SEWARD, Neb. – Upon its return from Kansas City, Kan., the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team has been working out final logistics in preparation for a flight to the southeast. The 20th-ranked Bulldogs are scheduled to play seven games in The Sunshine State between March 7-10. The slate includes a four-game series showdown at 11th-ranked Southeastern in Lakeland before three contests at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 8-3 overall after having gone 3-1 in Kansas City this past weekend.
Spring Break Trip (March 7-10)
Friday, March 7 at No. 11 Southeastern (16-0), 5 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET (DH - 9 and 7)
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Ted A. Broer Stadium (Lakeland, Fla.)
Saturday, March 8 at No. 11 Southeastern (16-0), 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET (DH - 9 and 7)
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Ted A. Broer Stadium (Lakeland, Fla.)
Sunday, March 9 vs. Lawrence Tech (1-1), 8:15 a.m. CT / 9:15 a.m. ET
--Live Coverage | Location: Chain of Lakes Park (Winter Haven, Fla.)
Monday, March 10 vs. Judson (6-4), 8 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. ET
--Live Coverage | Location: Chain of Lakes Park (Winter Haven, Fla.)
Monday, March 10 vs. Valley City State (6-7), 11:30 a.m. CT / 12:30 p.m. ET
--Live Coverage | Location: Chain of Lakes Park (Winter Haven, Fla.)
--NOTE: The March 9 and 10 games are part of the RussMatt Invitational.
By the numbers
· The results in Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 28-March 1 began with a 13-8 loss at the hands of William Penn University (Iowa). Concordia then rebounded to defeat Dickinson State University (N.D.) twice, 2-1 and 14-0, before averaging the loss to William Penn with another 14-0 stomping. Over the four games, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents by a combined total of 38-14 and outhit them, .345 to .204. Concordia also posted a 3.67 team ERA compared to a combined ERA of 12.46 for the Statesmen and Blue Hawks (two NAIA members).
· After being tagged for 13 runs by William Penn in the first game of last weekend, the Bulldogs shored up their run prevention efforts while getting three sterling starts in a row from the likes of Alex Johnson (W, 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K), Micah Sweeton (W, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K) and Braxton Greenburg (W, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K). The freshman Sweeton was named the GPAC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. He has not yet allowed an earned run over his first three pitching appearances. Dupic and his staff believe they have a strong starting rotation headed by Johnson, Greenburg, Sweeton and Christian Gutierrez.
· At the plate, Concordia was led in KC by designated hitter Brad Hallock. Over the four games, the Carrollton, Texas, native batted .533 (8-for-15) with six runs, two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. Jaidan Quinn and Matt Rhoades also homered twice apiece on the weekend while one long each was contributed by Alex Draper, Jaeden Jordahl, Bronx Lewis, Ty Nekoliczak and Tanner Tompkins. Michael Welch also continued his hot start with three hits in six at-bats. The Bulldogs slugged .690 in Kansas City.
· Quinn’s name is known throughout the NAIA baseball landscape. He is a reigning First Team All-American at third base and was a 2025 preseason All-America selection. Through 11 games in 2025, Quinn is hitting .343 with four home runs and 13 RBIs. Quinn’s career home run total stands at 77 (compared to the program and NAIA all-time record of 88 by Joey Grabanski). With Quinn leading the way, the Concordia offense remains a potent one despite losing all three accomplished starting outfielders from 2024. As a team, the Bulldogs are slashing .323 / .447 / .548 (AVG / OBP / SLG) and have already homered 17 times. Opponents are slashing .239 / .341 / .351 and have homered only five times.
Spring break opponents
Southeastern University claimed the national championship as recently as 2022 and is one of the powerhouse programs in the NAIA. The Fire have a new head coach after Adrian Dinkel led the program to two national titles during his eight-year tenure. Back in June, Southeastern announced Gabe Grinder as head coach. Grinder has led the team to a 16-0 record heading into Tuesday's doubleheader with Dordt. The Fire are expected to make a big jump in the NAIA coaches’ poll set for release on Wednesday (March 5). Southeastern landed at No. 11 in the preseason national poll. Slugger Connor Hicks has belted five homers and owns a .737 slugging percentage. In addition, the pitching staff has been dominant and features Reece Wissinger, currently 4-0 with no runs allowed in 28 innings. The Fire will be looking to extend their streak of six-straight appearances at the NAIA World Series.
Lawrence Technological University (Mich.), Judson University (Ill.) and Valley City State University (N.D.) will be Concordia’s opponents at the RussMatt Invitational. All three programs are also NAIA members: Lawrence Tech of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, Judson of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and Valley City State of the North Star Athletic Association. During last year’s spring break trip, the Bulldogs defeated Valley City State, 10-1, and Lawrence Tech, 13-4. Concordia took a 10-9 decision from Judson in Florida in 2022.
Up next
Once the spring break trip is in the books, Concordia’s focus will shift to the start of conference play. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play road doubleheaders at Northwestern on March 15 and at Midland on March 16 as GPAC action gets underway.