SEWARD, Neb. – The intensity of the 2022 season is about to pick up with a high volume of games coming up during the week of spring break. Between March 5 – 12, the 18th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team is scheduled to play a total of 10 games while enjoying The Sunshine State. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will enter this weekend’s action with an overall record of 5-2-1. So far this season, the Bulldogs have ventured to the states of Kansas and Missouri.
After going up against a strong Tabor College (Kan.) squad this past Sunday, Concordia will be tested significantly over the next week-and-a-half. Most notably, the Bulldogs will go up against No. 24 Bellevue University and Warner University (Fla.), which received votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs and Bruins met in the opening round last season with a spot in the NAIA World Series on the line.
Through eight games, five regulars in the lineup are hitting above .300 for Concordia: Ty Nekoliczak (.471), Jaidan Quinn (.450), Jayden Adams (.448), Keaton Candor (.393) and Tanner Tompkins (.333). Adams once again serves as the catalyst atop the lineup. He’s now 13-for-29 with four doubles, a home run and nine RBIs at the plate. Tompkins has taken over the team lead with 10 RBIs. The home runs figure to increase as the weather gets warmer. To this point, four Bulldogs have exactly one homer apiece: Adams, Candor, Joey Grabanski and Quinn.
As for the pitching staff, Alex Johnson did not appear this past Sunday and continues to sport a 0.00 ERA over eight innings (two starts). Three relievers with at least two appearances have yet to allow a run: Andrew Bohrer, Christian Gutierrez and Shane Whittaker. The team strikeout leader is Caden Johnson with 13 in nine innings. After two strong outings, Caden Bugarske conceded eight runs (seven earned) in 2.2 innings at Tabor. Through eight games, Concordia sports a team ERA of 3.79 in 57 innings. The Bulldogs remain a high strikeout rate staff with 71 K’s.
Spring Break Schedule
LIVE COVERAGE – For the most updated information, follow@CUNEathletics on Twitter. Several games during the spring break trip will likely not include live webcasts or stats. For games played at the Warner Invitational (March 10-12), check Warner’s athletic website for possible coverage. Game recaps will be available on the Concordia Athletics website at the end of each game day.
For select games, the Presto sports website may display live stats. To view the NAIA’s official live baseball scoreboard, click HERE.
March 5 – Doubleheader vs. Cornerstone University, 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET (Lake Myrtle Park – Auburndale, Fla.)
March 6 – Doubleheader vs. Indiana University South Bend, 2:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. ET (Lake Myrtle Park – Auburndale, Fla.)
March 8 – One game vs. Judson University, 9:30 a.m. CT/10:30 a.m. ET (Northeast Regional Park – Davenport, Fla.)
Warner University Invitational (March 10-12)
March 10 – One game vs. Lawrence Tech University, 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET (Lake Wales HS – Lake Wales HS)
March 10 – One game vs. Calumet College of St. Joseph, 10:45 a.m. CT/11:45 a.m. ET (Lake Wales HS – Lake Wales HS)
March 11 – One game vs. Warner University, 4:15 p.m. CT/5:15 p.m. ET (Warner University – Lake Wales, Fla.)
March 11 – One game vs. Bellevue University, 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET (Warner University – Lake Wales, Fla.)
March 12 – TBA (matchup based on seeding after previous results at the invite)