LINCOLN, Neb. – When it comes to fanning opposing hitters, Alex Johnson has no equal in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball. The reigning GPAC Pitcher of the Year tied Northwestern hitters in knots on Saturday (April 11) while racking up a career-high 15 strikeouts as part of a doubleheader sweep of the Red Raiders. The Bulldogs won by scores of 4-1 and 4-2 on a day when the wind blew straight in from right field at Sherman Field in Lincoln, Neb. Between games, Concordia honored a group of 12 seniors.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad polished off a grueling eight-game week with a 7-1 record. Concordia has soared to 28-13 overall (16-4 GPAC) with eight games remaining in the regular season.
“Alex made some adjustments this week,” Dupic said. “He’s a really smart pitcher, and he understands himself. He just kind of explored a few things and made some adjustments. He was really, really good today – back at his best. When the fastball’s playing like that, it really sets up the breaking ball well for him. And Caden Bugarske did a great job. It was such a Caden Bugarske outing. He just competed and made some big pitches at big times. I was just so proud of the bullpen.”
Dupic had praise for everyone who threw on Saturday, including game two relievers Daiten Schmidt and Warren Rose. But it was Johnson who stole the show with his mesmerizing pitch mix in game one. He allowed just four singles (no walks), and the only run he surrendered came after a runner reached base on one of his 15 punchouts. In the fourth inning, Johnson notched strikeout No. 9 of the game and No. 282 for his career, pushing him past Jason Munsch on the school’s all-time leaderboard.
This was vintage Alex Johnson, who registered the most strikeouts by a Concordia pitcher since Jake Fosgett rang up 17 Dordt hitters in 2021. There have been games this season with too many walks for his liking, but not on this day. The Olathe, Kan., native was in total control.
Said Johnson afterwards, “The record is awesome, but I think the bigger thing is the people who have been here throughout the years – the coaching staff and the people on the team now. It’s going to be a reminder of them. It’s about the people I practice with every day and get better with at every moment. The defense did a great job today too. It was a tough day to hit. It was a good job by our team all the way around.”
The run scoring in game one came via a Jake Watson sac fly in the first, Carson Burnett RBI single in the fourth and RBI base hits from both Alex Draper and Jack Hirchert in the sixth. Burnett posted two hits, including a double. In game two, Jaeden Jordahl forced home a run with a bases-loaded walk, Burnett singled home two runs and Watson added a bit of breathing room with a solo homer to left in the seventh (his seventh blast of the season). Burnett, Watson and Bronx Lewis had multiple hits in game two. Watson caught all eight games over the past week.
Defensively, the Bulldogs did not commit a single error all day. It helped that Concordia pitching piled up 28 strikeouts in 16 innings. In game two, Bugarske worked 5.2 innings and allowed two runs (five strikeouts). Bugarske reached 200 career K’s. In relief, Schmidt (1.1 IP) and Rose (2 IP) turned in scoreless outings. Rose fanned six of the seven hitters he faced.
Said Dupic, “I’m really pleased defensively. We’ve done a nice job on the mound, but it doesn’t help much if you don’t make plays behind them. This is a different kind of team this year. This team can really defend. We didn’t score a lot of runs today, but it was a really tough day to hit with the wind blowing the way it is. They hung together and they found a way to get it done.”
The 12 seniors honored between games were Caden Bugarske, Zackery Day, Jaeden Jordahl, Bronx Lewis, Jack Martin, Jake Nelms, Jack Nelson, Cameron Pickens, Layton Rivas, Daiten Schmidt, Ernie Synder and Qwin Zabokrtsky.
Northwestern slipped to 21-17 overall (9-11 GPAC). The Red Raiders got four hits from second baseman Ranier Castillo in the doubleheader. Center fielder Bryce Click also made a highlight reel worthy over-the-shoulder catch in game two.
After playing four doubleheaders in six days, the Bulldogs will now wait until next weekend (April 17-18) to resume conference play. Concordia will take on Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D., in a four-game Friday-Saturday series. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on day one and 12 p.m. on day two.