SEWARD, Neb. – In a pivotal week of conference action, the 17th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team will meet up with two in-state foes that have both exceeded 20 overall wins on the season. The Bulldogs will carry a five-game winning streak into Tuesday’s anticipated matchup with No. 9 Doane. Concordia will then take on Midland in a weekend four-game series split between Fremont and Seward. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad took care of business this past weekend in earning a four-game road sweep of Dordt. The Bulldogs sit at 23-8 overall and at 7-3 in conference play.
This week
Tuesday, April 2 vs. No. 9 Doane (23-5, 9-1 GPAC), 2 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, April 6 at Midland (21-9, 7-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Moller Field (Fremont, Neb.)
Sunday, April 7 vs. Midland (21-9, 7-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· In last week’s series with Dordt, Concordia found itself trailing 4-0 after the Defenders clubbed a pair of first-inning home runs. From that point on, the Bulldogs dominated the action in Sioux Center, Iowa. For the series, Concordia outscored Dordt, 36-8, and outhit the home team, 42-20. The 10 home runs blasted by the Bulldogs came courtesy of Jaidan Quinn (three), Joey Grabanski (two), Jay Adams (one), Alec Blakestad (one), Brad Hallock (one), Matt Rhoades (one) and Tanner Tompkins (one). In 30 innings of work at Dordt, the Concordia pitching staff posted a 2.40 ERA with 33 strikeouts. The most notable pitching performances were put forth by starters Christian Gutierrez (one run in six innings) and Rhoades (one run in seven innings). The Bulldogs have won each of the past 18 games against the Defenders.
· The home run chase continues for Grabanski, who reached the 70-homer mark as part of the series at Dordt. With 71 career home runs, Grabanski now stands six off the NAIA all-time home run record of 77 by Brice Cutspec of Azusa Pacific University (Calif.). Grabanski is closing in on Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.)’s Steve Dover (72 homers) for No. 2 on the NAIA’s all-time list. In 201 career collegiate games, Grabanski has also totaled 194 runs, 268 hits, 47 doubles, 249 RBIs and 112 walks. He’s a career .374 hitter. The Grand Forks, N.D., native is the reigning GPAC Player of the Year and is on track to earn First Team All-GPAC honors for the fourth-straight year.
· The Bonner Springs, Kan., native Quinn is lurking not far behind Grabanski on the home run list. Quinn has slugged 17 home runs this season (fourth most in the NAIA) while running his career total to 63. This 2024 season, Quinn stands as the GPAC leader in home runs, RBIs (45) and slugging percentage (.990). The three-year numbers for Quinn as a Bulldog are staggering. In 147 career games, he has slashed .360/.513/.839 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 168 hits, 173 runs, 175 RBIs and 33 doubles. In addition to Grabanski (71) and Quinn (63), two other Concordia players have at least 25 career home runs: Adams (41) and Blakestad (26).
· Dupic and his staff were confident the offense would remain a major force in 2024. To supplement the offensive firepower, the Bulldogs put a lot of their offseason focus upon defensive improvement. To help fortify the infield defense, Concordia brought in shortstop Jimmy Blumberg via Fullerton College. His arrival moved Ty Nekoliczak to second base and Jay Adams to right field. Meanwhile, Quinn has continued to hold down third base while Rhoades has been the primary first baseman. In the series at Dordt, Concordia successfully converted 123 of 124 chances in the field. Among GPAC teams, the Bulldogs rank third in fielding percentage (.968) behind only Morningside (.980) and Doane (.970).
· The pitching staff is beginning to find a groove. In terms of logging quality innings, Gutierrez has been exceptional. He’s gone six innings or more in four of his past five starts and leads the team with 42 innings pitched in 2024. Gutierrez owns a 4-2 record with a 3.00 ERA in eight games (seven starts). The rotation has also featured Blake Benson (5-0, 3.94 ERA) and Caden Johnson (3-1, 6.67 ERA). Five other Bulldogs have made at least two starts, a sign of the team’s improved depth as compared to a year ago. Out of the bullpen, Maverick Wylder (2.45 ERA in 11 IP) earned his fifth save last week. The team ERA sits at 4.09 in 222 innings.
· Not surprisingly, Concordia paces the GPAC in virtually all key offensive categories, including batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.437), slugging percentage (.587), runs scored (265), home runs (63) and extra-base hits (118). Four of the league’s top RBI producers are Bulldogs: Quinn (45), Grabanski (37), Rhoades (36) and Blakestad (27). In addition, Hallock (.434) and Quinn (.408) rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in batting average. The GPAC’s top four in home runs are all from Concordia: Quinn (17), Rhoades (10), Grabanski (nine) and Blakestad (eight).
The opponents
Doane vaulted to No. 8 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on March 13 and then landed at No. 9 in the poll unveiled on March 27. The Tigers swept GPAC regular season and postseason championships in 2023 and have the makings of another conference title contender capable of advancing deep into the national tournament. Now in his seventh season as head coach, Josh Oltmans has elevated the program to a perennial conference power while intensifying the rivalry with Concordia. Doane has started league play at 9-1 while on the heels of taking three of four from Jamestown. The pitching staff is a strength for the Tigers, who are led by reigning GPAC Pitcher of the Year Aaron Forrest (6-0, 2.66 ERA). Offensively, Joe Osborn has produced six home runs in 2024 and was the 2022 GPAC Player of the Year. The hype is growing for Doane, which was also placed in the top 10 of the latest NAIABall power rankings. The Tigers have won each of the past five games against the Bulldogs (spanning the 2022 and 2023 seasons).
At 21-9 overall, Midland is on the verge of surpassing its win total from the 2023 season when it went 22-28. The Warriors have a new head coach in Shea Bennett, who has served on the program’s coaching staff since 2017. So far in 2024, Midland has been strong in all facets as it is averaging 6.3 runs scored per game while sporting a team ERA of 4.48. The addition of third baseman Joshua Hardamon has provided a boost to the offense. He is hitting .343 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. The top three starting pitchers are Cole Hupke (2-2, 4.94 ERA), Lucas Hamzeh (2-1, 5.68 ERA) and Jay Lambert (1-2, 6.07 ERA). Owen Kelley (4-1, 2.66 ERA) has been heavily counted upon out of the bullpen. Midland dropped three of four this past weekend while hosting Mount Marty. The Warriors will not play any mid-week games leading up to the series with Concordia.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will be on the road for a four-game series at Morningside the weekend of April 13-14. The Mustangs play their home games at MercyOne Field at Lewis and Clark Park in Sioux City, Iowa.