VIDEO: Jesse Garcia at the 2017 Power Showcase World Classic
Head Coach Ryan Dupic had good reason to believe that Jesse Garcia would make a major impact on the Concordia University Baseball program. In December of 2017, Garcia was seen driving baseballs out of the park at the home stadium of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. The then 18-year-old Garcia turned heads as he won the 12th annual Power Showcase World Classic while hitting 35 total homers (including one that traveled 470 feet) in the home run derby style event meant to provide exposure for top high school players.
Others who previously won that same competition include the likes of MLB stars Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper and Anthony Rizzo. That’s quite the company for Garcia to keep. Selfishly, Dupic was glad many other colleges missed out on Garcia in the recruiting process.
“We had him on campus, and I remember it really well,” Dupic said. “He came in and hit. It was like the second swing he took and I left the hitting center and called (local San Diego recruiting coordinator) Lou (Birch) and was like, ‘Man, what is this kid’s story?’ You could tell by the second swing he was incredible. We felt like we found a gem there. We had a really good visit with Jesse and his family and took him to Lincoln. We could tell that their values meshed well with us and you could tell from a talent perspective, he had a chance to be really special. Their family was great throughout the whole process.”
The feelings are mutual. Garcia is thankful “Dupe Man” (as he referred to his head coach) found him through a showcase event in San Diego and made the connection. So grateful for his time as a Bulldog, Garcia barely had to think about it when faced with the decision to return for a fifth year in the program. Now 213 games deep into his collegiate career as a Bulldog, Garcia has compiled 172 runs scored, 233 hits, 53 doubles, 50 home runs, 188 RBIs, 438 total bases and 107 walks. Each of those figures rank in the top two on the program’s all-time lists.
For Garcia (a Concordia graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice), his return for a fifth season wasn’t about piling up numbers or breaking any records. Garcia cited a team goal of returning to the NAIA World Series and more as part of his decision. Said Garcia, “I love this team and love being around these guys. If there was an opportunity to play another year with them, why not? It’s the last chance I get before I have to move on with my life.”
Those sentiments are coming from a young man who was born and raised in the San Diego area. While growing up in El Cajon, Calif., Jesse took after his older brother Jorge, who developed a love for the game of baseball. Jorge went on to play his college baseball at California State University, Los Angeles. In some ways, Jesse felt he was a bit overlooked in the recruiting process. Perhaps that led him to play with a chip on his shoulder once he arrived in Nebraska.
In an interview with The Hitting Vault, Jesse’s mother Kendra described the competitive drive she saw in both of her sons. As Kendra stated, “We’ve always told our boys that you have to be serious about this stuff and want to learn and be educated. As parents, we can’t force them into this stuff. For my boys, I never had to do that for them. Baseball and hitting were passions they developed from day one on their own. As they started to see success and the battle of getting noticed heated up, they found that not everyone wanted to take a chance on them. This fueled the fire even more and ultimately led them to prove people wrong.”
Added Jesse in regard to the sibling rivalry, “My brother started before me and I just kind of followed in his footsteps. I had the same hitting instructors as he did. I always played catch up with him and tried to beat him. There’s that bond you have as brothers where you try to compete against each other.”
In the recruiting process, Garcia liked how Concordia genuinely displayed its interest in having him as a member of the program. The 6-foot-2, broad-shouldered Garcia certainly looked the part. Dupic and then assistant coach Bryce Berg were confident in the type of player they would be adding, should they convince Garcia to leave the warmer weather of San Diego.
Like other native Californians that have ventured to the middle of the country for college athletics, Garcia had some adjustments to make. While things were different from back home, Garcia felt the welcoming environment and saw a program that was on the rise. There was something special being built, and the culture of the team was at the forefront.
“It was definitely a big change for me,” Garcia said in recalling his visit to campus. “When I first landed here and drove here, I just saw a bunch of cornfields. I was like, ‘Are we going the right direction?’ I didn’t see any buildings. As soon as I arrived, I took a liking to the town. The campus is easy to get around, which I really enjoy. The facilities are also really nice … I really liked the atmosphere here. It was very welcoming. Coach Dupic offered me a scholarship and I was really excited to come here.”
Garcia was immediately placed in the middle of the Concordia lineup for a 2019 team that won the GPAC regular season title and advanced to the national tournament for the second time in Dupic’s tenure. That was only a start. After the COVID-19 shortened season of 2020, the Bulldogs reached their highest highs in 2021 with a trip to the NAIA World Series. In each of the three full seasons Garcia has wore navy blue, Concordia has celebrated a GPAC championship and has played at the national tournament.
One of the signature individual moments of Garcia’s career to this point occurred on May 19, 2021, when he slugged a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning of the 11-10 national tournament win over MidAmerica Nazarene University. Garcia couldn’t help but let out a roar of jubilation as he circled the bases in what amounted to an elimination-game victory. Garcia calls that “one of the best experiences I’ve had” in the game of baseball.
For the rest of his life, Garcia can claim a piece of the golden age of Concordia Baseball when the program captivated observers not only with its winning culture, but its awe-inspiring power. The Bulldogs crushed 90 home runs in 2021, then 113 in 2022 and 64 so far in 2023. There are few breaks in a Concordia lineup that has featured Garcia and prolific teammates such as Jay Adams, Keaton Candor, Joey Grabanski and Jaidan Quinn.
“When I came here there were home runs being hit, but it’s nothing like there is today,” Garcia said. “I didn’t think we would get players like we’ve had. It means we don’t have to rely on one player. We have so many guys who hit for extra bases and hit home runs.”
More than just a power hitter, Garcia is a well-rounded person, teammate and student. He’s been honored as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District award winner. As a graduate student, Garcia is working towards his Master of Business Administration. He says he’s keeping his options open on what his future career might be. As Garcia joked, “All I care about right now is baseball, honestly.”
Earlier this season when Garcia collected his 200th career hit, Dupic chimed in on Twitter to laud the star student-athlete. Dupic referred to Garcia as “one of the best of all time to wear a Concordia uniform and an even better person. I love this young man.”
Dupic expanded upon those thoughts in saying, “There were some questions about how Jesse would adjust academically, and he’s blown every one of those expectations out of the water. I didn’t have questions – I knew he could do it. He’s been incredible in the classroom and works really hard in there. He’s been an example of what it should be in terms of being successful in the classroom and on the field. Jesse is one of the best hitters in the history of the school when you look at the numbers and the consistency he’s had all the way through. I can’t say enough about him and the job he’s done in all facets.”
Almost five years into this Concordia journey, Garcia can speak with confidence in saying he’s a better and more mature person than the one who first made an appearance in Seward. Garcia knows he’s been blessed with the support he’s had back home from family and friends – and with this second family at Concordia. No home run will ever be more important or significant than that aspect of Garcia’s life. That teenager who one put on a powerful show in a big-league park has become a man.
Says Garcia, “My family thought it would be a great experience to step away from home and grow as a person and as an adult. I’m thankful for their support in that. I’ve kind of grown up and matured with my personality and how I communicate with others. The way things have turned out for me has really served me well.”