News and notes:
*Due to the intensity of recent athletic events, this edition of the Bulldog Weekly Report has been abbreviated. Detailed recaps can be found for all of the latest events via cune.edu/athletics.
Fall sports update: The Concordia men’s, soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams have each played at least once this spring while embarking upon part II of an unusual 2020-21 season. Below is a quick summary for each of those teams.
Men’s Soccer
--Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad played for the first time in this spring last week when it suffered a 2-0 loss at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. (March 20). Shots were at a premium as the two sides combined for 13 total shots. The Ravens got on the board in the 10th minute and held a lead the rest of the way. Concordia’s overall record slipped to 9-4-2 overall. A recap of that game can be read HERE.
--Up next: two more regular season games are left on the spring slate with the Bulldogs set to play at fifth-ranked Missouri Valley College at 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Concordia will then host Midland (nonconference game) at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 2. The GPAC quarterfinals will take place on April 10.
Women’s Soccer
--The Bulldogs acquitted themselves well in a 1-0 loss at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., on March 20. The Ravens reside just outside of the NAIA top 25. The shot count favored Benedictine, 10-5. Head Coach Thomas Goines believes this was the type of game that will prepare the team well for the GPAC tournament in April. Read the game recap HERE. Concordia, which also lost in double overtime at Southwestern College (Kan.) on March 6, owns a record of 9-5-1 overall.
--Up next: The Bulldogs are getting set for their first home appearance of the spring. They will host Grand View University (Iowa) at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. It will be the final outing before Concordia welcomes Dakota Wesleyan to Bulldog Stadium for the GPAC tournament quarterfinals on April 3.
Volleyball
--Ranked 10th nationally, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad waited until March 17 to play its first official match of the spring. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first set in quickly knocking off the rust versus 24th-ranked Ottawa University (Kan.). Concordia won in four sets behind a career high 21 kills from Camryn Opfer. In addition, Kara Stark added 16 kills, Tara Callahan notched 45 assists and Marissa Hoerman contributed 28 digs. For a match recap, click HERE. The Bulldogs are 13-3 overall.
--Up next: Another significant test is coming up on Saturday when Concordia will be at No. 11 Grand View University (Iowa) for a 4:30 p.m. CT first serve. That match will be a precursor to the GPAC tournament, which begins with the quarterfinals on April 3 when the Bulldogs will host Dakota Wesleyan.
Shooting Sports readies for ACUI National Championships: Head Coach Scott Moniot’s program departed on Tuesday, bound for the 2021 ACUI National Championships in San Antonio, Texas. The event was wiped out last year after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. This year’s National Championships will get started on Thursday and run through Saturday. The Bulldogs held the bulk of their 2020-21 season during the fall before picking back up with the Lindenwood University Invitational on Feb. 27-28. The National Championships will mark the third and final event of the spring. A detailed recap will be posted online after the competition has concluded.
Cockerill named NAIA All-American by WBCA: A major honor came in for Taylor Cockerill on Monday when the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named the Waverly, Neb., native to its 10-player NAIA All-America team. Cockerill finished the 2020-21 season with averages of 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She shot 41.3 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from the 3-point arc and 77.8 percent from the foul line. Cockerill ranks 14th in program history with 1,374 career points. She produced 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in the NAIA national quarterfinal game.
Golf seasons set to resume: The women already got started this spring with a trip to the Dallas area over spring break. The men will pick the 2020-21 season back up this weekend (March 26-27) with the Doane University Invite. At the Texas Intercollegiate that occurred on March 8-9, the Concordia women placed sixth out of eight teams while shooting a three-round score of 365-352-347–1,064. Individually, Mia Martin (82-85-83–250) placed 19th and Kendra Placke (86-80-85–251) placed 20th. The women’s team is slated to play at the Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Invite at the beginning of next week (March 29-30).
Recapping the 2020-21 wrestling season: It wasn’t enough for the Concordia University Wrestling program to simply adjust to a roster transformation during the 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs also had to deal with circumstances they had never imagined would come about during a trying campaign that would test the resolve of Head Coach Levi Calhoun, his staff and wrestlers. When the stakes were highest, feel-good moments were produced in the form of freshman Jacob Telles winning a GPAC individual title and junior captain Mario Ybarra earning a spot on the All-America podium. For a season-in-review story, click HERE.
Fan attendance at baseball/softball: Fan attendance will not be limited at Plum Creek Park, home to Concordia baseball and softball. However, fans will be required to wear masks and are encouraged to distance themselves from other family groups. Admission can be purchased on site on game days. Tickets for baseball/softball will not be sold online. For events in Bulldog Stadium or Friedrich Arena, please visit our online ticketing page to purchase tickets in advance. That page can be found HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fifth 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 2020-21 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 basketball. Frank Greene is in his sixth 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.
Women’s Basketball
· A rewarding 2020-21 journey took the Bulldogs all the way to the NAIA national quarterfinals. In action that took place in back-to-back days (March 19-20) last week, Concordia defeated NAIA fourth-seeded Marian University (Ind.), 73-67, in the round of 16 before being eliminated, 83-67, by rival Morningside in the quarterfinals. Head Coach Drew Olson has led the program to eight national quarterfinal appearances. The Bulldogs concluded the season with an overall record of 22-9. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· Based on the NAIA seed rankings heading into the national tournament, Marian was the highest rated team the Bulldogs played the entire season. The Knights were ranked fifth in the NAIA by the Women’s Basketball Selection Committee. Concordia put the press back on and it helped result in 22 Marian turnovers. The statistical standouts included Taysha Rushton (27 points, four 3-point field goals), Rylee Pauli (17 points, six rebounds) and Taylor Cockerill (11 points, seven rebounds, six steals).
· After two very close calls against Morningside, the Bulldogs hoped to exact revenge in the national quarterfinals. Concordia got out to a slow start and never fully recovered, though it did get within two points of the Mustangs in the third quarter. An injury to Bailey Conrad in the opening two minutes changed the dynamics for the Bulldogs, who had to put even more stress on Rushton. Cockerill led the way with 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Kayla Luebbe poured in 15 points while going 7-for-7 from the floor. Pauli notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Morningside shot 64.3 percent from the field in the second half while pulling away.
· Team leaders this season in the key statistical categories were Cockerill in scoring (14.7), rebounding (6.5) and assists (3.23) and Mackenzie Koepke in steals (1.73) and blocks (0.93). Rushton was a close second to Cockerill in scoring at 14.4 points per game. The freshman from Lubbock, Texas, was never afraid to let it fly from long range. She nailed 73-of-213 (.343) tries from beyond the arc. Three players averaged roughly 7.0 points per game: Koepke (7.3), Pauli (7.2) and Taylor Farrell (7.1).
· Concordia figures to put a GPAC championship contending team on the floor next year when a strong freshman class joins the program, along with a talented group of returners. Cockerill (a senior academically) would have the option to come back if she so chooses. Seniors Rebecca Higgins and Faith Troshynski plan to graduate and move on. A key senior for Morningside is GPAC Player of the Year Sierra Mitchell. It should be noted that no players in the NAIA were charged with a season of eligibility in 2020-21. Keep up with Concordia women’s basketball throughout the offseason by following the team’s Twitter account: @cunewbb.
Baseball
· GPAC play began over the weekend as the Bulldogs took three of four from Midland in action that occurred in both Fremont and Seward. Concordia’s three victories all came in blowout fashion – by scores of 13-2, 9-0 and 11-0. A rough start doomed the Bulldogs in the 15-8 loss in Sunday’s first game. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has won 11 of its last 12 games to move to 16-3 overall (3-1 GPAC). Concordia has won every series it has played this season. For more information on Concordia Baseball, click HERE.
· For the first time in the history of the program, the Bulldogs have cracked the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. In the edition released last Wednesday (March 17), Concordia checked in at No. 24 while garnering 146 points in the poll. Dupic’s squad also continues to be rated as the No. 1 team in the official GPAC poll. Prior to the 2020 season, Concordia was rated 24th in the NAIA by Perfect Game. In the official NAIA coaches’ poll, the Bulldogs had been listed among “others receiving votes” in at least one poll in four-straight seasons from 2018 through the 2021 preseason. Concordia completed its 2019 GPAC regular season championship campaign as a receiving votes team.
· The offensive numbers have been off the charts. The Bulldogs have already pounded 35 home runs (school single season record is 35) and are slashing .364/.449/.638 (AVG/OBP/SLG) as a team. Nationally, Concordia ranks third in hits per game (11.8), third in slugging percentage, fifth in runs per game (10.1), sixth in batting average and eighth in home runs per game (1.8). The Bulldogs have put 10 or more runs on the board nine times this season.
· Concordia hitters account for the top three spots and four of the top seven positions on the GPAC leaderboard in slugging percentage. The top three are Jesse Garcia (.967), Beau Dorman (.915) and Jayden Adams (.859). Garcia belted two more home runs on Sunday to run his season total to eight, a number that leads all GPAC players. The slugger from El Cajon, Calif., moved up to No. 2 on the program’s all-time home run list with 23 big flies. He passed Ross Wurdeman (22) on that list this past weekend.
· For the most part, the pitching staff has also been exceptional. The staff owns a 2.32 ERA (third best in the NAIA) through 19 games. The group got a boost on Sunday when 2018 GPAC Pitcher of the Year Nick Little made his first appearance of 2021. He navigated five shutout innings while striking out four hitters. In Saturday’s action at Fremont, Jake Fosgett and Trent Wood also put forth solid starts in winning performances.
· The home stand will continue this Friday and Saturday as Concordia hosts Dordt (9-13, 2-2 GPAC) in a four-game series at Plum Creek Park. First pitch will be at 4 p.m. CT on Friday and then 1 p.m. on Saturday. Last week the Defenders swept a doubleheader at Dakota Wesleyan and then lost twice at home to Doane.
Softball
· Concordia did not play last week due to cancellations/postponements to nonconference doubleheaders that had been scheduled with Mayville State University (N.D.) and Kansas Wesleyan University. Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad last played on March 11 when it won a pair of games in McPherson, Kan. The overall record remains at 14-2 with conference play scheduled to begin this week. For more information on Concordia Softball, click HERE.
· The lineup has been led by shortstop Tori Homolka, who is batting .423 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 19 RBIs. Four other regulars in the lineup are hitting better than .350: Camry Moore (.420), Kylee Nixon (.382), Jenessa Jarvis (.367) and Caitlyn McGarvie (.362). Moore paces the team in the power department with four home runs and an .840 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, Moore is 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Moore owns a record of 15-2 in her last 17 decisions.
· If the weather allows, the Bulldogs will host two GPAC doubleheaders this week. Concordia was slated to welcome Hastings (8-11, 0-0 GPAC) to Plum Creek Park for a 5 p.m. CT first pitch of a doubleheader on Wednesday. However, that twin bill will not happen as scheduled. The two sides hope to play on Thursday with the possibility of the location being moved to Hastings. Northwestern (14-6, 1-1 GPAC) will then be in town for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday. Based on the most recent official GPAC poll, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the conference (receiving votes nationally). A new national poll will be released on Wednesday.
Tennis
· Both teams competed once last week while continuing a challenging nonconference slate. The Bulldogs hosted Emporia State University (Kan.) in men’s and women’s action on March 20. The men fell by a 6-1 score while the women were shut out, 7-0. Head Coach David DeSimone’s squads own records of 4-3 on the men’s side and 3-4 on the women’s side. In the official GPAC ratings, the Concordia men are third while the women are ranked fourth. For more information on Bulldog Tennis: Men | Women.
· Isaac Howes came back to win at the No. 5 singles spot in outlasting Emporia State’s Pablo Caranzo. It marked the lone Concordia triumph of the day. Things were tight at the top with Gregor Lainer falling at No. 1, 7-5, 6-4. In the No. 4 singles match, Luke Zoller fell just shy of forcing a tiebreaker in a 6-0, 6-4, decision. The duo of Jack Kitson and Eduardo Rojas were defeated in a tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles. Meanwhile, Juan Rabellino and Zoller teamed up at No. 3 and were edged, 6-4. Lainer and Jeremy Berryman paired up at No. 1 (6-1 loss).
· Based upon the scores, Claudia Miranda Viera engaged in the most competitive match of the day versus Emporia State. She fell by a score of 6-2, 6-3, at No. 2 singles. For the most part, the Hornets dominated while surrendering 16 games in singles action. At the top of the lineup, Emporia State’s Karen Santiago defeated Sofia Morales, 6-2, 6-0. In doubles, the Hornets took all six games at the Nos. 1 and 3 positions. Morales and Luisa Esquivel put up more of a fight at No. 2, where the final score ended at 6-2.
· A junior varsity match originally scheduled for Tuesday has been pushed back to Wednesday when the Concordia JV will play at Doane at 4:30 p.m. CT (men and women). GPAC play will open up on Saturday with the Bulldogs welcoming Morningside to the Bulldog Tennis Courts for men’s and women’s play. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT.