SEWARD, Neb. – While the Concordia University baseball program has returned to practice this fall, it will wait until February to officially begin a new season. The first pitch of the 2019 season is slated for Feb. 23 in Oklahoma City, Okla., where the Bulldogs will begin a run of 50 scheduled regular-season games. The 2019 campaign will be Ryan Dupic’s fifth season as head coach.
Complete times and opponents have not yet been finalized for the first two trips of the season, but Concordia knows it will play four games in Oklahoma City the weekend of Feb. 23-24 and then play 12 contests (six doubleheaders) over an eight-day stretch (March 2-9) at the annual Tucson Invitational in Tucson, Ariz., over spring break. Those 16 nonconference games will lead into the start of GPAC play on March 16.
For the second year in a row, the conference grind features a 28-game GPAC regular-season slate (the schedule was shorted to 26 conference games in 2018 due to complications caused by frequent inclement weather). The Bulldogs will see new GPAC member Jamestown in Seward for a twin bill on April 13. A regular national tournament qualifier, the Jimmies were eliminated from the opening round of nationals by Concordia in 2017. Jamestown then came up a win short of reaching the NAIA World Series this past spring. Additionally, the Bulldogs will have a key four-game set at defending GPAC champion Northwestern (April 18-19) late in the conference schedule.
Concordia is scheduled to play 17 games (eight doubleheaders and one nine-inning game vs. York College) at Plum Creek Park. Its home debut is set for Sunday, March 17 against Midland. The Bulldogs went 8-6 at home in 2018.
Dupic has led Concordia to above .500 records in each of his first four seasons. The highlight to this point was a GPAC regular-season title and 34-22 overall record in 2017. The championship clinched the program’s first-ever bid to the national tournament. The Bulldogs then dipped to 25-22 (tied for sixth in the GPAC) last season. Dupic welcomes back five All-GPAC players to this year’s roster: second baseman Christian Meza (first team), outfielder/pitcher Wade Council (second team), third baseman Thomas Sautel (second team) and pitcher Jake Fosgett (honorable mention).
NOTE: The junior varsity baseball schedule is not yet available (as of Sept. 25, 2018).