SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of road doubleheaders make up the Easter weekend slate for the 24th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team. The Bulldogs will be challenged by Doane and Mount Marty, two squads with overall records well above .500. The Tigers lead the current GPAC standings with a perfect 8-0 league mark while the Lancers sit at 4-4 in conference play. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is coming off a four-game sweep of Dordt.
This Week
Concordia (20-3, 7-1) at Doane (17-8-1, 8-0)
Friday, April 2 | 2 p.m. DH
Doane Ballfield Complex | Crete, Neb.
Live Coverage: Webcast | Stats
Concordia (20-3, 7-1) at Mount Marty (16-10, 4-4)
Saturday, April 3 | 1 p.m. DH
Bob Tereshinksi Stadium | Yankton, S.D.
Live Coverage: KYNT Radio
Fan Policy: Fans are allowed to attend baseball games at both of this week’s road venues. Per GPAC policy, fans are expected to wear face coverings when proper distancing cannot be maintained.
By the numbers
· Through 23 games, the Bulldogs have thoroughly dominated their schedule having outscored their opponents by a combined total of 222-68. Concordia ranks among the NAIA national leaders in a host of categories, currently listed second in earned run average (2.49), fourth in opponent batter average (.206), fifth in slugging percentage (.622), sixth in batting average (.359), sixth in hits per game (11.3), seventh in home runs per game (1.70) and eighth in runs per game (9.65).
· Center fielder Teyt Johnson went deep three times on March 27, making him the seventh Bulldog to notch at least four home runs so far this season. Concordia sluggers with at least four blasts include Jesse Garcia (8), Joey Grabanski (6), Beau Dorman (5), Jakob Faulk (5), Jayden Adams (4), Keaton Candor (4) and Johnson (4). With 39 home runs as a team, the Bulldogs are just one big fly away from the school single-season record of 40 (set by the 2019 GPAC championship team).
· Dupic has managed his pitching staff through a series of injuries in the early going – and the results have been impressive. Once again, it’s a staff that misses a lot of bats. Jake Fosgett recorded a career high 17 strikeouts (in six innings) while mesmerizing Dordt last week. In 166 innings as a staff, Concordia has racked up 229 strikeouts. Fosgett (4-0, 1.07 ERA, 25.1 IP, 46 K) and Trent Wood (4-0, 1.15 ERA, 31.1 IP, 41 K) have been about as dominant as any pitchers in the GPAC this season.
· As a sign of the team’s offensive prowess, Bulldogs hold down the top three spots on the GPAC leaderboard for both batting average and slugging percentage. The average leaders are: Adams (.518), Garcia (.479) and Dorman (.424). Meanwhile, the slugging leaders are: Garcia (.918), Adams (.835) and Dorman (.831). Garcia tops the GPAC with eight home runs. His 23 career home runs rank second on the program’s all-time list behind Jarrod Pimentel (27).
· Because of last season’s abrupt ending, Concordia has not played Doane or Mount Marty since the 2019 campaign. During the ’19 GPAC championship run for the Bulldogs, they went 6-0 against Doane and 3-1 versus Mount Marty.
The opponents
It appears that Doane has its best team since Josh Oltman took over as head coach prior to the 2017 season. At 8-0 in the GPAC, the Tigers have swept doubleheaders from Northwestern and Dordt and then took all four games from Hastings this past weekend. Andy Theiler was just named the GPAC Player of the Week after recording two hits in all four games of the series with the Broncos. Theiler leads the team with a .396 average (followed closely by Lukas White at .391). Doane is averaging 7.3 runs per game and sports a 5.33 team ERA.
Head Coach Andy Bernatow’s team was picked third in the GPAC preseason poll. In two separate four-game series, Mount Marty dropped three out of four to Morningside and then took three of four from Briar Cliff. The Lancers boast a powerful lineup of their own having belted 33 home runs (second in the GPAC to Concordia). Billy Hancock leads the team with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Mount Marty has averaged a healthy 8.2 runs per game and possesses a 4.43 team ERA.