LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A golden opportunity to advance to the finals of the Lawrenceville Bracket slipped through the Bulldogs’ fingers on Wednesday (May 17). The 24th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team let a three-run, ninth-inning lead get away while falling at the hands of second-seeded Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.), 11-8, in an elimination game. The Bulldogs went 2-2 at the 2023 NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Their stay in Georgia included an 11-7 win over Midway University (Ky.) in a suspended contest that was completed on Wednesday.
The manner in which the campaign ended is a bitter pill to swallow, but Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s ’23 squad hit the 40-win mark (40-18 overall) while making the program’s fifth all-time appearance on the national stage.
“Undoubtedly, they’ve been part of the best run in the history of the school,” Dupic said of the seniors. “It’s easy to forget that in 2018 we were tied for sixth in the league. When all those guys like Ben Berg, Teyt Johnson and Jesse Garcia were coming in as freshmen, this thing was a long way from us having this year-by-year success. We hadn’t shown that on a consistent basis. All those guys have done is win every year and be terrific teammates and make great experiences for themselves and others. There aren’t enough good things to say about them. I’m happy for all of them.”
It appeared that Joey Grabanski was going to wind up with two game-winning hits on the day. The slugger from Grand Forks, N.D., crushed a go-ahead grand slam (8-7 lead) versus Midway and then pulverized a three-run shot that put Concordia on top of Freed-Hardeman, 8-5, in the bottom of the eighth. The drama was just getting started. With a spot in the finals of the bracket on the line, the Lions (39-20) took advantage of six ninth-inning free passes and a costly Bulldog error. The big blow was supplied by Christian Presley, who walloped a three-run bomb for the game’s final tallies. Suddenly, a three-run lead had turned into a three-run deficit.
Ultimately, Concordia could not overcome the nine walks surrendered and four errors committed in the elimination game. In the two wins the Bulldogs secured in Lawrenceville, they played error-free ball. In the two losses to Feed-Hardeman, they made a combined nine errors and relinquished 14 unearned runs (out of 18 total scored by the Lions). On the other side, FHU did not commit an error in Wednesday’s game while moving on to play top seed Georgia Gwinnett College.
The ending should not overshadow what was a memorable performance from Grabanski, who homered three times, twice victimizing Midway pitching. He racked up 10 RBIs on the day (85 for the season) thanks to his grand slam and two three-run blasts. His final homer (27th of the season) came with two out and two on in the bottom of the eighth versus Freed-Hardeman. The Lions inexplicably chose to pitch to Grabanski, who hit a bullet to left on a hanging breaking ball.
Concordia rallied from a 7-2 deficit in its win over Midway. Blake Benson earned the win while pitching five innings in relief of Christian Gutierrez. Benson notched five strikeouts while also showing off his impressive defensive skills on the mound. Five Bulldogs recorded multiple hits in the win No. 40 on the season: Ty Nekoliczak (3-for-5), Jesse Garcia (2-for-3), Carlos Benavides (2-for-3), Grabanski (2-for-4) and Ben Berg (2-for-5).
The pitching trio of Caden Bugarske (4 IP), Ernie Snyder (2 IP) and Daniel Rivera (2.2 IP) held up well versus FHU until the fateful ninth inning. Rivera got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the eighth, but wildness became the story in the ninth. Rivera did manage a strikeout for out No. 2 with the bases loaded and an 8-6 lead. An error on the ensuing play brought in two runs to tie the game, 8-8. Presley then stepped up and delivered the game-winning homer.
In summing up the day, Dupic said, “It was a very competitive day on both fronts. We had that big inning in the middle of the first game to get things back. Joey kind of carried us offensively with the two big swings. I thought Blake Benson did a great job and gave us a shot. The second game was another really competitive battle. We’ve played a lot of good baseball teams – I have a ton of respect for Freed-Hardeman. They really play well and play clean. It was a hard-fought college game. I’m proud of our guys. Every time you lose, no matter at what point, you always wish you won one more.”
It was a fine day for Benavides, who collected five hits. As a team, Concordia posted 13 hits versus Freed-Hardeman – three from Jay Adams and two apiece from Garcia and Grabanski. With his three homers to close out 2023, Grabanski pulled even with Jaidan Quinn for a school record 27 blasts in a single season. Grabanski’s 85 RBIs in 2023 are also a school record.
This was the end of the line for three fifth-year members of the program in Ben Berg, Jesse Garcia and Teyt Johnson, and for seniors Ben Coldiron and Dan Rivera. Each played a role in the most successful seasons in the history of Concordia Baseball. The fifth-year players experienced four national tournaments and the ultimate high of reaching the NAIA World Series in 2021. The Bulldogs have hit the 40-win mark in three consecutive seasons and have won a combined 10 national tournament games over that stretch. Under Dupic, Concordia has won at least one game at the NAIA Opening Round in five separate trips.
2023 NAIA Opening Round – Lawrenceville Bracket
Site: Grizzly Baseball Complex | Lawrenceville, Ga.
Live Webcasts: https://ggcathletics.com/watch/
Live Stats: PrestoStats
All times are EDT
Monday, May 15
Game 1 – (4) Midway def. (5) Saint Xavier, 6-5
Game 2 – (2) Freed-Hardeman def. (3) Concordia, 7-4
Game 3 – (1) Georgia Gwinnett def. (4) Midway, 18-1
Tuesday, May 16
Game 4 – (3) Concordia def. (5) Saint Xavier, 10-3
Game 5 – (1) Georgia Gwinnett def. (2) Freed-Hardeman, 21-4
Game 6 – (3) Concordia vs. (4) Midway (suspended in B1 due to lightning)
Wednesday, May 17
Game 6 – (3) Concordia def. (4) Midway, 11-7
Game 7 – (2) Freed-Hardeman def. Concordia, 11-8
Game 8 – (1) Georgia Gwinnett vs. (2) Freed-Hardeman, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 18
Game 9 – (1) Georgia Gwinnett vs. (2) Freed-Hardeman (if necessary), 11 a.m.