The competitive level of Concordia University, Nebraska Softball has increased each year under the direction of Head Coach Brock Culler. The 2025 Bulldogs pushed the program a step closer to their ultimate goals as a team featuring a mix of veterans and young up-and-comers produced 27 wins, the most for Concordia since qualifying for the national tournament in 2021. When at its best, the ’25 club scored runs in bunches behind breakout stars in Taryn Ganstrom and Jennifer Katz while riding the pitching arm of Megan Eurich.
The Bulldogs put together a strong nonconference run and showed they could hang tough with national tournament caliber opponents. Unfortunately, the journey ended sooner than hoped for Culler and company. It just means there’s work to be done.
“I thought we played good, disciplined softball at College of Saint Mary in our last regular season doubleheader,” Culler said. “I was really hoping that created some momentum going into the conference tournament. We couldn’t string any hits together. We scored one run in two games. You’re just not going to win doing that. It’s unfortunate because our pitching and defense played really well. I was really proud of a lot of our young players for the way they performed down the stretch. We got them some significant innings in the last third of the season. That’s going to propel them into next season. There’s a lot to look forward to for sure.”
The two games Culler referred to took place in Orange City, Iowa, where Northwestern hosted a portion of the conference tournament. Concordia saw its season cut short on April 30 when it lost games to both Dakota Wesleyan and Northwestern, two of the league's top four seeds. During conference play, the Bulldogs never quite found the type of consistency needed to compete for a championship. They finished 2025 at 27-20 overall (12-10 GPAC) and in fifth place in the conference regular season standings. Meanwhile, Northwestern and Midland continued their reign at the top.
The most thrilling stretch of the 2025 season for the Bulldogs came over spring break. Spanning the final day of the Top Gun NAIA Invite in the Kansas City area and the Tucson Invite, Concordia went 9-1 while outscoring its opponents by a combined total of 67-37. Over that stretch, Katz became a star as she batted .500 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs. The 10-game run also saw red-hot performances from the likes of Ganstrom, Aubrey Bruning, Hanna Bowers and Aubriana Krieser. At 15-7 entering league play, the Bulldogs appeared poised for a run at a lofty conference placement.
The highlight of conference action came on April 2 when Eurich scattered eight hits and shut out then 22nd-ranked (and eventual NAIA World Series qualifier) Midland, 2-0, as part of a chilly doubleheader at Plum Creek Park. Concordia won four-straight GPAC games to get to 5-3 in league play before a rash of splits ultimately put it at 12-10.
Over the second half of April, Culler began mixing and matching in his lineups to find the best combinations. Freshmen Keira Farritor and Avery O’Boyle took advantage of increased playing time and both batted above .300 for the season. Additionally, sophomores in Krieser, Laycee Josoff, Kaylei Denison and Grace Maguire helped anchor the roster.
“What I really like about our younger players is their competitive edge,” Culler said. “That’s such a big key. It’s their preparation and the way they compete and that team-first mentality. They’re good in the classroom, they’re good in the weight room and they’re full participants at practices. They come from winning programs, both high school and club. They’re 100 percent ready. In our end-of-the-season meetings, this group talked about being ready to lead this team next year. It’s going to be a lot of fun because we’re going to have a highly competitive team. They’re going to be very competitive and hard working.”
April 19 marked senior day for the program. On that date, the Bulldogs honored a class including Hanna Bowers, Aubrey Bruning, Megan Eurich, Zoie Isom, Jennifer Katz, Kylie Shottenkirk, Bethany Thomas and Delanie Voshell. Collectively, they helped lift the program up and provide stability. As a senior, Katz batted .361 and played a stellar center field while Eurich polished off a standout career that saw her move to No. 3 on the program’s all-time strikeout list.
Four of the seniors earned GPAC All-Conference honors. Six other Bulldogs (returners for 2026) landed All-GPAC accolades.
Said Culler of the group, “Jen Katz is a first teamer. There wasn’t a better defensive outfielder in our league – and it’s not close. I just feel like she was one of the best all-around players in our league. What a great honor to have her finish her career the way she did. Same with Delanie. What a tremendous amount of progress she’s made in her career from one year to the next. Then Taryn Ganstrom, she can do it all. She’s going to play a big role on our team next year. I’m really proud of what she’s done this season. We ended up with 10 players that got recognized (on the all-conference teams), and six of them are coming back next year.”
The impact of seniors like Eurich went beyond the statistics. Said Culler of the Gretna, Neb., native, “The stats speak for themselves. She’s had an incredible career. She has a lot to be very proud of walking away from this program. One of the biggest marks she leaves is the impression she left with our younger pitchers. Kaylei Denison is going to be the face in the circle next year, and she gives a lot of praise to Megs. Megs is such a great mentor and leader for those younger players. She made a huge impact in a lot of ways. I just can’t say enough about what Megan has done.”
The 2026 team will undoubtedly have a different look to it. All three starters in the outfield were seniors and so too was the team’s ace pitcher and second baseman (Bowers). After breaking the school single season triples record (nine), Ganstrom will be viewed as a central figure in a lineup that will include multiple-year starters in shortstop Laycee Josoff and first baseman Aubriana Krieser.
The enthusiastic Culler is confident in the talent that he and his staff, including full-time assistant Melissa Martinez, have been stockpiling. Culler hasn’t wasted any time in preparing for what’s to come. The standing goal remains to compete for GPAC championships and to be playing much deeper into the month of May.
Said Culler, “The season got over and I think I took about 10 minutes off. You have to start on recruiting and you have to start getting things ready for next year. We’ve got some good recruiting trips planned for the summer. We have a lot of really good recruits were talking to. We’ve got a commitment from the No. 1 player on our board. She’s one of the best pitchers in the state of Nebraska in the ’26 class. We have a great class coming in this fall – very talented. There’s a lot to be excited about. There’s a lot of work to do. I love recruiting. It’s a lot of fun. Our board is full of excellent players and kids, and I look forward to connecting with them over the summer.”
For recruiting and other offseason updates, be sure to follow the softball program on X/Twitter @cunesoftball.