Just when outsiders may think it’s about time for the program to take a step back, the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team keeps humming at an elite level. Led by a class of 13 influential seniors, the Bulldogs churned out another 40-win campaign and another berth in the national tournament. The program has accomplished both of those feats in each of the past five seasons. The list of programs in the NAIA that can make that same claim is a who’s who of the elites: Cumberlands (Ky.), Georgia Gwinnett, LSU Shreveport, Southeastern (Fla.) and Tennessee Wesleyan.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s 2025 squad soaked up unique experiences as it clinched the GPAC regular season title on senior day (April 19) and became the first in program history to host an NAIA Opening Round.
As Dupic explained after a doubleheader sweep of Dordt on senior day, “You have to go on a good run, and we went on a really good run. Then you have to win some close games, and we did that too. We won a ton of close games in a row. You have to do a good job in multiple facets. You can’t win every game one way. I think that’s what’s been different about this team this year.”
So utterly dominant in league play, Concordia clinched the regular season title with four games left prior to the conference tournament. At 25-3 in GPAC play, the Bulldogs set a new conference standard for league wins in a single season. During league games, they led all GPAC teams in runs scored (291) while allowing fewer runs (101) than any other conference foe. Compared to the previous season, Concordia actually averaged more runs per game (9.22 to 8.75) and tightened up its run prevention as the team surrendered fewer unearned runs (35 compared to 53).
The contributions came from many standouts. For the second year in a row, All-American third baseman Jaidan Quinn earned GPAC Player of the Year honors while finishing his incredible career with 98 home runs. Second baseman Ty Nekoliczak led the team in batting average (.368) and played stellar defensively. DH Brad Hallock (GPAC best 79 RBIs) rose to stardom in the middle of the lineup. Matt Rhoades took another step as a prolific first baseman. Jaeden Jordahl made an immense immediate impact as the team’s left fielder. The catching tandem of Tanner Tompkins and Michael Welch proved ultra-productive. Zackery Day (30 steals) kept wreaking havoc on the basepaths. Bronx Lewis helped solidify the outfield. Jimmy Blumberg did his thing at shortstop – and the list goes on.
From a pitching perspective, the Bulldogs relied upon four main arms out of the rotation: Alex Johnson (8-3, 3.13 ERA, 13.0 K/9), Braxton Greenburg (6-0, 3.36 ERA, 11.3 K/9), Christian Gutierrez (9-2, 3.94 ERA, 7.5 K/9) and Micah Sweeton (7-1, 5.09 ERA, 10.0 K/9). After being sidelined for back-to-back seasons, Johnson’s return represented a feel-good story. He earned GPAC Pitcher of the Year accolades while heading the rotation. Greenburg essentially gave the rotation another ace and Gutierrez was as reliable as any player on the roster.
Out of the bullpen, Daiten Schmidt emerged as a First Team All-GPAC closer and notched eight saves. In one of the more impressive performances all season, Seth Claybourne covered 8.1 innings (no earned runs) with eight strikeouts in the 16-inning marathon loss to Indiana Wesleyan at the national tournament. Other regulars out of the ‘pen included Alex Griess, Jake Nelms and Sam Rambajan. Unfortunate injuries to DJ Andersen and Maverick Wylder cut into the staff’s depth.
The statistics and accolades speak highly of the 2025 squad, but years later, Dupic and everyone associated with the team will remember it for much more than the wins or the GPAC championship trophy. The class of seniors will reserve a special place in Dupic’s heart.
“They mean everything to me,” Dupic said. “They’re a great group of kids. They’re fun to be around every day. It’s been an incredible run. I think it’s one of the best groups we've had. They just really exemplify who we are as people and the culture of the program. They’re so bought into this thing. That’s the part that’s really special – when you look back and you have really good relationships. The guys invest so deeply into each other. The culture is something really special. Their accomplishments will be remembered for a long, long time. They’re in the record books and all that stuff, but it’s a special group to be around. They love to be around each other. It makes for a tremendous experience for everyone involved.”
It was another Concordia team that didn’t seem to mind who got the most credit or attention. Naturally, Quinn attracted plenty of it thanks to his powerful left-handed bat. This was supposed to be a year when the home run hitting dropped off, at least to some degree, after the graduation of slugger Joey Grabanski. But three Bulldogs pummeled at least 19 bombs: Quinn (25), Hallock (23) and Rhoades (19) with Jordahl (eight) and Lewis (six) supplying some added thump to the lineup. The team’s 96 homers were far and away the most of any GPAC squad. Credit also goes to hitting coach Ben Berg.
On April 18, Quinn surpassed Grabanski for the program’s all-time home run record with 89 at the time. As Quinn said afterwards, “It means a lot. When Joey did it, it was a really big thing. Then you have Charlie Munoz (of Cumberlands in Kentucky) – the guy’s been crushing it out there. Congrats to him. I’m happy where I’m at. I’m glad I did finally beat Joey. That was a fun one. I’ll probably be hearing about it later … Right when I got in the dugout, I think I got about 40 hugs. That’s a really good sense of team right there.”
As part of the 2025 journey, Concordia opened things up with a trio of wins in Oklahoma City (including one over in-state Bellevue University), took a game from NAIA power Southeastern over spring break and went on a 14-game winning streak during league play, the second longest in program history. In addition to Quinn’s career homer record, Gutierrez became the program’s all-time leader for wins and innings pitched and Day set a new standard for career stolen bases. In addition, Quinn and Nekoliczak moved into the top five of the program’s all-time hits list.
Ultimately, the run ended at Sherman Field in Lincoln, Neb., the host location for Concordia in NAIA Opening Round action. The Bulldogs picked up a win over the University of Science & Arts (Okla.) before dropping tight games to seventh-ranked Webber International University (Fla.) and Indiana Wesleyan. That final defeat stung for a squad with aspirations of returning the program to the NAIA World Series.
Said Dupic, “I’m certainly proud of our fight. Our execution wasn’t what it needed to be to get that job done, and that happens. That was unfortunate. It’s tough for the season to end, but it certainly doesn’t take away a lot of the positive things that our guys have done this year.”
Dupic also expressed his gratefulness for the major players who helped make it possible to host an opening round.
Said Dupic of the atmosphere in Lincoln, “It was terrific. It starts with Devin Smith and Angela Muller. They’re the ones who really spearheaded this and put us in position to get a bid. They do it to support our student-athletes and our coaches. Nothing would be possible without them. I think there’s a reason Concordia Athletics has done so well. Our leadership has been tremendous. I’m really grateful to them for their support. It’s great to host a regional. It’s a fun experience and you get to play close to home in front of parents and families. I’m very grateful to see faculty and staff there. We were very blessed in that way.”
For those outside the program, they can only hope that the challenge of replacing the senior class will be too overwhelming for Dupic and his staff. However, year-to-year consistency is a hallmark of the program under Dupic. One of those special seniors, the highly respected Nekoliczak, will remain with the Bulldogs as a graduate assistant coach. At the close of 11 seasons as head coach, Dupic has compiled an overall record of 365-191-1.
Follow the program throughout the offseason by visiting its homepage on the Concordia Athletics website: https://www.cune.edu/athletics/teams/baseball.