As the infrastructure for baseball undergoes a transformation within the Seward community, Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball made Sherman Field its home for the fall training period. On the heels of the program’s seventh consecutive national tournament appearance, the Bulldogs reconvened for the start of the fall semester, confident in their direction. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s organization has fewer question marks surrounding it compared to this time a year ago.
Dupic says his team wasn’t bothered by the roughly 30-minute drive to Sherman Field for practices that took place three-to-four times per week. The top-notch facility allowed Dupic and his staff to expand their practice plans this fall.
“We tried to emphasize defense, especially outfield defense, since we had access to a full field,” Dupic said. “I'd like to think we made some progress there. We also emphasized situational things because we don't have many opportunities to train in those areas during other parts of the year. Overall, I think things went mostly as expected. We feel like we have decent pitching depth, depending on health and the progression of certain guys. We're also encouraged by the athleticism of some of our newer players, while the returning guys were generally where we expected them to be.”
Clearly, Dupic has developed a philosophy and a regimen that works. Some of the most prolific players in program history have graduated in recent years, and yet, the beat goes on. Concordia has won no fewer than 38 games in each of the past six seasons. Those special seasons begin with the work that happens in the fall. For the 2026-27 Bulldogs, there is continuity from last season thanks to the return of six all-conference players, including three first teamers.
During the intensive five-week fall season, the Bulldogs engaged in a series of scrimmages, including two against intercollegiate opponents. The program hosted its annual fall family weekend gathering at Sherman Field in late September. When not traveling to Lincoln, Concordia made use of the on-campus hitting center and Bulldog Stadium turf.
Though program mainstays Alex Johnson (two-time GPAC Pitcher of the Year) and Caden Bugarske exhausted their eligibility, the Bulldogs returned a stockpile of experienced arms. A major key in 2027 will be keeping junior Micah Sweeton healthy. The Temecula, Calif., fireballer averaged more than 15 strikeouts per nine innings last season. He mesmerized Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan with back-to-back 14 K outings late in the regular season.
Says Dupic of Sweeton, “We shut him down for a while during the summer because he had a little issue in the middle of the spring. He came back really strong, and I thought he was at his peak toward the end of the season. We felt it would be good to give him a little break during the summer before building him back up for the fall. We got him on the mound in some game situations and tried to challenge him a little bit, but we really just gave him a taste of it. It was about managing his workload, keeping him improving and understanding that there's still a lot ahead of him.”
Sweeton, Sam Bespoyasny and Devin Gonor are back from last season’s starting rotation. Then there are a bevy of bullpen arms who contributed to the 2026 team’s school record strikeout total of 561. Towering lefty Warren Rose was named to the all-conference first team and heads a bullpen that features the likes of DJ Andersen, Alex Griess, Harrison Hoiekvam, Trent Schlim and Brody Smearer. In addition, Sam Rambajan is attempting to make his way back after missing virtually the entire 2026 season.
Newcomers will also factor into the mix. This fall, Dupic began to see how the pieces may fall into place. Roles could shift as Concordia revamps the rotation without Johnson and Bugarske.
“I'm really encouraged by the wide variety of guys who have the ability to be successful at the collegiate level,” Dupic said. “The thing I'm processing now is that we have a whole bunch of people who have shown they can be successful. Now it's about figuring out how to get more out of them. Maybe that's adding another pitch or improving their execution so they can give us more volume rather than just serving as situational guys. When we head into the spring and look at the 12 pitchers we take on a trip, I think we'll feel like we have a lot of people who can get guys out in different situations.”
In the fall of 2025, the Bulldogs were unsure of who would log the majority of innings behind the plate. Lincoln Christian High School product Jake Watson emerged as a breakout star at catcher and has taken on an increased leadership role as he looks ahead to his junior season. Watson slashed .349/.441/.609 in 2026 and broke the school record for putouts in a season while serving as an ironman at catcher.
The quantum leaps taken last season by the likes of Watson and Bronx Lewis (NAIA Third Team All-American) allowed Concordia to remain at an elite level, despite significant personnel losses from the previous year. Watson and fellow first team all-conference honoree in outfielder Luke Wilson are back to anchor the lineup. Assistant Head Coach (and hitting coach) Ben Berg is looking for more stories like that of Watson heading into the spring.
“Jake reminds me of several guys on our team, including Micah and Luke Wilson,” Dupic said. “At this point last year, there was so much unknown. We had so many new players that we really didn't understand a lot about ourselves. This year, we have so much more information about our players, and we're farther along with a lot of them than we were at this point last year. Jake is one of those guys. I remember him struggling a little bit last winter. Going into the season, we thought he could get in there and help us, but we weren't really sure. Then everything clicked for him. He's so much farther along now than he was a year ago.”
Other returning position players who started extensively last season include first baseman Carson Burnett, outfielder Alex Draper, DH Andrew Fetty, 1B/OF Jack Hirchert and shortstop Jake Tyler. Dupic specifically mentioned Tyler as someone who has elevated his game to another level. A physically strong young player, Fetty is a candidate for a breakout after he collected 10 doubles and seven home runs as a freshman in 2026.
If recent years are any indication, Concordia will continue to trot out one of the NAIA’s most potent offenses. Said Dupic, “I think it's still a developmental process for us, and I'm grateful that our guys believe in that. We're going to keep working to get better over the next couple of months and be ready for the spring.”
At some point in 2027 (date TBD), the Bulldogs will have an opportunity to break in the new all-turf ballfield that will be situated on the east side of campus. Until the project is complete, the Bulldogs will continue to make Sherman Field their home.
“Obviously, we hope our field can be ready, but we respect that there's a lot of work to be done,” Dupic said. “We want it done right, and we want to open it at a time that makes it really special. We're hopeful while also respecting the process and the people working hard on it. I'm sure the players would love to get out there at some point, but we'll see how it goes.”
To keep up with offseason news, visit the Concordia Baseball homepage HERE. For those interested in supporting the ongoing ballfield project, please visit the Shine Forth campaign website HERE.