By Sam Firminhac, Athletic Communications
In a season of milestones and accomplishments for the Concordia University Baseball team, including the program's first trip to the NAIA World Series, two players found themselves in a battle for the school’s career home run record. On May 19, 2021, both Jesse Garcia and Keaton Candor broke Jarrod Pimentel’s all-time home run record (27), which had stood since 2002. When the season came to an end, Garcia and Candor shared the record with 29 career home runs apiece and are looking to expand the record in the coming season.
There is however a third Bulldog who is starting to make his way into the conversation. Last year, Joey Grabanski smashed 17 home runs which obliterated the previous single-season record. Even more impressive, he did so as a freshman. Incredibly, Grabanski (17), Garcia (14), Candor (13) and Jakob Faulk (13) each broke the previous single-season record of 11 blasts in one year. Now with a new season fast approaching, the chase for the home run title is on.
Candor will be entering his fifth and final season in the program. Although it has been four years in the making, Candor had his eyes set on the home run record when he first arrived on campus. "When I first realized that I could break the home run record would probably be at the beginning of last year,” Candor said. “But I remember one of my first meetings with (former hitting coach) Bryce Berg when I got to campus was about what my goals for my career and we talked about breaking the home run record by the time I left Concordia.”
The Merrill, Iowa, native made a splash in his freshman season with the Bulldogs, starting in 43 games and hitting .305 on the year. His junior season was when his bat truly exploded. He hit five home runs and batted .400 in the COVID shortened season. The next season his bat didn’t cool off – he smashed 13 home runs while hitting .375 and slugging .648.
This season, Candor looks to start right where he left off. Said Candor, “I think some keys to this year that will help me perform at a high level is having the team around me and what Coach Lang has us doing in practice. I think that the dynamic of the team and what we have at Concordia has led me to where I am as a player.” It's safe to say that Concordia baseball wouldn't be in the same spot if it weren’t for Candor, who has started over 160 games and counting in his career.
Although the home run record will be talked about throughout the year, it’s not Candor’s focus. “Individual success is awesome and feels good but having everyone share the experience of winning games when they matter is something that I find most enjoyable. I will keep my eye on where I am at, but I will not be overly concerned with that.” He has his eyes set on a much bigger price.
Garcia had been hitting home runs long before he arrived in Seward. In high school, he earned himself a trip to LoanDepot Park (then Marlins Park) in Miami, Fla., where he won the Power Showcase Home Run Derby. He then made his presence felt at Concordia where he hit eight home runs, including three in a single game, in his freshman season. He then added seven home runs in the shortened 2020 season. In his junior season, he didn't slow down, slugging .670 and tallying another 14 home runs. “I guess you can say that I had my sights on the school record since the end of my sophomore year,” Garcia said. “I never thought I would break the record my junior year.”
Believe it or not, home runs aren’t Garcia’s main focus when he steps up to the plate. "I have to have the thought process of just performing to the best of my ability in each game that I will play,” Garcia said. “The goal is not to think I have to hit home runs, but to hit the baseball the best that I can.” Going into this season he is focusing on all aspects of the game and not just the numbers in the home run column.
Garcia wants his team to be able to count on him in any situation that they end up in. Said Garcia, “My goals for this year, which is the same for every year, is to perform even better than I did the year before, meaning: average, home runs, extra-base hits, on-base percentage and fielding percentage. That way I am a better asset to the team, and that I'm a guy that they can rely on to get the job done in intense situations.”
For the North Dakota native Grabanski, it's hard to imagine a better start to a college career. As a freshman he started all 54 games, batting .355 with a .680 slugging percentage. He also shattered the previous single-season home run record and crushed four in one day. “When I got closer to the record it began to sit in the back of my mind. I went out there and just stuck to my approach,” Grabanski said. “When I hit the 12th home run, I was ecstatic, but I knew we still had plenty of games to go in the season.”
For Grabanski’s success to continue into this season he looks to stick to his approach that made him successful in 2021 – why wouldn’t he? “I think some keys are to take it one game and one at-bat at a time,” Grabanski said. “I just want to stick to my approach and play whatever role is needed at any given time.”
The 2021 First Team All GPAC slugger is looking to make his sophomore season even more special than his freshman year. If it weren’t for Candor and Garcia, the career home run record would almost certainly be Grabanski’s at the end of his time at Concordia. However, Grabanski admits that it will take some work trying to catch up to the two older players. Said Grabanski, “There is some extra motivation, but it will take some work chasing it down – knowing I get to go out there and compete is all I could ask for.”
While the career home run record is based off individual success it is bringing the three players closer to each other as both teammates and friends. “We want nothing more than seeing each other succeed, especially when it's making the amount of home runs larger and larger for the season record,” Garcia said. The three Bulldogs players are using the record to push each other to be the best that they can be so that the team can succeed at the highest level. “I am very thankful to have a great relationship with Jesse and Joey so it makes it easy to talk with them about the home run record and who will be the one on top of the record board,” Candor said. “I think a big reason I had the success I’ve had is because of those guys pushing me and competing together brings out the best in us.”
While it may be easy to get wrapped up in the individual success of the game, Garcia emphasizes how important selflessness is to the success of the team. “A key would be not being selfish and play for my teammates and the name on the front of my jersey.” The battle for the home run record will, no doubt, provide excitement and intrigue for both fans and players going into the 2022 Bulldog season. However, home runs come secondary to Concordia Baseball’s ultimate goal. Said Candor, “One thing I want to do again is go to Lewiston.”