Bulldog Weekly Report (April 24)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 24, 2018 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Hhana Haro, Softball

Haro, a native of Garden Grove, Calif., keeps on slugging. Over the past week, Haro went a combined 14-for-24 (.583) with five doubles, a triple and a home run. She had multiple hits in each game. Haro continues to lead the GPAC in batting average (.515).

Male: Tucker Platt, Track & Field / Thomas Sautel, Baseball

Platt, who hails from Stromsburg, Neb., broke out with an automatic national qualifying clearance of 15’ 5” in the pole vault during Sunday’s action at the Dutcher Memorial hosted by Doane. Platt has clinched a spot at the national championships for the first time.

Sautel, who calls Littleton, Colo., home, earned GPAC player of the week honors on Tuesday (April 24) after a week that saw him go 17-for-34 at the plate. One of his most significant hits was a walk-off RBI single to beat Doane. Sautel is hitting .362 on the season.

Previous athletes of the week
April 17 – Scott Johnson (track & field) / Luke Zoller (tennis) / Adrianna Shaw (track & field)
April 10 – Ben Pratt (track & field) / Murphy Sears (golf)
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:

Spring football headlined by rise of young up-and-comers: The final outing of the spring came in the form of a public scrimmage on April 20 underneath the lights at Bulldog Stadium. Head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad showed off an impressive group of up-and-comers, including corner Darius McVay, a sophomore-to-be. The spring practice season began in late March and included 15 separate sessions. For a wrap up of the spring, click HERE.

Moring unlocks potential in senior season: The right mindset along with productive work habits have made a big difference for Cade Moring, one of college baseball’s most prolific strikeout artists. The senior from Eagar, Ariz., has racked up 87 strikeouts over 50.2 innings this season. Moring’s workload this season has been elevated beyond his previous three seasons combined. For more on Moring’s improvement, click HERE.

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.

Baseball

  • Weather better weather of late, games have come in rapid succession. The Bulldogs played eight times last week, including four games at Plum Creek Park. Concordia went 5-3 over that run, splitting doubleheaders with Dordt and Briar Cliff before taking three of four from Doane in a weekend series. Both Sunday victories over visiting Doane came in walk-off fashion. Fourth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad now stands at 22-17 overall and at 10-10 in league play (tied for fourth). For more on Bulldog baseball, click HERE.
  • Prior to Dupic’s arrival, the Concordia baseball program had won 20 games in a season only three times (2004, 2005, 2012). The Bulldogs have won more than 20 games in each of Dupic’s four seasons. His win totals of 26 (2015), 28 (2016) and 34 (2017) each re-set the program single-season wins standard. Earlier this season, Dupic reached 100 career wins as a head coach. He is now 110-84 since taking over the program prior to the 2015 campaign.
  • Sophomore right-hander Nick Little is enjoying one of the top seasons ever by a Bulldog pitcher. He allowed only one earned run over nine innings in a victory over Doane in his latest outing. In the process, Little eclipsed Dave Freudenburg’s previous school single-season record for most innings pitched in a season. Little has now either surpassed or equaled program single-season records for innings pitched (78), complete games (8) and wins (8). Little is also moving up the list for most single-season strikeouts. His 70 rank behind Jim Juergensen (94; 1962), Cade Moring (87; 2018) and Brett Stewart (76; 2005). Little is 8-2 with a 2.08 ERA this season.
  • Junior Thomas Sautel has been on a tear at the plate. Last week he went 17-for-34 (.500) with six runs scored, three doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 RBIs over eight games. He was nearly perfect (8-for-9) in the doubleheader versus Dordt. The hot streak has moved Sautel’s batting average from .312 to .362. One of the highlights of Sautel’s week was his walk-off infield single that completed a comeback from a 5-0 deficit versus Doane. A transfer from Indiana Wesleyan, Sautel’s role has increased significantly this season.
  • The team leader with a .421 batting average, Christian Meza wasn’t too shabby last week either. He went 15-for-29 (.517) with eight runs scored, six RBIs, three doubles and six walks. He played a huge role in the 10-7 win at Doane on April 21, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs. Meza is the GPAC leader in batting average while ranking second in RBIs (35). The San Diego area native has collected multiple hits in 17 games this season.
  • The offensive attack got off to a slow start in conference play, but last week was full of positive developments. Led by Meza and Sautel, the Bulldogs averaged 7.8 runs per game over the past eight games. They were particularly productive in the twin bill in Sioux City, burning Charger pitchers for a combined 23 runs on 25 hits, including six home runs. Concordia continues to rank as one of the league’s top offensive teams. Among GPAC squads, the Bulldogs rank first in batting average (.306) and runs scored per game (6.7).
  • Concordia dropped game two at Briar Cliff despite blasting five home runs. Two of them came from first baseman Evan Bohman. Keaton Candor, Kaleb Geiger and Johnny May each delivered one big fly. Geiger’s home run came in the ninth in a pinch-hit appearance. Geiger’s 18 career home runs rank as the fourth most all-time in program history. May has drilled seven home runs over 128 career games. The Bulldogs have out-homered their opponents, 24-9, this season.
  • Six games are left to be played on the regular-season schedule. Concordia will host Midland (22-19, 10-10 GPAC) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in a doubleheader (makeup date that has been changed twice). The Bulldogs will also welcome Dakota Wesleyan (10-21, 6-12 GPAC) to Plum Creek Park for a four-game series this Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. CT both days. The conference tournament will get started on Thursday, May 3.

Track & Field

  • Another meet was moved off of a Saturday for the Bulldogs, who simply adjusted to a rare Sunday outing while in competition at the Jim Dutcher Memorial (April 22-23) hosted by Doane. Select athletes were also at the Kansas Relays (April 20) and junior Taylor Grove made a splash at the Drake Relays on April 22. By week’s end, head coach Matt Beisel’s squad had added two more automatic national qualifying marks and had also racked up some lofty point totals in the multi-events. For more information on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • Grove will be headed back to the NAIA outdoor national championships to compete in the marathon for a second year in a row. The native of Billings, Mont., placed third amongst women who ran the half marathon at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday. Grove finished with a time of one hour, 28 minutes and seven seconds. She now ranks first in the GPAC and 19th in the NAIA in the event. Grove has successfully come back after sitting out the cross country season this past fall.
  • From top to bottom, the Bulldogs possess one of the top groups of men’s pole vaulters in the nation. They were simply waiting for someone to break through with an ‘A’ standard mark. That happened at the Dutcher Memorial when freshman Tucker Platt cleared 15’ 5.” Teammate Simon Brummond (15’ 1”) was not far off. Two other Concordia vaulters (Logan Craig and Dalton Berry) also went over 14 feet.
  • Thanks to the efforts of Jessica Deterding (heptathlon) and Cody Williams (decathlon), the Bulldogs took home titles in the multi-events for both men and women at the Dutcher Memorial. Just a sophomore, Deterding is blossoming into a star. Her 4,392 points in the heptathlon put her No. 1 in the GPAC and No. 3 in the NAIA. Meanwhile, Williams piled up 6,317 points in the decathlon and ranks second in the conference and ninth nationally. Both stand a strong chance to reach the national championships.
  • Among other noteworthy accomplishments on the women’s side, freshman Mika Brees turned in a personal best in the 200 meters (25.96) and helped the 4x400 meter relay to a season best. In the 1,500 meter race, Rebekah Hinrichs and Alyssa Fye both recorded personal bests while placing second and fifth, respectively. On the men’s side, Josiah McAllister ran a season best in the 800 meters (1:55) and finished second. He also ran a 49.2 split for the 4x400 meter relay that finished fourth in 3:24.08. In the same 800 meter race, Thomas Taylor clocked a season best. Elsewhere, Nathan Elbert claimed a PR in the javelin (163’ 1”) and Jordan Lorenz made his debut in the 10,000 meters with a team season best of 34:19.71.
  • The complete list of Bulldogs who appear on the national leaderboard with either automatic or ‘B’ standard qualifying marks is shown below. Concordia athletes have combined for 12 ‘A’ marks and nine ‘B’ marks. Adrianna Shaw leads the way with three automatic marks. Nine different individuals have clinched spots at the outdoor national championships.
    • Evan Asche: half marathon (B, 1:14:50)
    • Blake Becher: ranks 14th in NAIA in decathlon (6,146)
    • Simon Brummond: pole vault (B, 15’ 1”)
    • Jacob Cornelio: hammer throw (A, 184’ 4”); discus (B, 160’ 5”)
    • Morgan De Jong: discus (B, 142’ 2”)
    • Jessica Deterding: triple jump (B, 37’ 5”); ranks third in NAIA in heptathlon (4,392)
    • Jazzy Eickhoff: javelin (B, 128’ 4”)
    • Taylor Grove: half marathon (A, 1:28:07)
    • Madison Holt: hammer throw (A, 165’ 3”)
    • Scott Johnson: triple jump (A, 47’ 7 ¾”); long jump (B, 23’ 5 ¼”)
    • Samantha Liermann: shot put (A, 48’ 9 ½”); hammer throw (A, 166’); discus (B, 143’ 8”)
    • Kennedy Mogul: ranks 16th in NAIA in heptathlon (4,185)
    • Tucker Platt: pole vault (A, 15’ 5”)
    • Johanna Ragland: shot put (A, 44’ 8”)
    • Adrianna Shaw: shot put (A, 45’ 10 ½”); discus (A, 149’ 1”); hammer throw (A, 169’ 5”)
    • Bethany Shaw: discus (A, 150’ 8”)
    • Carley Skorepa: discus (B, 141’ 3”)
    • Cody Williams: ranks ninth in NAIA in decathlon (6,317)
  • Several different meets are listed on this week’s schedule, including the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite (Thursday), the Drake Relays (Thursday through Saturday) and the Concordia Blizzard Buster (Saturday). The latter meet was a late addition to the schedule. This will be the final week of action before the GPAC championships take place May 4-5 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Softball

  • Three more GPAC doubleheaders have been recorded in the books since last week’s report. The week began with a rough pair of losses in a twin bill versus Midland on April 17. The Bulldogs then split doubleheaders with Mount Marty and Dakota Wesleyan. Both defeats in those twin bills were decided by just a single run. Despite dipping below .500 in league play, fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad still appears to be in good shape to qualify for the conference tournament. Concordia stands at 18-18 overall and at 7-9 in the GPAC. For more information on Bulldog softball, click HERE.
  • The blowout losses like the ones suffered at the hands of Midland have been rare this season for Concordia. Four of its GPAC defeats have come by just one run and another ended with a two-run separation. For the most part, the Bulldogs’ numbers are indicative of a team hovering around the .500 mark. In conference play only, Concordia has scored 74 runs and has allowed 87. On the down side, the Bulldogs have not hit as well against GPAC opponents (.258 team batting average).
  • One player who has never stopped hitting is freshman third baseman Hhana Haro, who is stating a strong case to be among the candidates for the GPAC player of the year award. Since last week’s report, Haro has gone 14-for-24 (.583) with multiple hits in all six games. She’s been a doubles machine, pushing her season total to 20 thanks to five more over that stretch. The native of Garden Grove, Calif., remains the GPAC leader in batting average (.515) and on-base percentage (.537) and is just a hair behind the leader in slugging percentage (.808).
  • Haro is putting together a season that could end up as one of the best ever by a Concordia softball player. In the doubleheader at Mount Marty, Haro became the program’s single-season record holder in doubles. Her 20 two-baggers are three more than the previous standard. She’s also creeping up on Stacey Miller’s school record of 73 hits in a season. Haro has 69. Her .808 slugging percentage would rank third best and two more RBIs would put her in the top 10 in that category.
  • A native of St. Charles, Mo., freshman Grace Bernhardt appears to have a bright future in the circle. Though she was chased in the second inning from her outing last week against Midland, Bernhardt bounced back by allowing only four earned runs over 16 innings of pitching against Mount Marty and Dakota Wesleyan. When factoring in GPAC games only, Bernhardt owns a 2.92 ERA over 36 innings (eight appearances). Her eight wins lead the pitching staff.
  • Freshman Mackinsey Schmidt is another young player who has provided a boost this season. Even if her bat goes cold, the Crete, Neb., native supplies plenty of value with her ball-hawking ability in center field. She saved a potential bases clearing double in the ninth inning of Monday’s first game against Dakota Wesleyan with a tremendous diving catch towards the gap in right center. She’s the team’s third leading hitter (.343) behind Haro (.515) and Elanna Osthoff (.384).
  • Osthoff and Kenna Heath helped rescue the Bulldogs from being swept by the Tigers on Monday. Concordia entered the bottom of the seventh down 6-3 in the nightcap. With the bases loaded, Heath drove home a run with a ground out. Osthoff then doubled in a pair of runs to tie the game. An inning later, Heath singled to deep left center to bring in the walk-off run. A Seward native and Seward High School product, Heath is hitting .258 with a home run and 20 RBIs in her first season at Concordia.
  • This is it for GPAC regular-season play. The Bulldogs will be at College of Saint Mary (13-25, 4-12 GPAC) on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. CT doubleheader before hosting Dordt (18-15, 7-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia will use the home finale to celebrate three seniors: Brittany Arent, Kaitlyn Buresh and Janey Pasold. They can extend their careers by reaching the GPAC tournament (May 4-5, 7).

Golf

  • It’s GPAC championship week for both golf programs. As of Tuesday afternoon (April 24), the men’s team was in the midst of its final round of conference championship action. The women will finish their own GPAC championships later in the week. Since last week’s report, both of head coach Brett Muller’s squads also finished a pre-GPAC championships event. The men won the Midland Spring Invite (April 17) while the women placed 10th at their own Concordia Bulldog Invite (April 19-20). For more on Bulldog golf, click the following links: men | women.
  • The title at the Midland Invite marked the first time the men’s team has won an event during Muller’s tenure. In the one-round tournament, Concordia carded a 300, putting it in a three-way tie with Bellevue and Doane. The Bulldogs then won a playoff with freshman Kort Steele clinching the victory with a birdie. Not only did the Bulldogs get the best of Doane, they also fended off other GPAC foes such as Midland, Northwestern, Dordt and Morningside.
  • At the Midland Invite, Steele shot a 73 and placed in a tie for fourth on an individual leaderboard complete with 74 golfers. He was followed in the team’s group of five by Russell Otten (75; T-8th), Nolan Zikas (75; T-8th), Tyler Ehresman (77; T-21st) and Tylar Samek (80; T-39th). Bulldogs Jayden Neal (80), Harrison Helmer (96) and Grant Suchanek (97) also competed at Tiburon.
  • In Monday’s round at the GPAC championships held at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb., Concordia shot a 311, which put it in a tie for seventh on the day. Muller’s squad entered Tuesday with a three-round GPAC championships total of 288-295-311–894 (+42), good for fifth place overall. Junior Nolan Zikas had put himself in strong position for another all-conference honor. He sat in a tie for seventh (70-73-76–219) amongst the GPAC field.
  • Zikas and freshman Kort Steele topped the Bulldogs on Monday by eaching turning in a 76 (+5). Next in line were Tyler Ehresman (79), Russell Otten (80) and Tylar Samek (84). Those five Bulldogs have competed in all three GPAC championships rounds in 2017-18, including the first two that took place back in the fall. Following Zikas on the individual leaderboard, Steele is 18th (79-71-76 – 226), Otten is tied for 19th (77-70-80 – 227), Ehresman is tied for 26th (70-82-79 – 231) and Samek is 34th (71-81-84 – 236). The top 10 finishers automatically claim All-GPAC accolades.
  • Sophomore standout Murphy Sears claimed an eighth-place medal at the Concordia Bulldog Invite by shooting a two-day score of 80-74–154. The two-over-par on Friday marked the second lowest score of her career. Five other Bulldogs competed at Highlands for the Concordia Invite, including Payton DeMers-Sahling (97-92 – 189; T-49th), Haley Nolde (95-95–193; T-56th), Paighton Barbre (101-93–194; T-58th), Madison Pitsch (95-101–196; 60th) and Gabrielle Coviello (102-98–200; 64th). Five of the six Concordia golfers lowered their scores on day two of the invite.
  • The women will enter the last two rounds of the GPAC championships in ninth place (383-376–759). Conference championship action will play out Friday and Saturday at Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Neb., the same location where Amy Ahlers capped an individual conference championship one year ago. Sears will attempt to move up from 13th place (85-86–171) on the GPAC leaderboard. The GPAC men’s championships resumed from Woodland Hills at 10 a.m. this morning (April 24).

Tennis

  • The men’s tennis program has been idle since a 7-2 home loss to Midland on April 12. Meanwhile, the women resumed their spring season on April 21 with a 9-0 blanking of Northwestern in a match played at Genesis Health Club in Lincoln. The women earned their first GPAC victory of the season while improving to 10-7 overall and to 1-2 in conference play. Meanwhile, head coach Joel Reckewey’s men’s squad stands at 7-8 overall and at 0-2 in league action. For more on Bulldog tennis, click the following links: men | women.
  • The women’s program has reached double digits in wins for the first time since the 2013 campaign (coached to a 12-7 record by Amy Harms and Sam Nelson). Harms also led the program to four-straight double-digit win seasons (2008-11) and was named the 2009 GPAC coach of the year after steering the team to an 8-1 conference mark. The program’s high water mark for wins in a season during the GPAC era remains 12. The Bulldogs continue to hunt for their first-ever GPAC championship.
  • As part of the shutout of the Red Raiders, senior Annie Horn earned victories at both the No. 1 singles and doubles positions. The native of Denver, Colo., has won each of her last 10 singles matches in GPAC regular-season action. Horn is 3-0 this season versus the GPAC after going 6-0 in 2017. Horn’s overall singles record over the past two seasons now stands at 25-9. She played mostly at the No. 2 spot during her junior year.
  • Reckewey’s singles lineup last week also included Katelinn Wurm at No. 2, Claudia Miranda Viera at No. 3, Kirsten Wagner at No. 4, Alison Ebel at No. 5 and Kayla Smock at No. 6. In doubles, Horn paired with Wagner at No. 1, Miranda Viera and Wurm teamed up at No. 2 and Ebel and Smock collaborated at No. 3. Concordia won the doubles matches by scores of 8-5, 8-5 and 8-4, respectively, over Northwestern. The closest singles battle came at No. 2 where Wurm outlasted her opponent in a 10-set tiebreaker.
  • Collectively, the women’s team is 53-43 in singles matches and 28-20 in doubles contests. Horn’s 10 singles victories are a team high. Next in line is Miranda Viera (8-6) and Wurm (8-7). Wurm also owns a 10-5 doubles mark with Horn (7-7) and Wagner (7-8) following her on the team leaderboard.
  • The combined men’s records are 38-52 in singles and 24-21 in doubles. Luke Zoller leads the way with a 9-6 overall singles record (6-3 at No. 2). Next in line are Jeremy Berryman (7-8), Thomas Greeff (6-9) and Josh Miller (5-8). Gio De Moraes (9-4) and Berryman (9-6) top the team with nine doubles wins apiece. Miller (8-5) and Zoller (8-7) are close behind.
  • Both Bulldog squads are getting set to return to action today (April 24). The women will host College of Saint Mary (8-6, 4-1 GPAC) in a makeup match at 5:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the men are headed to Hastings (11-6, 2-0 GPAC) for a 4 p.m. start. Both teams are also slated to end their regular seasons on Friday with matches against Morningside and Mount Marty in Sioux City, Iowa. The GPAC tournament will be played May 4-5 in Fremont, Neb.