In the fall of 2014, the arrival of Casey Berg at 800 North Columbia Avenue helped initiate a transformation of the Concordia Baseball program. Little did anyone know at the time, Casey’s decision would eventually lead to all four sons of Rod and Angie Berg making their way to Seward, Nebraska. It wasn’t on anyone’s lists for college baseball hotbeds, but things were about to change. As the architect behind the GPAC’s premier baseball program (the statistics back that up), Ryan Dupic was building a foundation centered on “family and continuous improvement.”
A young Ben Berg knew nothing of Concordia Baseball. As an eighth grader, Ben saw Casey quickly enjoy success wearing Bulldog Blue. Then Ben watched as oldest brother Bryce caught on with the program as a graduate assistant (before his eventual promotion to a full-time role). Even so, it hadn’t occurred to Ben what this might mean for his own future.
“I had no idea what Concordia was and never heard about it before,” Ben said. “I had no idea where Seward was. Right away when Casey was here that first year, I didn’t really have any impressions. I was in eighth grade and college baseball wasn’t on my radar at that point. I got into high school and I thought there was no way I’d end up at Concordia. I was a naïve, probably pretty arrogant, teenage kid that thought I was going to get drafted and go big time Division I.”
With all due respect to Bryce and Casey (two important figures in the program’s recent past), this is about Ben’s journey. Later in his high school career at Kuemper Catholic, Ben began to see Concordia as his “big time” and a place where he could carve out his own legacy, separate from the Bergs that came before him. Fully healthy and as confident as ever, Ben has enjoyed the type of season that he dreamt of all along. In 2023, Ben has produced career highs across the board while hitting .413 with a .494 on-base percentage and a .677 slugging percentage to go along with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBIs. On top of that, he has yet to commit an error behind the plate while gunning down nine would-be base stealers.
Beyond the numbers, Ben is looked up to as an unofficial captain of the team. An analytical thinker like his brother Bryce, Ben has carried a near spotless GPA throughout his college career while studying Secondary Education and Physical Education. As slugging third baseman Jaidan Quinn said of Ben, “He’s that guy. He’s the captain. Everybody knows Ben.” ‘The Captain’ has earned his stripes over five seasons and more than 175 games played at Concordia.
He's the type of player and personality Dupic sought as he rebuilt a program that accomplished the unlikely in reaching the 2021 NAIA World Series. As Dupic wrote of Ben in celebration of senior day, “Ben has been a rock in the program for the past five years. He is both a tremendous player and person. I’m greatly appreciative of Ben’s servant heart and his desire to hold himself and others to high standards while having a high degree of empathy and care for the people around him. He has had an outstanding career and is well prepared for the next phase of life. I can’t speak highly enough of him and the incredible impact he’s had in our program.”
Speaking of that fifth season, the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility is what has allowed Ben to remain on the roster through 2023. When he (and all other college spring sport athletes) was robbed of a 2020 season, Ben adjusted his academic track and made a plan to stay as long as he could. Seriously, everyone was pirated of what could have been in 2020 – like a full final year of seeing Jason Munsch put up the most ridiculous pitching statistics in school history (he sported a perfect 0.00 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 26 innings when the season was shut down).
Ben will be able to talk someday about what it was like catching nasty hurlers such as Munsch, Jake Fosgett and Nick Little – and why he stuck around Concordia for five years. It was an easy decision, really.
As Ben explained, “I felt like that (2020) season kind of got taken away from us. I felt like we had a really good team, and we didn’t get to see that all the way through. I just didn’t want to miss out on a whole year of college baseball. I figured if I had the chance to take a whole extra year, why not? I love everything that the program stands for. I’ve had a chance to be part of something bigger than myself and be able to lead people and have a positive impact on people around me. One more year doing that would be a huge deal.”
Ben earned immediate playing time behind the dish in 2019 for a squad that won the GPAC regular season title. As a hitter, Ben was still developing the confidence he would need to become one of the league’s top catchers. After the shortened 2020 campaign, Ben blossomed in 2021 and batted .327 with seven homers and a .515 slugging percentage while helping the program live out a dream in reaching the NAIA World Series. Then, some frustration came in 2022 as Ben missed significant time due to injury (though he still played solidly upon his return). Back to health this spring, Ben has put all facets of his game together in becoming a star. He can stand on his own merit, even in a lineup that includes Jay Adams, Alec Blakestad, Jesse Garcia, Joey Grabanski, Ty Nekoliczak, Quinn and others.
Because of his maturity, Ben seems to understand now what was going on in those instances of struggle – not that they’ve been all that plentiful. In the present day, he can identify when his mentality is beginning to slip, and quickly make the correction. Physical health and an improved mental game have made the difference in 2023.
Says Ben, “Last year was tough missing the first month of the year. I’m really glad to take this extra year because finishing the way I did last year wouldn’t have been the way I wanted to go out. A big part of it is health. I’ve been able to play every game but one this year and I’ve been able to catch a lot. I think I’m just more confident in who I am as a person. I don’t think my skill level as a baseball player has necessarily gone up a lot compared to the last year or two. I was dealing with some stuff early this season where I was a little bit anxious and making the moment too big. After the first weekend of conference play, I sat down with Coach Dupic and talked about it. I got a lot of perspective on who I am and what I’m doing here. I was able to put my life into perspective and realize the results of my baseball career don’t have an impact on the way the rest of my life is lived. I think that gave me a lot of peace and freedom to go out and compete and not be anxious.”
Clearly, the legacy of the Bergs continues to be one of great impact. Last in line in the brotherhood is Kyle, a junior on the roster. When opportunity allows, Bryce (hitting instructor in the Minnesota Twins organization) and Casey (a high school head baseball coach in Colorado) still stop by their old stomping grounds. Ben and Bryce talk frequently on the phone as Bryce travels the country in his role with the Twins. As Ben admitted, “He was here my first year-and-a-half on campus, and it was really hard when he left. We like to keep in touch a lot and we’re a really tight-knit family.”
Teaching the game of baseball is now something being passed down within the family. Ben wasn’t sure he would go that route, but the coaching bug bit him last summer when he assisted with the Johnston High School (Iowa) program. Now he’s readying to become the next graduate assistant coach on Dupic’s staff.
“I figured what better place to try out the GA route than here,” Ben said. “I have tremendous respect for Coach Dupic and Coach (Caleb) Lang and the staff we have here. I think it’s a great opportunity to learn under them and kickstart my coaching career. That’s what I want to do for a while.”
For Ben, that theme of baseball, family and continuous improvement keeps circling back. That’s the Berg way of life.