SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University slugger Joey Grabanski has appeared undeterred by the growing attention as he moves to the doorstep of the NAIA national all-time home run record. Grabanski homered five times last week while leading the 17th-ranked Bulldogs to a doubleheader sweep of No. 9 Doane and then a series victory (three of four) over Midland. Just over halfway through the GPAC regular season schedule, Concordia sits tied for first place with rival Doane. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 28-9 overall (12-4 GPAC) while looking to hit the 30-win mark for the sixth time during Dupic’s tenure. A pivotal four-game series with Morningside awaits this weekend.
This week
Saturday, April 13 at Morningside (22-12, 9-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: MercyOne Field (Sioux City, Iowa)
Sunday, April 14 at Morningside (22-12, 9-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: MercyOne Field (Sioux City, Iowa)
By the numbers
· Last week’s action was affected significantly by winds in excess of 20 miles per hour on each game day. The wind blew from left to right across the diamond when No. 17 Concordia hosted No. 9 Doane on April 2. Both games were wild ones featuring plenty of drama. The Bulldogs outlasted the Tigers, 14-13, in game one as Jay Adams delivered the walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning (scheduled for seven innings). In game two, Jacob Lycan recorded the final out with a runner on third base to preserve the 7-6 victory. Four days later in Fremont, the winds howled in from center field in the matchup with Midland. The Warriors took the first game, 8-2, before the Bulldogs rebounded to win game two, 13-3, before dominating game Nos. 3 and 4 in Seward, 10-2 and 14-4. For the week, Joey Grabanski batted .421 (8-for-19) with five home runs and 11 RBIs. Other home runs were hit during the week by Alec Blakestad (two), Jaidan Quinn (two), Matt Rhoades (two), Adams (one) and Ty Nekoliczak (one). It was a fine week for Nekoliczak, who batted .500 (11-for-22) and made a highlight-reel worthy diving stop for an out in the series finale with Midland.
· The pursuit of history continues for Grabanski, who has pushed his career home run total to 76. He’s just one long ball shy of the all-time NAIA home run record of 77 by Brice Cutspec of Azusa Pacific University (Calif.). As part of last week’s action, Grabanski passed Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.)’s Steve Dover (72 homers) for No. 2 on the NAIA’s all-time list. In 207 career collegiate games, Grabanski has also totaled 203 runs, 276 hits, 47 doubles, 260 RBIs and 117 walks. He’s a career .376 hitter. The Grand Forks, N.D., native is the reigning GPAC Player of the Year and is on track to earn First Team All-GPAC honors for the fourth-straight year. By season, Grabanski crushed 17 home runs as a freshman, 18 as a sophomore, 27 as a junior and 14 so far as a senior.
· Entering the week, Concordia and Doane are tied atop the league standings with identical 12-4 GPAC records. After falling twice in Seward, the Tigers split a doubleheader at Northwestern before sweeping a twin bill from Dordt. Next in line in the GPAC standings are Briar Cliff (10-4), Morningside (9-5) and Jamestown (7-5). The Chargers could be considered the most pleasant surprise of the first half of the conference season. Their 10 league wins have already surpassed their total from last season when they went 9-19 in conference play. From a national perspective, Concordia and Doane continue to garner the most attention. In the latest NAIABall media poll, Doane landed at No. 10 and Concordia settled at No. 15. A new official NAIA coaches’ poll will be released on Wednesday.
· The Bonner Springs, Kan., native Jaidan Quinn is lurking not far behind Grabanski on the home run list. Quinn has slugged 19 home runs this season (tied for third most in the NAIA) while running his career total to 65. This 2024 season, Quinn stands as the GPAC leader in home runs, RBIs (49) and slugging percentage (.943). The three-year numbers for Quinn as a Bulldog are staggering. In 153 career games, he has slashed .358/.512/.833 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 174 hits, 182 runs, 179 RBIs and 34 doubles. In addition to Grabanski (76) and Quinn (65), two other Concordia players have at least 25 career home runs: Adams (42) and Blakestad (28).
· Ten different Bulldogs appeared on the mound last week. Both Braxton Greenburg and Caden Johnson made two starts while Blake Benson and Christian Gutierrez made one start apiece. Gutierrez fired a nine-inning complete game in the 13-3 win at Midland. The La Mirada, Calif., native has covered six innings or more in five of his past six starts. In addition, Greenburg tossed a seven-inning complete game with 10 strikeouts and only three hits allowed in the 10-2 home win over the Warriors. In closing out the series with Midland, Johnson recorded nine strikeouts in 5.1 innings and earned the 22nd win of his career (third most in program history). Gutierrez leads the starting staff with a 3.00 ERA (51 innings) on the season. A fifth-year Bulldog, Lycan has enjoyed a terrific season out of the bullpen with a 1.26 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings (10 appearances).
· Not surprisingly, Concordia paces the GPAC in virtually all key offensive categories, including batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.435), slugging percentage (.586), runs scored (325), home runs (76) and extra-base hits (139). Four of the league’s top RBI producers are Bulldogs: Quinn (49), Grabanski (48), Rhoades (42) and Blakestad (36). In addition, Quinn (.393) and Hallock (.385) rank Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in batting average. The GPAC’s top four in home runs are all from Concordia: Quinn (19), Grabanski (14), Rhoades (12) and Blakestad (10).
The opponent
Morningside earned an at-large bid to the 2023 national tournament and made its second appearance on the national stage during its time as a GPAC member. Head Coach Adam Boeve’s squad stands at 22-12 overall (9-5 GPAC) after finishing the ’23 season at 37-18 (20-8 GPAC). The Mustangs returned headlining All-GPAC players in catcher Jayson Willers (first team) and infielder Eddie Brancato (second team). Brancato ranks second among GPAC players in batting average at .405. Willers is hitting .313 with five home runs and 27 RBIs. Through 34 games, Morningside has averaged 5.35 runs scored per game while the pitching staff sports a 3.92 ERA. The staff features ace Kai Purdy-Burton, who is 6-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 48 innings (eight starts). The team’s other main rotation arms are Aiden Bishop (2-1, 3.46 ERA), Conner Maston (2-4, 3.72 ERA) and Cade Nolan (4-1, 4.61 ERA). Before hosting Concordia this weekend, Morningside will play a doubleheader at Mount Marty on Tuesday night. The Mustangs are coming off a four-game series with Briar Cliff that saw the Chargers take three out of four.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will finish the six-game road swing on April 19 with a pair of games at Jamestown. Concordia will then play its final six games of the regular season at home beginning with the April 21 doubleheader versus Hastings.