Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Joey Grabanski, Baseball / Noah Schutte, Basketball
A native of Grand Fork, N.D., Grabanski was named the GPAC Player of the Week for the second week in a row after he went 11-for-15 (.733) with six runs, three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs while slugging 1.333 over last week’s four wins. Grabanski is hitting .438 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs on the season.
Schutte, who hails from Laurel, Neb., starred during Concordia’s run to the national quarterfinals. In last week’s two games in Kansas City, Mo., Schutte put up a combined 39 points and 23 rebounds while notching double-doubles in both games. At the national tournament, Schutte averaged 20.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Female: Camry Moore, Softball
Moore, a native of Crete, Neb., fired 7.2 strong innings last week in a tough-luck 2-1 loss to Midland in eight innings. In that outing, Moore allowed only one earned runs on nine hits while collecting five strikeouts. On the season, Moore is 7-5 with a 2.08 ERA in 64 innings. She’s also the team’s leading hitter with a .470 batting average.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
March 15 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
March 1 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Shelby Timmerman (cheer)
Feb. 22 – Gage Smith (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
Feb. 15 – Calvin Rodhe (track & field) / Kendal Brigham (basketball)
Feb. 8 – Taysha Rushton (basketball) / AJ Watson (basketball)
Feb. 1 – Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 25 – Calvin Rohde (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 18 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 11 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Dec. 14 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
Dec. 7 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 30 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Nov. 16 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
Nov. 9 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 2 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 26 – Peyton Mitchell (football) / Lexie Kreizel (volleyball)
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
February – Gage Smith (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
January – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
December – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
November – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
October – Lane Napier (football) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
News and notes:
--Due to the intensity of recent athletic events, and national championship travel, this edition of the Bulldog Weekly Report has been abbreviated.
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Baseball explodes for 17 combined home runs during 4-0 weekend: The 2022 Concordia Baseball team is making pitchers pay for mistakes just the way the 2021 edition did. This past weekend, the Bulldogs opened GPAC play by sweeping home doubleheaders from Dakota Wesleyan and Hastings. Concordia outscored those foes by a combined total of 61-21 while striking for 17 home runs and 10 doubles. Seven Bulldogs batted above .400 for the weekend: Joey Grabanski (11-for-15), Ben Berg (6-for-9), Alec Blakestad (9-for-15), Jay Adams (9-for-18), Jesse Garcia (5-for-11), Tanner Tompkins (3-for-7) and Ty Nekoliczak (5-for-12). As for the pitching staff, Caden Johnson threw the highest volume of innings while working 5.1 innings in a win on Sunday. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is out to a 15-6-1 overall record. GPAC play will continue this week as the Bulldogs host Northwestern for doubleheaders at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday and 3 p.m. on Friday. For more information on Concordia Baseball, click HERE.
Monday postponement leads into more conference action for softball: Inclement weather has now twice postponed the Concordia-Nebraska Wesleyan softball matchup. With rain on Monday (March 21), the two sides pushed their doubleheader to April 6. Dicey conditions also led to the postponement of the home opening doubleheader with College of Saint Mary. Due to the changes, the Bulldogs are now slated to host Dordt at 1 p.m. on Saturday and CSM at 1 p.m. on Sunday (both doubleheaders). This past weekend, Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad began GPAC action by dropping two games at defending conference champion Midland. The scores were 2-1 (eight innings) and 7-0. Camry Moore supplied a strong pitching outing in the first game. The Bulldogs are now 11-11 overall (0-2 GPAC) with six of the losses having come by one-run margins. For more information on Concordia Softball, click HERE.
Men’s Golf continues spring season with Bulldog-Tiger Cup: A couple weeks after playing in Vegas over spring break, Concordia Men’s Golf got back to action this past Saturday at York Country Club in York, Neb. That’s where the Bulldogs came up just short in a 15.5 to 14.5 loss to Doane in the annual Bulldog-Tiger Cup. Full results from the unique event can be found in the match recap HERE. Meanwhile Head Coach Brett Muller’s women’s golf team is still waiting to begin the spring portion of the season. The Concordia women will be in action next Monday-Tuesday (March 28-29) at the Southwestern College Invitational in Winfield, Kan. The next event for the men will be this weekend’s Doane University Invite (March 25-26) held in Eagle, Neb., and Crete, Neb. For additional details on the Concordia Golf programs, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
Men’s victory over Sterling highlights week of tennis nonconference action: After a series of matches were canceled during the week of spring break, the Bulldogs got back to action last week with both the men’s and women’s tennis teams playing three nonconference matches. On the men’s side, Concordia earned a 7-0 home win over Sterling College (Kan.) before enduring defeats by scores of 5-2 at the hands of Bethel College (Kan.) and 6-1 at Missouri Valley College. The women went up against the same three institutions and were defeated by respective scores of 5-2, 6-1 and 5-2. Those results leave Head Coach Cam Long’s squads with overall records of 2-6 for both men and women. Scheduled men’s and women’s matches for Tuesday (March 22) were postponed and moved to April 19. That means conference play is up next. GPAC play will get started at Morningside on Saturday with first serve set for 12 p.m. CT from Sioux City, Iowa. For more information on Concordia Tennis, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
Shooting Sports in midst of ACUI National Championships: The 2021-22 season will draw to a close this week for Concordia Shooting Sports, which is in San Antonio, Texas, for the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target National Championships. The event is set to run through Saturday. At the 2021 national shoot, the Bulldogs placed seventh in the division 2 breakdown. More information on the National Championships can be found via the ACUI’s website HERE. A recap of the event will be available upon its conclusion. For more on Concordia Shooting Sports, click HERE.
Outdoor track season kicks off on Saturday: After a few weeks break from competition, members of the Concordia University Track & Field program will be back in action on Saturday for the Grand View Viking Relays. The meet is set to get started at 11 a.m. CT from Des Moines, Iowa. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off 2022 GPAC indoor placements of first on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s side. Their 2022 NAIA indoor national place finishes were third for the women and 36th for the men. A total of 18 Bulldogs earned All-America awards in one or more events. Upcoming home outdoor meets will include the Concordia Invite (April 8-9) and the Concordia Twilight Meet (May 13). For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his seventh season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Men’s Basketball
· One of the greatest seasons in program history came to a conclusion on March 19 as the Bulldogs were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship. Before falling to second-seeded Talladega College (Ala), 77-69, Concordia earned national tournament wins over Indiana University Northwest, 96-78, Marian University (Ind.), 90-67, and Indiana University Kokomo, 75-65. The victory over IU Kokomo came in Kansas City, Mo., at the NAIA national round of 16. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad finished the season at 28-7 overall. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· By any measure, this certainly was one of the very best seasons in program history. Among the accomplishments, the Bulldogs reached the NAIA national quarterfinals (first time since 2005), swept conference regular season and postseason championships (first time since 1995), went a perfect 16-0 at home (first time during the GPAC era) and notched the third most wins in a single season in program history. The 28 victories trail only the 2004-05 (32-6) and 1994-95 (30-4) squads on the school’s all-time list. Of course the SportsCenter highlight moment in the 74-73 win over Briar Cliff on Feb. 16 made the season even more unforgettable.
· The 2021-22 Bulldogs removed a big monkey off the program’s back in ending a drought of 17 years since its most recent national tournament win. Concordia then showed it belonged in Kansas City with a strong rebounding (45-29 advantage) and defensive effort in the win over IU Kokomo. The Cougars had their hands full with Noah Schutte, who posted 24 points and 12 rebounds while making 7-of-12 shots from the floor. Carter Kent added 16 points, five assists and four rebounds and Gage Smith chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. The Bulldogs limited IU Kokomo to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor.
· After playing even with Talladega for the first 11 minutes or so, Concordia fell victim to a Tornado run that spanned the end of the first half and carried into the second half. The Bulldogs found themselves trailing by as many as 22 points (70-48). Concordia put together a 14-1 run in the second half, but it was too little, too late. Playing in his hometown, AJ Watson posted a career high 21 points to go along with six rebounds. Schutte (15 points and 11 rebounds) recorded another double-double and Kent put up 16 points and six rebounds. Gage Smith added eight points and eight rebounds.
· Schutte should be a no-brainer for the NAIA’s all-tournament team. Over four national tournament games, Schutte averaged 20.0 points and 9.8 rebounds and while shooting 63.4 percent (26-for-41) from the floor and 79.3 percent (23-for-29) from the foul line. His respective single-game national tournament point totals were 21, 20, 24 and 15. For the season, the Laurel, Neb., native wound up averaging 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds to go along with 55.9 percent shooting from the floor. Schutte’s play on the national tournament stage made it pretty obvious he should have been more than just an honorable mention All-GPAC selection.
· Several fourth-year players in the program rank inside the top 10 of on program all-time lists at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. The Crete High School product Kent put together a senior season to remember while being named First Team All-GPAC and a CoSIDA Academic All-American for the second time. Over the past four seasons, Kent never missed a single game (126 games played). On the program’s all-time lists, Kent ranks fifth in scoring (1,699), fifth in 3-point field goals (248) and seventh in assists (324). Meanwhile, Wiersema ranks ninth in assists (300), 16th in rebounds (484) and 18th in scoring (1,276). Gage Smith has moved to 10th all-time in career rebounds (634). He’s just shy of 1,000 career points with 966 points.
· Under Coach Limback, the Bulldogs have reached the national tournament in two of the past three seasons. Had the 2021 national tournament not been reduced to 48 teams (due to COVID-19 complications), it likely would have been three appearances in a row. In nine seasons leading his alma mater, Limback owns a record of 162-113. He also won 115 games in his previous gig as head coach at Concordia University, Ann Arbor. Limback and Grant Schmidt are the lone coaches in Bulldog Basketball history to lead the program to the national tournament. As a player for Schmidt, Limback appeared in three national tournaments.
Most of the fourth-year players are expected to graduate and move on from the program. However, Concordia has created an expectation now of being a national tournament team. Players like Kent, Smith and Wiersema in addition to Nick Cito, Ryan Holt, Sam Scarpelli, Klay Uher and Tanner Wubbels have helped lay a foundation for years to come. Among the returners for 2022-23, Schutte has a chance to become of the best players in all of the GPAC. Other underclassmen who played key roles in 2021-22 included the likes of Watson, Garrett Seagren and Tristan Smith. The younger brother of Gage, Tristan is another player to watch out for next winter. The Bulldogs will carry a 20-game home win streak into next season.