Preseason Polls: Conference | NAIA
SEWARD, Neb. – Preseason polls are out for NAIA baseball. Though the Concordia University Baseball team will wait until February to get the 2021 season underway, it knows the expectations will be high once spring rolls around. The Bulldogs topped the official GPAC preseason poll (released on Nov. 2) and received votes in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll unveiled on Wednesday (Nov. 4). A year ago, Concordia landed at No. 24 in Perfect Game’s NAIA preseason poll.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program did not have the opportunity to play out the 2020 season, but things looked promising. The Bulldogs were 14-7 (2-0 GPAC) when the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dupic led Concordia to a 2019 GPAC regular-season title, giving the program its second conference championship in a three-year span. Dupic’s staff has a different look this season with assistant Caleb Lang taking over hitting coach responsibilities. The staff will also feature Jonas Lovin and former Bulldog regulars in Wade Council and Logan Ryan.
Concordia lost top pitcher Jason Munsch to the Milwaukee Brewers organization, but the roster remains full of proven and experienced performers. The pitching staff will be paced by Nick Little, who went 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27.1 innings (four starts) in 2020. In addition, many of last season’s starting position players are back in place. Keaton Candor (.400 BA, .764 SLG, 5 HR, 19 RBIs) and Jesse Garcia (.296 BA, .662 SLG, 7 HR, 21 RBIs) return after leading the Bulldogs from a power perspective last spring.
The Concordia Baseball program has never cracked the NAIA top 25 in the official coaches’ poll, but it has now received votes in at least one national poll for the fourth year in a row. The 2019 GPAC championship team concluded the campaign listed in the receiving votes category.
The 2021 season is slated to begin with two games in Winfield, Kan., on Feb. 13. The entire schedule can be viewed HERE.