Five named to GPAC's first team, 12 total Bulldogs honored from conference tourney champs

By Jacob Knabel on May. 11, 2022 in Baseball

GPAC Release

2022 All-GPAC
First Team
Jay Adams, 2B
Joey Grabanski, OF
Jaidan Quinn, 3B
Alex Johnson, RHP
Caden Johnson, RHP
Second Team
Alec Blakestad, OF
Keaton Candor, OF
Honorable Mention
Ben Berg, C
Jesse Garcia, 1B
Christian Gutierrez, RHP
Ty Nekoliczak, SS
Tanner Tompkins, C/DH

SEWARD, Neb. – Not so surprisingly, one of the nation’s top offensive teams is swimming in all-conference awards. A total of nine position players and three pitchers from the GPAC tournament championship Concordia University Baseball team earned some form of 2022 All-GPAC recognition as part of the league’s all-conference announcement on Wednesday (May 11). First team selections for the Bulldogs include Jay Adams, Joey Grabanski, Jaidan Quinn, Alex Johnson and Caden Johnson. In addition, Alec Blakestad and Keaton Candor landed on the second team and five Concordia players garnered honorable mention status.

Nearly half of the team’s postseason roster wound up with All-GPAC accolades. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad celebrated a 7-6 (10 innings) GPAC tournament championship game victory over Jamestown on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (36-15-1) now await their national tournament draw.

A Waverly, Neb., native, Adams was the unofficial MVP of the GPAC tournament. Now a two-time First Team All-GPAC honoree, Adams is hitting .401 this season with a new program single season record for hits (83). The star second baseman has also totaled 63 runs, 14 doubles, 16 home runs, 62 RBIs and 15 stolen bases while sporting an on-base percentage of .477 and slugging percentage of .708 in 52 games. Adams also owns a .965 fielding percentage. The Waverly High School alum came through with two walk-off hits in the GPAC tournament, including the game winner in the championship game. Adams has racked up 182 hits and 21 home runs in 126 career collegiate games.

Grabanski’s first two seasons as a Bulldog have been phenomenal. The native of Grand Forks, N.D., has earned his second First Team All-GPAC award. On the season, Grabanski is hitting .394 (69-for-175) with 48 runs, nine doubles, 17 home runs and 63 RBIs while getting on base at a .481 rate and slugging a team high .737. The 17 homers have equaled Grabanski’s own school record for a single season and the 63 RBIs have broken his own record of 60 from 2021. Over two seasons at Concordia, Grabanski has compiled 140 hits, 91 runs, 34 home runs and 123 RBIs in 106 games (375 at bats).

There were few newcomers that impacted that GPAC this season like Quinn did. The 6-foot-4 third baseman paces the team with a .505 on-base percentage. He’s hitting .333 (50-for-150) with 51 runs, nine doubles, 15 home runs and 47 RBIs while slugging .693. The Bonner Springs, Kan., native has had three games this season with multiple home runs. Quinn was named the GPAC Player of the Week on April 5 and was recognized as the Bulldog Athletic Association Member Athlete of the Month for April. Quinn is a transfer from Wabash Valley College.

Alex Johnson (Olathe, Kan.) emerged as the ace of the pitching staff after Concordia said goodbye to 2021 GPAC Pitcher of the Year Jake Fosgett. Johnson has filled the role nicely and is 6-1 with a team low 2.79 ERA in 58 innings. He’s recorded 56 strikeouts against 22 walks and has held opposing hitters to a .232 batting average. In nine of his 13 starts this season, Johnson has held the opposition to either one or no earned runs.

Caden Johnson (Papillion, Neb.) broke through as a dependable arm in the starting rotation this spring. Heading into the national tournament, Johnson owns a record of 7-1 to go along with a 3.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 64 innings. He’s allowed 26 walks and has held opposing hitters to a .226 batting average. The seven wins are tied for a team high. Johnson’s best performance came on April 16 when threw 7.1 shutout innings (nine strikeouts) versus Mount Marty.

Blakestad has become a star in his first season as a starter. The Omaha native is hitting .383 (51-for-133) with 48 runs, 12 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 39 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He also sports a .484 on-base percentage and .602 slugging percentage. Blakestad was honored as the GPAC Player of the Week on March 29. Blakestad has collected 16 multi-hit games in 2022.

Candor continues to cement himself as one of the program’s all-time greats. He was named First Team All-GPAC in 2021. In 52 games this season, Candor is hitting .323 (60-for-186) with nine doubles, 16 home runs and 56 RBIs to go along with a .421 on-base percentage and .629 slugging percentage. The right fielder from Merrill, Iowa, owns program career records for games played (217), runs scored (165), home runs (45), RBIs (184) and walks (105). His 225 hits rank second on Concordia’s all-time list. Candor owns a career batting average of .317 and has been part of three separate teams that have won GPAC championships.

Garcia has garnered his third career all-conference mention after being recognized as second team in 2019 and 2021. Garcia has produced career totals of 184 hits, 37 home runs and 145 RBIs. In school history, Garcia ranks second in home runs and third in RBIs. Meanwhile, Berg has picked up his second career All-GPAC award (second team in 2021). The Concordia catcher has produced 17 career home runs and is nearing 100 career RBIs (currently at 96).

The honorable mention group also features three freshmen in pitcher Christian Gutierrez, shortstop Ty Nekoliczak and catcher/DH Tanner Tompkins. Gutierrez is 7-1 with a 4.94 ERA while Nekoliczak and Tompkins have been regulars in the lineup. Nekoliczak has an impressive .466 on-base percentage. Tompkins is hitting .315 with seven homers and 42 RBIs.