LINCOLN, Neb. – In an ace-off, it was a contest to see who would blink first. Finally, in the top of the eighth, Jalen Martinez lifted the first pitch he saw to left for a three-run homer. The towering drive propelled top-seeded Webber International University (Fla.) to a 3-0 win over the second-seeded Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team on Tuesday (May 13). The result put the Warriors of Babson Park, Fla., in the driver’s seat in the Lincoln Bracket site, one of 10 hosts for the 2025 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will face elimination when the action resumes at Sherman Field on Wednesday. The Bulldogs (41-12) are now 1-1 in the bracket having also earned a 5-4 decision over No. 3 seed University of Science and Arts (Okla.) on Monday.
“I thought they did a really good job. It was a tough day to score,” Dupic said. “Obviously their pitcher is really good. He did a good job expanding the zone and working sideways. That made it tough on our guys. He’s an All-American type guy and when he starts dotting those, making pitches, getting plus counts and mixing the curveball – he did a great job. I thought Alex was incredible and really did a good job keeping us in it all the way to the eighth. We had a couple chances to get that big swing and couldn’t quite get it. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and make a run at it.”
The pitchers in this matchup of clubs ranked in the top 12 of the NAIA coaches’ poll were on their game. Through the first seven innings on Tuesday afternoon, Concordia’s Alex Johnson and Webber International’s Blayne Huter matched each other zero for zero. In making his 12th start this season, Johnson induced plenty of weak contact (14 groundouts) and used his quick pickoff move to nab a runner at second base. On the other side, Huter paired an explosive fastball with a sharp breaking curveball that resulted in 10 strikeouts over seven innings.
Offensively, the Bulldogs’ best scoring chance came in the fifth when they put two on with one out. Alex Draper and Ty Nekoliczak (bunt hit) both singled off Huter in the frame. The 6-foot-5 right-hander then made critical pitches to strike out power-hitting lefties Jaidan Quinn and Matt Rhoades. Huter also navigated out of trouble after allowing the leadoff hitter to reach in both the first and second innings.
Johnson sailed smoothly through the majority of the first seven frames. The Olathe, Kan., native retired the first batter of the eighth before the Warriors made their game-winning push. It started when Richard Rodriguez singled and Joseph Becker walked. The most meaningful swing of the game followed as Martinez got enough of Johnson’s offering to send it over the left-field wall. It was the only extra-base hit of the day for either side.
Huter (14-1) exited the game after firing seven shutout innings. In relief, standout Noah Palmese recorded the final six outs while notching his 12th save of the season. Palmese struck out pinch hitter Tanner Tompkins to put the game on ice. Webber International (43-13) now stands one win away from securing a spot in the NAIA World Series.
Nekoliczak and Jaeden Jordahl both went 2-for-4 on Tuesday to lead the Concordia lineup. In relief of Johnson, Daiten Schmidt worked 1.2 innings and helped keep the deficit at 3-0 after entering the game in the eighth. The Bulldogs will need to win twice on Wednesday in order to keep the dream of reaching the NAIA World Series alive (as the program did in 2021).
Said Dupic, “We’re just going to go home and get some rest, try to recharge and see if we can get some things going for the next couple of days.”
In an elimination game at 12 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Concordia will take on fourth-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University (31-21). The winner of the matinee will remain alive to play Webber International at 4 p.m.
Lincoln Bracket Game Schedule | Bracket (PDF)
Monday, May 12
· Game 1 – (4) Indiana Wesleyan def. (5) Mount Mercy, 3-0
· Game 2 – (2) Concordia def. (3) Science and Arts, 5-4
· Game 3 – (1) Webber International vs. (4) Indiana Wesleyan, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 13
· Game 4 – (3) Science and Arts def. (5) Mount Mercy, 6-3
· Game 5 – (1) Webber International def. (2) Concordia, 3-0
· Game 6 – (4) Indiana Wesleyan def. (3) Science and Arts, 11-9
Wednesday, May 14
· Game 7 – (2) Concordia vs. (4) Indiana Wesleyan, 12 p.m.
· Game 8 – (1) Webber International vs. Game 7 Winner, 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 15
· Game 9 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser (if necessary), 12 p.m.