SEWARD, Neb. – A dominant final three games of a four-game set with Doane carries the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team into its first home action of the 2025 season. At long last, the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs are set to host conference games at Plum Creek Park. The docket this week includes Friday’s doubleheader versus new GPAC member Waldorf and Sunday’s twin bill versus Briar Cliff. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 18-8 overall (6-2 GPAC) with each of its first eight league games having been played on the road.
This Weekend
Friday, March 28 vs. Waldorf (9-15, 5-3 GPAC), 3 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
Monday, March 31 vs. Briar Cliff (9-13, 3-5 GPAC), 2 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· The series at Doane vaulted Concordia up to No. 9 in the NAIA’s latest ‘Bo Chip’ ratings released on Monday (March 24). The ratings serve as an RPI for NAIA baseball. According to the Bo Chip ratings, the Bulldogs own four wins over top 25 teams having beaten No. 3 Southeastern University (Fla.) once and No. 21 Doane three times. Concordia also split a four-game series with No. 43 Jamestown. According to the official NAIA metric, the Bulldogs have played the NAIA’s sixth toughest schedule to this point in the season. In the NAIA coaches’ polls released in 2025, the Bulldogs have been ranked 20th (preseason), 21st (March 5) and 22nd (March 19). Doane was listed as the first team in the receiving votes category in the most recent poll.
· The four-game series with Doane allowed Concordia to make a statement early in conference play. The Tigers managed to win game one, 2-1, on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh. The Bulldogs proceeded to win decisively in games two through four: 9-4, 14-7 and 10-0. In Doane’s win, it got a sterling outing from ace pitcher Kaden Crawford. The rest of the way, Concordia wore out the Tiger pitching staff. Over the four-game series as a whole, the Bulldogs slugged 13 home runs (compared to three for Doane) and drew 34 walks while posting impassive on-base (.439) and slugging (.677) percentages. Seven Concordia hitters clubbed at least one homer at Doane: Brad Hallock (four), Jaidan Quinn (three), Matthew Rhoades (two), Jimmy Blumberg (one), Ty Nekoliczak (one), Tanner Tompkins (one) and Michael Welch (one).
· Dupic liked what he saw from his four starting pitchers in the Doane series. Ace Alex Johnson wound up with a loss despite a stellar outing that saw him cover 6.2 innings with just one earned run allowed on six hits and three walks. He notched a season-high 10 strikeouts. In game two, Christian Gutierrez logged eight innings and surrendered four runs on nine hits and a walk (five strikeouts). Gutierrez moved up to a tie for No. 3 on the program’s all-time wins list with 25 for his career. On Sunday, freshman Micah Sweeton fired five innings and conceded five runs on nine hits and two walks (five strikeouts). The best pitching performance of the weekend was then delivered by Braxton Greenburg, who went 7.2 shutout innings with two hits and no walks allowed. Greenburg’s 13 strikeouts represented a career-high. In relief, Daiten Schmidt picked up his fourth save in the game three win.
· Brad Hallock has been on a tear in the middle of the Concordia lineup. In the four games at Doane, Hallock went 7-for-16 (.438) with two doubles, four home runs and seven RBIs. He also walked three times. A senior from Carrollton, Texas, Hallock previously attended Lamar Community College and the University of Northern Colorado before making his way to Seward. Hallock became an immediate starter in 2024 and batted .309 with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs. He appears on his way to an even better season in 2025. Through 26 games, Hallock is hitting .340 with nine home runs, .416 on-base percentage and .680 slugging percentage. Hallock is a major reason why the Bulldog offense continues to hum despite the losses of three First Team All-GPAC outfielders (Jay Adams, Alec Blakestad and Joey Grabanski).
· With his three homers in the Doane series, the All-American Jaidan Quinn pushed his tallies to 12 for the season and 85 for his career. Quinn is the current GPAC leader in home runs and RBIs (36) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.831) and third in on-base percentage (.517). In addition to Quinn and Hallock, two other Concordia players have at least five home runs: Matt Rhoades (seven) and Jaeden Jordahl (five). As a team, the Bulldogs lead the GPAC in home runs (47) and slugging percentage (.540). No other team in the league has more than 22 home runs.
· A native of Olathe, Kan., Alex Johnson has starred as a legit ace at the top of the rotation. Johnson missed nearly the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons due to injury before returning to the mound this spring. He has made five starts in 2025 and owns a 1.98 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. In a Concordia career that dates back to the 2021 NAIA World Series season, Johnson has made 31 starts and is 13-4 with a 3.16 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 128 innings. Johnson was named First Team All-GPAC in 2022. Johnson leads a pitching staff that currently sports a 5.17 ERA this season.
The opponents
Waldorf is the GPAC’s newest member. The Warriors are coming off a 2024 season that ended with a 23-28 overall record. Waldorf managed to reach the championship game of last year’s North Star Athletic Association conference tournament, which resulted in a 16-7 loss at the hands of Bellevue University. Head Coach Joe Tautges’ 2025 squad has been led offensively by the likes of Cameren Rindone (.338 BA, .395 OBP, .635 SLG, 5 HR) and Lucas Romero (.338 BA, .437 OBP, .608 SLG, 5 HR). Statistically, the pitching staff is headed by Ben Dornseif, who sports a 4.88 ERA in six starts (31.1 IP). The Warriors have started solidly in league play while taking three of four from Hastings prior to doubleheader splits with Mount Marty and Midland. Through 24 games, Waldorf is averaging 5.71 runs per game while the team ERA stands at 7.94.
Briar Cliff went 26-22 (18-10 GPAC) last season and placed fourth in the GPAC standings. From that squad, the Chargers returned two second team all-conference award winners: catcher Cade Marquardt and outfielder Cam Riemer. Both players are key parts of a lineup that also includes Nico Sall, who is hitting .355 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. His RBI total ranks third among GPAC players (behind only Jaidan Quinn and Matt Rhoades). Head Coach Corby McGlauflin’s squad has opened GPAC play against the likes of Morningside (lost three of four), Northwestern (swept doubleheader) and Mount Marty (got swept in doubleheader). The pitching staff has leaned on Nick Hays (six starts), who sports a 5.18 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 33 innings. The team ERA sits at 8.94 through 22 games. In 2024, Briar Cliff and Concordia split a doubleheader played in Sioux City, Iowa.
Next week
Next week will feature another Friday-Sunday setup. The Bulldogs will host Hastings on Friday, April 4 before playing at Morningside on Sunday, April 6. The location for the Morningside doubleheader will be Bishop Mueller Field in Sioux City, Iowa.