SEWARD, Neb. – A relinquishing of a three-run ninth-inning lead made for a long day two of the GPAC tournament for the 12th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team. The top-seeded Bulldogs effectively bounced back from a stunning unraveling in the 5-4 loss to Briar Cliff to claim a 13-2 run-rule shortened elimination game win over Dakota Wesleyan to put a cap on Thursday (May 1) action at Plum Creek Park. Stellar pitching performances from Braxton Greenburg and Alex Griess highlighted the day from Concordia’s perspective.
Prior to action on Thursday, Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad learned that it will be one of 10 hosts for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Before shifting focus to the national tournament, the Bulldogs (39-10) hope to make another run to the GPAC tournament title game.
“I thought they did really well,” said Dupic in response to Thursday’s loss. “I just told them to go home and rest and get some food. Nobody ever wants to get beat, but you just have to adjust and respond to it. We just tried to put together a plan – all right, here’s what we need to do moving forward. That was more on our end (as coaches). For the players, it was just be ourselves and try to play well. We played really well tonight.”
What made Thursday’s afternoon defeat so surprising was how in control Concordia seemed to be with Greenburg routinely mesmerizing Charger hitters. The senior from Plymouth, Minn., amassed 12 strikeouts and surrendered only three hits over eight innings. Greenburg’s most significant punch out came in the eighth when he got Jake Chronic to flail away with the bags full and two outs.
However, Briar Cliff (26-21) showed some mettle of its own on a diamond where the opposition has rarely tasted victory. An error and a hit batter helped set the stage for a dramatic Charger win. With the bases full and the game knotted, 4-4, Chronic redeemed himself with a walk-off RBI single off Bulldog closer Daiten Schmidt. The result snapped a 13-game home winning streak for Concordia.
In recent years, the Bulldogs have faced these same moments and have thrived. The next opponent, Dakota Wesleyan (13-37), kept its season alive on Thursday afternoon with a 7-5 win over Midland. A competitive contest early on turned into a rout as Concordia burst loose for two runs in the fourth and fifth innings and then seven in the sixth. Matt Rhoades delivered a two-run double and Jaeden Jordahl emerged with a pinch-hit two-run single to bust the contest wide open.
Second baseman Ty Nekoliczak went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI in the victory over DWU. In the same game, three Bulldogs notched two hits apiece: Brad Hallock, Rhoades and Michael Welch. Nekoliczak also went deep for a home run in the matchup with Briar Cliff. The day for All-American Jaidan Quinn included three hits, four runs, two walks and a hit by pitch. As part of a fine overall team defensive day, Bronx Lewis gunned down a Tiger attempting to reach third on a fly out.
Rhoades took the ball on the mound versus DWU and covered the first 3.1 innings (two runs allowed). In relief, sophomore righty Alex Griess of Ankeny, Iowa, starred as he went 3.2 shutout frames with just a single hit and one walk conceded. Griess recorded six strikeouts as he picked up his second win of the season.
Dupic had very little to complain about when it came to Thursday’s pitching efforts. Said Dupic, “Braxton’s been so good, especially lately. He was exceptional today. Matt Rhoades gave us 10 big outs today. That’s the most he’s given us this year. Obviously we have a lot of innings to fill if we’re going to come back and do this thing. I was really proud of Alex Griess. He’s just kept getting better. He played JV last year … We challenged our bullpen a little bit. We’ve had a couple of guys really lead us heavily in our pitching staff, but we’re going to have to use some other guys to get through this.”
Greenburg lowered his season ERA to 3.12. Greenburg and Alex Johnson are the top two strikeout pitchers in the entire GPAC. As a staff, the Bulldogs pace the GPAC in team ERA.
Concordia and Briar Cliff will meet up again on Friday in the finals of the Concordia Bracket. In order to reach the GPAC Championship Game, the Bulldogs must defeat the Chargers twice. Game six of the bracket is scheduled to get underway at 12 p.m. CT from Plum Creek Park.
2025 GPAC Tournament – Concordia Bracket
--Full Bracket
April 30-May 2 | Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
--Live Webcasts | GPAC Network
--Live Stats
Wednesday, April 30
Game 1 – (4) Briar Cliff def. (5) Midland, 4-2
Game 2 – (1) Concordia def. (8) Dakota Wesleyan, 9-4
Thursday, May 1
Game 3 – (4) Briar Cliff def. (1) Concordia, 5-4
Game 4 – (8) Dakota Wesleyan def. (5) Midland, 7-5
Game 5 – (1) Concordia def. (8) Dakota Wesleyan, 13-2 (7 inn.)
Friday, May 2
Game 6 – (1) Concordia vs. (4) Briar Cliff, 3 p.m.
Game 7 – (1) Concordia vs. (4) Briar Cliff, 6 p.m. (if necessary)
Admission: Admission is $10 for adults/senior citizens and $3 for K-12. Only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s will be admitted free of charge.