OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – New team. Same results. Six Bulldogs wore the Concordia colors for the first time on Saturday (Feb. 7) as the first pitch of the 2026 season was fired in Oklahoma City, Okla. The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs came away with two victories, winning by scores of 8-6 over host Oklahoma City University and 5-2 over No. 22 Bellevue University. Pitching wins were earned by Alex Griess and newcomer Sam Bespoyasny.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic is at the outset of his 12th season at the helm of Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball. Day one of ’26 was a solid one, especially considering how little the Bulldogs have been on a baseball diamond in the spring semester.
“I’m really pleased,” Dupic said. “We gave up four right away in the first inning (vs. OCU). The game could have gotten out of control, but we just responded so well and put up a five spot. (Caden) Bugarske settled in. I’m just really pleased with that response. We had some really good at bats and a good approach in the first game. Second game, we got really good pitching and had a couple big swings. We haven’t been outside a ton, so it was good to get out there. I thought we were excellent defensively. We made a ton of really good plays in the infield and outfield and behind the plate.”
Indeed, the season’s very first inning wasn’t how Dupic would have scripted it. The Stars pushed across four runs (two unearned) on four hits and an error in the bottom of the first while jumping out to a 4-0 advantage. In the five-run second that followed, Concordia waited out five walks and got RBI hits from returners Jimmy Blumberg and Jaeden Jordahl. Then in the sixth, the Bulldogs broke a 5-5 tie when Cade Vanis chased home a run via an error and Bronx Lewis launched the team’s first homer (a two-run shot) of the new campaign.
In the opener, Bugarske made his first start in nearly two full years and covered four innings. After the shaky first, he tossed scoreless second through fourth frames. The Boerne, Texas, native fanned six OCU hitters before turning it over to the likes of Griess, Ernie Snyder and DJ Andersen for an inning apiece. Andersen picked up the save with a 1-2-3, eight-pitch seventh inning that featured a pair of strikeouts.
In game two, Moberly Area Community College transfer Sam Bespoyasny took the ball and logged six innings with two runs allowed on five hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts. Sam Rambajan got the final three outs in what was an error-free performance from the position player group.
The big blow offensively in game two was delivered by Ohlone Community College transfer Carson Burnett, who jacked a three-run bomb in the third. An inning earlier, Blumberg doubled home a run and Andrew Fetty pinged a solo homer. Jordahl posted two hits versus Bellevue and notched three knocks for the day.
The Bulldogs said goodbye to many of their top power hitters from last season, but the expectations remain high. Concordia fans will be learning the names of new middle-of-the-order types such as Fetty and Jack Hirchert.
Said Dupic, “It’s definitely going to be a process to figure out what things look like on a consistent basis. We got production from different guys in each game, which I think is going to be the calling card for this group. We saw some flashes of really good things. I’m curious to see how it unfolds as we go.”
The Bulldogs will play the same two opponents on day two in Oklahoma City. First pitches are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT between Concordia and Bellevue and for 3 p.m. in the Bulldogs’ weekend capper versus Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is streaming all weekend games at: https://sacsportsnetwork.com/ocustars/.