win. He’s now 50-37 in conference games since beginning his tenure prior to the 2014 campaign. His overall record stands at 140-83 with one GPAC tournament title (2015) and two NAIA national tournament berths. Over the previous four seasons, the Bulldogs have averaged 31.3 wins per season with a high water mark of 34 in 2017.
  • Concordia is in the midst of a seven-game week, if all goes according to plan. Following today’s twin bill at Morningside (15-8, 3-1 GPAC), the Bulldogs will finish a suspended game at Doane (21-12, 5-2 GPAC) beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Concordia owns an 11-6 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. LaVelle’s squad is then scheduled to return home and host Dakota Wesleyan (5-17, 1-3 GPAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Track & Field

  • Due to snowy and chilly weekend weather, the Concordia Outdoor Invite ran off on April 5 instead of playing out over Friday and Saturday (April 6-7) as originally planned. The Bulldogs produced a pair of event champions and one new automatic national qualifying mark while hosting athletes from six competing institutions. This was the second time already this spring that head coach Matt Beisel’s programs have had to adjust to a rescheduled meet. For more information on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • In rankings that were released prior to the Concordia Invite, the Bulldogs again garnered top 25 national rankings. According to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer ratings (April 4), Concordia checked in at No. 8 on the women’s side and No. 16 on the men’s side. Though still early, the Bulldog women appear equipped for another run at a top 10 national finish after placing ninth at the 2018 NAIA indoor championships.
  • The reliability of shot put national champion Samantha Liermann has been remarkable. By the time she completed three events last week, Liermann had improved her NAIA best shot put mark (48’ 9 ½”), added a fresh automatic national qualifying toss in the hammer (166’) and achieved a season best ‘B’ standard in the discus (140’ 3”). The Wisner, Neb., native currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in all three events.
  • Liermann is the leader of what continues to be the top women’s shot put crew in all of the NAIA. Liermann, Adrianna Shaw and Johanna Ragland are all qualified for outdoor nationals in the shot put and each rank in the top seven nationally in the event. Like Liermann, Shaw improved her already existing automatic mark in the shot put. She threw 45’ 10 ½” at the Concordia Invite. Liermann, Shaw and Ragland placed first, third and seventh, respectively, in the shot put at the 2018 indoor national championships.
  • The Bulldogs also look to be strong in the women’s triple jump, where Jessica Deterding and Leah Larson placed third and fourth, respectively, at the Concordia Invite. Deterding broke 37 feet (37’ 1 ¾”) for the second week in a row. At the Alex Francis Classic, Deterding posted a ‘B’ standard triple jump of 37’ 5” in a first-place effort. Meanwhile, Larson recorded a mark of 36’ 5 ¾” at the Concordia Invite.
  • On the track, Josiah McAllister finished second in the 800 meters while clocking in at 1:57.49, just in front of a rival from Doane. In longer distances, Rebekah Hinrichs placed third in a personal best of 5:02.72 in the 1,500 meters and Taylor Grove finished third with a time of 19:08.95 in the 5,000 meters. Beisel was also pleased with improvements in the 5k on the men’s side where Jordan Lorenz (16:22.46) paced the team.
  • In other notable performances, indoor All-American Cody Williams placed as the runner up in the 110 meter hurdles. His 15.12 allowed him to creep closer to the ‘B’ standard (14.95). He also took part in the 400 hurdles and the pole vault as part of a busy day. Seward High School product Mika Brees claimed a win in the 200 meters with a time of 26.31. She placed fifth in the 100 meters, finishing in 12.87. Another first-place finish went to Benjamin Pratt, who cleared 6’ 4 ¾” in the high jump.
  • Through two full outdoor meets, Bulldog athletes have combined for eight automatic national qualifying marks and six ‘B’ standards. All eight automatic marks have come from throwers. Liermann (shot put, hammer) and Adrianna Shaw (shot put, discus) have qualified in multiple events. Senior Scott Johnson owns ‘B’ standards in both the long jump and the triple jump.
  • Next up for the Bulldogs is Saturday’s Grand View University Quad in Des Moines, Iowa. Other large meets coming up in April are the Jim Dutcher Invite (April 20-21) hosted by Doane and the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite (April 26). The prestigious Drake Relays will also play out later this month in Des Moines.

Tennis

  • Due to inclement weather, both teams were again limited to one match on the week. The men’s and women’s teams came up short in their efforts to open up conference play in victorious fashion. The Concordia women fell, 5-4, at Doane on April 4 while the men dropped a 7-2 decision in Crete on the following day. Matches scheduled to be played at Morningside on April 7 were postponed. Fourth-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads sport records of 7-7 (0-1 GPAC) on the men’s side and 9-6 (0-1 GPAC) on the women’s side. For more on Bulldog tennis, click the following links: men | women.
  • The women were not far off in their aim to knock off a Doane team that placed second in the GPAC last season with a 6-1 conference mark. Frustratingly, the Bulldogs have now suffered 5-4 losses to the Tigers in consecutive seasons. In last week’s match, Concordia got singles victories from Annie Horn (No. 1), Claudia Miranda Viera (No. 4) and Alison Ebel (No. 5) and one doubles win from the combo of Ebel and Kayla Smock at No. 3. A swing at No. 1 doubles, an 8-6 Doane triumph, would have shifted the team score in favor of the Bulldogs.
  • A Denver, Colo., native, Horn improved her season singles record to 8-5 while also extending her win streak in GPAC regular-season matches. She’s won each of her last eight singles matches in such outings. Last season as a junior, Horn went a perfect 6-0 in GPAC singles contests. She owns 34 career singles wins over her standout career. She was chosen last season as an All-GPAC team member for both singles and doubles.
  • Collectively, the women are 43-41 in singles play and 25-17 in doubles. On the team’s singles wins list, Horn is followed by Miranda Viera (6-6), Katelinn Wurm (6-7), Amanda VonSeggern (4-0), Ebel (4-3) and Kirsten Wagner (4-8). Pacing the team in doubles are Wurm (9-4), Horn (6-6) and Miranda Viera (5-2).
  • The Concordia men are still looking for their first win over Doane since 2014. They also lost by an identical 7-2 score to the Tigers in 2017. The lone victories last week were produced by Luke Zoller at No. 2 singles and by the duo of Gio De Moraes and Josh Miller at No. 3 doubles. Miller just missed out on a perfect day after dropping a third-set tiebreaker at No. 6 singles. All three doubles matches were closely contested.
  • As a team, the men are 37-47 in singles and 23-19 in doubles action. Singles wins leaders include Zoller (8-6), Jeremy Berryman (7-7), Thomas Greeff (6-8) and Miller (5-7). The doubles leaderboard is made up of De Moraes (9-3), Miller (8-4), Berryman (8-6) and Zoller (7-7).
  • Last week Miranda Viera became the second Bulldog tennis player this season to earn GPAC player of the week honors. Greeff also picked up a conference weekly honor on March 15. Miranda Viera became the latest honoree after she claimed wins at No. 3 singles and at No. 3 doubles in a 7-2 team victory at Nebraska Wesleyan on March 28. Miranda Viera is a native of Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
  • Both teams are scheduled to make their first home appearances this spring against GPAC foes this week. The women will host Midland (6-7, 0-0 GPAC) at 4 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The men will entertain the Warriors (8-7, 0-0 GPAC) at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Baseball

  • Before snow began to fall this past Friday, Concordia managed to play a pair of GPAC doubleheaders. After getting swept at home by Hastings on April 4, the Bulldogs returned to action the next day and salvaged a split with Northwestern in a twin bill that took place in Blair, Neb. Back-to-back 1-3 weeks in the GPAC have left fourth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad at 16-13 overall and at 4-6 in conference play. Current GPAC leader Doane sits at 9-3. For more on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs went 1-3 last week despite allowing only a combined 12 runs. They got solid outings from starting pitchers Nick Little, Jason Munsch, Wade Council and Cade Moring. A 10-strikeout performance by Moring in game two versus Northwestern helped Concordia to a much-needed win. The starting staff has put it in positions to win more often than not this season. The team’s 4.25 ERA ranks second best among GPAC teams.
  • Moring is enjoying a breakout campaign in his senior season. The lefty from Eagar, Ariz., has ramped up his strikeout rate in a big way. His 10 K’s last week now give him 62 over 37.2 innings in 2018. His average of 14.81 strikeouts per nine innings ranks third best among all NAIA pitchers. In his first three collegiate seasons combined, Moring had been called upon for just 44 combined innings. In an expanded role, Moring is 4-2 with a 3.11 ERA over seven starts.
  • Little was tagged with his second loss despite recording his fifth complete game this season in last week’s game one loss to Hastings. The Lithia, Fla., native surrendered four runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five. Over seven starts, Little has a 5-2 record, a 1.31 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 55 innings. Little has covered at least seven innings in each of his outings. The ace right-hander is already approaching his team high innings total of 70 during his freshman campaign. Over 19 career outings (125 innings), Little is 11-5 with a 3.02 ERA.
  • While fielding percentage is an outdated measure of defensive performance, it does help paint a picture of Concordia’s struggles in this area. The team’s .945 fielding percentage ranks eighth among the 10 GPAC teams. More than a quarter (28.1 percent) of the opponent runs scored have been unearned. There were two costly unearned runs put up by the Broncos in the first game of last week’s doubleheader.
  • So far so good for junior Christian Clear, who made his varsity debut last week. It appears the Kersey, Colo., native has found a role as a pinch-hit specialist. In three pinch-hit opportunities last week, Clear went 2-for-2 with a walk. His two-run single in the second game versus Northwestern extended the Bulldog lead from 2-0 to 4-0.
  • Only one home run was hit by either Concordia or its opponents in last week’s action. The one blast was produced by junior outfielder Johnny May, whose solo shot down the left field line tied game one with Hastings at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. May has belted six home runs in his collegiate career. On the flip side, the opposition has homered only three times in 818 at bats this season against Bulldog pitching. Concordia has out-homered its foes, 18-3, this season.
  • Bulldog hitters have experienced their share of bruises this season. They have combined to take 55 hit-by-pitches (Concordia pitchers have hit only 23 batters). Keaton Candor (10), Kaleb Geiger (10), Wade Council (7), Evan Bohman (6) and Logan Ryan (5) have all been hit at least five times this season. All the free passes have helped Concordia achieve a .405 team on-base percentage.
  • Things are about to get real busy thanks to all of the recent postponements. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play three road doubleheaders this week. Next up is today’s (April 10) twin bill at 5 p.m. CT at Morningside (11-16-1, 5-5 GPAC). Concordia will then battle Briar Cliff (16-17, 5-9 GPAC) in a Saturday-Sunday four-game series in Sioux City. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on both days.