VIDEO:
· Alex Johnson becomes Concordia’s all-time strikeout leader
· Channel 8 ABC (Lincoln) profiles Alex Johnson as its Athlete of the Week
SEWARD, Neb. – A break at the beginning of this week was well-earned by the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team, which went 7-1 last week in league action. The Bulldogs showcased their pitching depth during a grueling stretch headlined by Alex Johnson becoming the program’s all-time strikeout leader. This past weekend, Concordia swept GPAC doubleheaders from Midland and Northwestern. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has run its overall record to 28-13 (16-4 GPAC) and has put itself in the thick of the GPAC championship race once again.
NOTE: Concordia and Daktoa Wesleyan adjusted their series (due to the weather forecast). The two sides are now slated to play in Mitchell on Thursday and Sunday (as listed below).
This week
Thursday, April 16 at Dakota Wesleyan (16-21, 7-13 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: G1 / G2 | Location: Drake Field (Mitchell, S.D.)
Sunday, April 19 at Dakota Wesleyan (16-21, 7-13 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: G3 / G4 | Location: Drake Field (Mitchell, S.D.)
By the numbers
• The race for the GPAC regular season title appears to be between three teams: Morningside (17-3 GPAC), Concordia (16-4 GPAC) and Doane (16-4 GPAC). The Mustangs hold a one-game lead with eight games remaining in the regular season. In the official NAIA RPI released on Monday (April 13), Doane landed at 14th, Concordia checked in at 35th and Morningside slotted in at 39th. The Bulldogs have played the NAIA’s 75th most challenging schedule, according to the NAIA’s calculation. Concordia has played 12 games this season against the NAIA top 25 (coaches’ poll). The Bulldogs own a win over the NAIA RPI No. 1 team, Bellevue.
• After taking three of four from Dordt early last week, the Bulldogs continued league action by hosting Midland (April 10) and by welcoming Northwestern to Sherman Field in Lincoln (April 11). Concordia defeated the Warriors by scores of 7-0 and 11-5 and toppled the Red Raiders by counts of 4-1 and 4-2 on a day when the wind gusted straight in from right field. Pitching ruled for Concordia, which got quality outings from the likes of Micah Sweeton (7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K), Alex Johnson (7 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 15 K) and Caden Bugarske (5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Offensively, it was a fine weekend for Jake Watson, who went 5-for-12 with a double, a triple, two home runs and four RBIs. Lewis also drilled a three-run homer against Midland. Carson Burnett paced the offense over the weekend with six hits (6-for-13 with six RBIs), including three that went for doubles. Notably, Alex Draper went 5-for-14 on the weekend.
• Alex Johnson is making his mark as one of the best pitchers in program history. The Olathe, Kan., native amassed a career-high 15 strikeouts (against no walks) in the game one win over Northwestern. That strikeout total represented the most in a single game by a Concordia pitcher since Jake Fosgett punched out 17 Dordt hitters in 2021. In the fourth inning of his start against Northwestern, Johnson surpassed Jason Munsch (281 career K’s) for the most strikeouts in school history. Johnson’s strikeout total now stands at 288. On the school’s all-time lists, Johnson also ranks first in games started (47), fifth in wins (23), seventh in innings pitched (215.2) and ninth in ERA (3.51). He is the reigning GPAC Pitcher of the Year and was an NAIA Preseason All-American.
• As a freshman last season, Jake Watson waited his turn behind senior catchers Tanner Tompkins and Michael Welch. The Lincoln Christian High School product caught all eight games last week and has started 34 of 41 games this season. Watson’s production prompted Dupic to place him in the middle of the order. On the season, Watson is hitting .333 with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. He also sports a .448 on-base percentage and .630 slugging percentage. Defensively, Watson has nailed 12 runners attempting to steal and has helped manage a pitching staff that holds a 4.78 team ERA.
• This past weekend, Concordia pitchers fanned 84 hitters in 59 innings. The result was that the Bulldogs moved to No. 1 in the NAIA in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.63. Among qualifying pitchers, Johnson owns the highest strikeout rate in the country at 15.07 per nine innings. Other key pieces of the staff also sport impressive strikeout-per-nine-innings rates, including Micah Sweeton (14.19), DJ Andersen (13.97), Warren Rose (12.5), Trent Schlim (12.0), Daiten Schmidt (11.45), Caden Bugarske (11.07) and Devin Gonor (10.1). The return of Sweeton is a key development for Concordia in the stretch run. The Temecula, Calif., native has surrendered just five earned runs in 19.2 innings (31 strikeouts) this season. Out of the bullpen, Rose threw pellets last weekend with all seven of his outs being obtained via strikeout.
• Bronx Lewis homered in the game two win over Midland, pushing his GPAC leading homer total to 17 this season. That figure also ranks Lewis in a tie for No. 5 on the national list. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native is the latest slugger in a long line of them at Concordia. Since the start of 2023, there have been six instances of a Bulldog hitting 23 or more home runs in a single season. The program single season home run record remains 27 shared by Joey Grabanski and Jaidan Quinn. Interestingly, Bronx has brothers named Jeter and Gehrig, a nod to New York Yankees greats. Lewis is slashing .316/.453/.743 for the season. Other top hitters for Concordia include Watson (detailed above), Carson Burnett (.324/.483/.532), Luke Wilson (.291/.392/.500), Jaeden Jordahl (.276/.469/.425), Jimmy Blumberg (.275/.344/.505), Andrew Fetty (.273/.430/.488) and Alex Draper (.272/.372/.494).
• Ryan Dupic is in his 12th season as Head Coach of the Bulldogs. His career record stands at 393-203-1. His resume includes a combined eight GPAC championships and seven national tournament appearances (including a 2021 NAIA World Series berth). Ben Berg is in his third season as Assistant Head Baseball Coach after a successful run as a Bulldog student-athlete. The staff also includes graduate assistants Ty Nekoliczak and Blaine Harpenau.
The opponents
Dakota Wesleyan has improved from last season when it finished at 13-37 overall (11-17 GPAC). In Head Coach Charlie Dubanoski’s fourth season, the Tigers currently sit at 16-21 (7-13 GPAC). Most recently, DWU split a four-game home series with Dordt (winning the first two and dropping the next two). The 2026 roster includes returning Second Team All-GPAC shortstop Joseph Tharaldson, a slick fielder who has made only four errors this season. The offense has gotten a jolt from the emergence of third baseman Ean Laird, who produced a pair of two-homer games versus Briar Cliff on April 8 (and leads the team with six home runs this season). The team’s highest usage pitcher is Alex Mizsak, who is 6-2 with a 5.71 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 63 innings (10 starts). Offensively, DWU is slashing .261/.351/.418 while averaging 5.2 runs per game. The pitching staff ERA is 7.68 with a strikeout rate of 8.64 per nine innings. The Tigers fell in all six matchups with Concordia last season, including two that took place in the GPAC tournament.
Next week
In the final week of the regular season, the Bulldogs will host Morningside on April 23 before traveling to Hastings on April 25. The GPAC tournament is scheduled to begin with pod play on April 29.