SEWARD, Neb. – As a result of unplayable weather conditions, the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball program has announced that all four games scheduled to be played in Joplin, Mo., this weekend (Feb. 15-16) have been canceled. The Bulldogs were originally scheduled to play four nonconference foes in Joplin: Dakota State University (S.D.), Mission University (Mo.), Graceland University (Iowa) and William Penn University (Iowa).
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad opened the 2025 season this past weekend with three wins in Oklahoma City, Okla. Concordia twice defeated No. 23 Oklahoma City University, 11-7 and 15-3, and edged No. 15 Bellevue, 2-1, in a pitcher’s duel. Over those three contests, the Bulldogs batted .352 compared to a .165 clip for their opponents. They also outscored their foes, 28-11, while backing up their No. 20 NAIA preseason national ranking.
Early in the day on Wednesday (Feb. 12), Alex Johnson was named the GPAC Pitcher of the Week. Johnson covered 4.2 innings in the win over Bellevue and allowed just one run on one hit and one walk to go along with nine strikeouts. Concordia’s pitching shined throughout the stay in Oklahoma City. In the season opener, Braxton Greenburg fired 4.1 innings and surrendered one run on three hits and two walks (six strikeouts). In the final game of the weekend, Christian Gutierrez went 4.1 innings with no runs allowed on three hits and one walk (eight strikeouts). Out of the bullpen, DJ Andersen picked up a save in the victory over Bellevue by throwing 2.1 scoreless innings.
Offensively, second baseman Ty Nekoliczak led the attack in Oklahoma City with five hits, putting him two away from 200 for his career. There were six other Bulldogs who notched at least three hits for the weekend, including transfers Bronx Lewis (4-for-8) and Jaeden Jordahl (4-for-10). In addition, outfielder Alex Draper homered and drove in six runs and shortstop Jimmy Blumberg knocked in seven runs while posting a pair of doubles. On the bases, Zackery Day stole three bases and scored five runs.
As the schedule stands, Concordia is slated to return to action the weekend of Feb. 22-23 with four games in Fort Scott, Kan., versus former GPAC rival Jamestown. Any alterations to the team’s calendar will be reflected on the 2025 schedule linked HERE.