WATCH: Joey Grabanski’s record-breaking home run
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – With two powerful flicks of the bat, Joey Grabanski made history on Saturday (April 13) as the 15th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team played two games under the hot spring sunshine in Sioux City, Iowa. Grabanski became the NAIA’s all-time home run king thanks to his two blasts as part of a 13-11 Bulldog victory over Morningside in game one. The Mustangs then responded by taking the second game, 8-5, at MercyOne Field.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic reflected on the accomplishments of Grabanski afterwards. As career home run No. 78 for Grabanski sailed over the left-center field wall in game one of the fourth inning, Dupic, his staff and the entire team took a moment to celebrate along with the new record holder.
“It was pretty cool,” Dupic said. “It was a neat way that it happened. He got us going early and was a key in that big inning. It’s pretty incredible. I talked to him yesterday and said, ‘This thing is going to happen.’ He was on the same page. ‘It’ll happen when it happens. We’re good.’ Three at bats later, it happened. That’s just him.”
Said Grabanski, “It’s a great feat to accomplish. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches believing and pushing me to become better every day. Honestly, in the moment I wasn’t thinking about anything. I was just sticking to my approach and doing whatever I could to help the team in whatever way possible.”
It’s no surprise that Grabanski was at the forefront on a day geared towards offensive production. The Grand Forks, N.D., native did his damage off Mustang ace pitcher Kai Purdy-Burton. Grabanski tied the all-time record with a solo homer in the third inning of game one. Just one inning later, Grabanski crushed a three-run shot that gave Concordia a lead (6-4) that it would not relinquish. His teammates took inspiration from those bombs as Brad Hallock (three-run homer) and Tanner Tompkins (solo shot) followed with homers in the fourth and Jay Adams added one of his own in the seventh.
The Bulldogs took a 13-8 lead to the bottom of the seventh of game one before things got a bit hairy. With the score at 13-11 and the bags full with one out, closer Maverick Wylder managed to coax Ryan Kiolbassa to ground into the 1-2-3 double play that ended the game. That play made a winner reliever Logan Fragomeni, who worked two innings following three frames from starter Braxton Greenburg. There were a combined 24 hits in the slugfest.
The Carrollton, Texas, native Hallock also pulverized a two-run homer in game two. At the time, that blast tied the score, 2-2, in the second inning. Morningside eventually grabbed a 6-3 lead before the Bulldogs chipped away in the sixth with an Adams RBI single and then with a run via a wild pitch in the seventh. A pair of Morningside (24-14, 11-7 GPAC) insurance runs in the seventh helped carry the home team to victory and a doubleheader split.
Consistency in the pitching staff has been a challenge for the Bulldogs, who have been without a couple of key starters in the rotation. Said Dupic, “Our hitters did a really good job and bailed us out in game one. We can’t do that every game. We didn’t prevent runs – didn’t make enough pitches. A couple plays got away from us defensively in game two. That made us work harder to get out of innings. Game two we were right on the cusp of some things. We have to be a little bit better pitching and defensively to win those games.”
Grabanski drove in four runs in game one. He was one of five Bulldogs with at least two hits in that contest with the others being Hallock (3-for-3), Adams (2-for-4), Blakestad (2-for-4) and Matt Rhoades (2-for-4). In game two, Adams (2-for-3), Rhoades (2-for-4) and Hallock (2-for-5) each notched two hits. Caden Johnson started game two on the mound and went 4.2 innings (six runs) before giving way to Cameron Pickens, who threw 3.1 innings (two runs).
Grabanski will go down as a Concordia, GPAC and NAIA baseball legend. His year-by-year home run totals have come out as 17 in 2021, 18 in 2022, 27 in 2023 and 16 in 2024. The former NAIA record of 77 home runs was held by Brice Cutspec of Azusa Pacific University (Calif.). From his stature to his gargantuan displays of power, Grabanski is truly the Babe Ruth of NAIA baseball.
Added Dupic, “The very best thing you can do when you step to the plate is hit a home run. Any record that anybody sets nationally is incredible. He didn’t set it in like sac bunts or singles, even though that would be really good too. He set it for hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That’s the best thing you can do when you come to the plate. There’s not a better record that you could have as an individual. He’s just been incredible. You can’t say much more. You run out of ways to describe it.”
The Bulldogs and Mustangs will resume the series at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday from MercyOne Field (Lewis and Clark Park). Concordia now sits at 29-10 overall (13-5 GPAC) while slipping one game behind Doane atop the GPAC standings.