SEWARD, Neb. – Following a doubleheader sweep at No. 16 Kansas Wesleyan University on Tuesday, the Concordia University Baseball team will be headed back to the state of Kansas for a four-game weekend series with Culver-Stockton College (Mo.). The two sides will go head-to-head in doubleheaders scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch on both Saturday and Sunday. The venue will be the LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott, Kan. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 4-3 overall.
This weekend
Saturday, Feb. 24 vs. Culver-Stockon (1-7), 1 p.m. DH
--NAIA Scoreboard | Location: LaRoche Baseball Complex (Fort Scott, Kan.)
Sunday, Feb. 25 vs. Culver-Stockon (1-7), 1 p.m. DH
--NAIA Scoreboard | Location: LaRoche Baseball Complex (Fort Scott, Kan.)
A couple of school records formerly owned by Jesse Garcia were broken over the past week. As part of the Feb. 18 doubleheader with William Penn University (Iowa), Jay Adams became the program’s all-time hits leader. The hit total for Adams now stands at 274 (.355 career batting average). Then on Tuesday, Joey Grabanski rose to the top of the RBI list via a two-run homer in the game two victory over Kansas Wesleyan. Grabanski owns school career records for home runs (63) and RBIs (219). Garcia finished his fine career with 270 hits and 216 RBIs. Garcia continues to own the career doubles record (59) with Adams (56) also closing in on that standard. Adams is also the school’s all-time runs scored leader with 223.
While the offensive lineup continues to be a strength, Dupic was pleased to see the pitching and defense tighten up in the twin bill at Kansas Wesleyan. The Bulldogs did not commit a single error in the doubleheader and the bullpen covered 6.1 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed. Starters Caden Johnson and Caden Bugarske combined for 17 strikeouts. They handed it off to the likes of Braxton Greenburg, Jacob Lycan, Ernie Snyder and Qwin Zabokrtsky out of the bullpen. Lycan got the final six outs of game two and earned the save. Over the two wins (14 innings), Concordia limited a powerful Kansas Wesleyan offense to a combined seven runs on 11 hits and five walks.
Concordia hit five homers at Kansas Wesleyan to push the season homer total to 10. Matt Rhoades and Jaidan Quinn have connected for three blasts apiece. The freshman first baseman Rhoades (Monument, Colo.) leads the team with 14 RBIs. Another addition to the team, transfer Brad Hallock has been an on-base machine with nine hits (two home runs) and seven walks (.667 OBP) in 24 plate appearances. Quinn needs one more home run to reach 50 for his career. Quinn and Grabanski both hit a school single season record 27 home runs in 2023.
This will mark the second-straight February that the Bulldogs have played Culver-Stockton in Fort Scott. In last year’s four-game series, Concordia emerged with a sweep while winning by scores of 5-4, 16-5, 16-8 and 16-2, respectively. The Wildcats have begun this season at 1-7 overall. Culver-Stockton has played another GPAC team twice already this season, falling by scores of 7-5 and 4-1 to Doane. The Wildcats’ one win so far was a 6-4 decision over Bethel College (Tenn.).
Next Week
Once action wraps up in Fort Scott, Kan., the Bulldogs will look forward to spring break in sunny Florida. Concordia will be in The Sunshine State from March 1-9 and will begin that stretch with four games on the home field of Keiser University in West Palm Beach.