SEWARD, Neb. – A red-hot start to the 2026 season resulted in recognition on Tuesday (March 3) for Concordia University, Nebraska sophomore catcher Jake Watson. The league office has named Watson the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Player of the Week. Watson is the third Bulldog to be honored with a conference weekly award this spring, following accolades for pitchers Sam Bespoyasny (Feb. 11) and Alex Johnson (Feb. 24).
In his first varsity season, Watson has made a splash at the plate and behind it. The Lincoln Christian High School alum starred in last week’s four-game sweep of Graceland University (Iowa), as he collected eight hits in 14 at bats (.571) and posted two doubles, a home run and eight RBIs along with a .600 on-base percentage and .929 slugging percentage. At catcher, Watson threw out two of three runners attempting to steal. He also affectively helped manage a pitching staff that limited the Yellowjackets to 15 runs in 28 innings throughout the series.
Watson currently leads Concordia with a .444 (12-for-27) season batting average in nine games. He has notched three doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs. He sports an on-base percentage of .500 and slugging percentage of .500.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad (11-3) will resume action on Thursday when a four-game series at St. Thomas University (Fla.) will get underway. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play six games during their stay in Florida.