SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Baseball program has become a regular on the national scene. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs are readying to make the trip to Lawrenceville, Ga., for the 2023 NAIA National Championship Opening Round. The action gets started on Monday, May 15 when third-seeded Concordia will take on No. 2 seed Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.). First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET) from the Grizzly Baseball Complex, home to bracket host Georgia Gwinnett College. Head Coach Ryan Dupic has taken the program to the national tournament five times.
2023 NAIA Opening Round – Lawrenceville Bracket
Site: Grizzly Baseball Complex | Lawrenceville, Ga.
Live Webcasts: https://ggcathletics.com/watch/
Live Stats: PrestoStats
Times listed are EDT
Monday, May 15
Game 1 – (4) Midway vs. (5) Saint Xavier, 9 a.m.
Game 2 – (2) Freed-Hardeman vs. (3) Concordia, 1 p.m.
Game 3 – (1) Georgia Gwinnett vs. Game 1 Winner, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 16
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 11 a.m.
Game 5 – Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 3 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 17
Game 7 – Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 8 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 18
Game 9 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser (if necessary), 11 a.m.
Tickets: Ticket prices are $10 for a day pass and $25 for a tournament pass (for adults). The cost for ages 5-18/senior/military is $5 for a day pass and $12 for a tournament pass. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge. Tickets must be purchased on site.
By the numbers
· Since the start of 2019, Concordia Baseball has elevated to new levels. The overall record for the program from 2019 through the present day stands at 167-72-1 with national tournament appearances each season (with the exception of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign). The 2023 squad brings a record of 38-16 into the opening round of the national tournament. Two wins would give Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program 40 wins for a third season in a row. The 2021 team that went 42-12 and advanced to the NAIA World Series remains the program record holder for most wins in a season. The ’22 squad followed the storybook season up by winning exactly 40 games and coming up one win shy of a return trip to the World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
· For many Bulldogs, the opening round is a comfortable setting. Fifth-year members of the program in Ben Berg, Jesse Garcia and Teyt Johnson are getting set to play at the national tournament for a fourth time in their careers. Since the start of 2019, the program has played in 16 national tournament games. Garcia and Johnson have the distinction of having played in each of those 16 games. In addition, the bulk of the lineup played regularly at last year's national tournament. The group includes the likes of Jay Adams, Joey Grabanski, Ty Nekoliczak and Jaidan Quinn. As a collective unit, Concordia has proven that it can carry its offensive production over to the national tournament. Quinn homered four times during the 2022 national tournament in leading the charge. In perhaps the most impressive outing in program history, the Bulldogs battered then sixth-ranked Bellevue University, 16-2, in a 2022 elimination game. A home run apiece came from Adams, Grabanski, Quinn, Keaton Candor, Garcia and Johnson. Over last year’s six national tournament games, Concordia produced 44 runs for an average of 7.3 per game.
· All-conference honors were announced by the GPAC on Wednesday (May 10). As a sign of this year’s historic offensive production, the Bulldogs landed seven position players on the all-conference first team: second baseman Jay Adams, catcher Ben Berg, center fielder Alec Blakestad, first baseman Jesse Garcia, left fielder Joey Grabanski, shortstop Ty Nekoliczak and third baseman Jaidan Quinn. In addition, designated hitter Tanner Tompkins found his way on to the second team despite battling through injury all season. Below is a look at the numbers produced in 2023 by each of the first teamers. Grabanski was named GPAC Player of the Week, making him the second player in program history to garner the award (alongside Christian Meza in 2019).
o Adams: .320 BA, .366 OBP, .566 SLG, 61 R, 19 2B, 11 HR, 51 RBIs, 13 SB
o Berg: .418 BA, .497 OBP, .676 SLG, 71 R, 14 2B, 10 HR, 50 RBIs, .997 F%
o Blakestad: .380 BA, .452 OBP, .685 SLG, 66 R, 15 2B, 13 HR, 50 RBIs, 17 SB
o Garcia: .378 BA, .454 OBP, .725 SLG, 49 R, 14 2B, 17 HR, 65 RBIs
o Grabanski: .387 BA, .494 OBP, .822 SLG, 67 R, 11 2B, 24 HR, 72 RBIs
o Nekoliczak: .408 BA, .475 OBP, .529 SLG, 47 R, 9 2B, 4 HR, 43 RBIs, 9 SB
o Quinn: .352 BA, .510 OBP, .886 SLG, 69 R, 13 2B, 27 HR, 69 RBIs
· The pitching staff has been headed this season by Caden Johnson, now a two-time First Team All-GPAC honoree. The junior from Papillion, Neb., owns an 8-3 record to go along with a 3.42 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. Other top candidates to start on the mound at the national tournament include Blake Benson (7-2, 4.71 ERA, 9.83 K/9), Frankie Cresta (6-6, 6.11 ERA, 8.24 K/9) and Christian Gutierrez (6-1, 4.34 ERA, 6.21 K/9). Johnson started the opening game of the GPAC tournament and then was rested up when the national tournament berth was clinched. Meanwhile, Gutierrez started the Concordia Bracket final (nine-inning complete game win versus Morningside) and Cresta opened the GPAC championship game versus Doane. As for Benson, he's been used largely as reliever who can be stretched out like a starter. Out of the bullpen, Daniel Rivera and Ernie Snyder have come on particularly strong in recent action. Rivera owns an impressive strikeouts-per-nine-inning rate of 18.5 (37 Ks in 18 innings). Caden Bugarske is another hurler who possesses experience on the national stage. The team ERA stands at 4.95.
· As an offense, the Bulldogs have broken team single season records in 2023 for runs scored (548) and home runs (114). The three largest home run totals in program history have each come over the past three seasons: 90 in 2021, 113 in 2022 and 114 in 2023. Concordia currently ranks tied for fifth nationally in home runs, behind only Southeastern (133), Kansas Wesleyan (130), Cumberlands (124) and Cumberland (Tenn.) (117). Individually, Quinn (No. 3) and Grabanski (tied for No. 4) both rank in the top four nationally for home runs. The 27 homers blasted by Quinn are a school record for a single season. Six Bulldogs have left the yard at least 10 times this season.
· During the regular season, Concordia matched up with seven teams that have qualified for the 2023 opening round: Bellevue, Central Methodist (Mo.), Columbia (Mo.), Doane, Grand View (Iowa), Morningside and Oklahoma City. The Bulldogs earned wins over Central Methodist, Grand View and Morningside (three). The inclusion of Morningside in the national field is significant in that the GPAC was awarded an at-large bid. The conference is as strong as it’s been since it formed in 2000. In the NAIA Bo Chip ratings released in late April, there were four GPAC teams rated 31st or higher nationally.
Bellevue Bracket Opposition
(1) Georgia Gwinnett (47-5) – The Grizzlies have quickly become an NAIA powerhouse and celebrated a national title in 2021. As one might expect of a team that has lost only five times all season, Georgia Gwinnett excels in all areas of the game. Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger’s squad is hitting .382 with a .635 slugging percentage while the pitching staff sports a 3.29 ERA. Outfielder Ajay Sczepkowski stands out as one of the top players in the country. He’s hitting .426 with a .526 on-base percentage and a 1.005 slugging percentage to go along with 28 home runs, 88 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. The pitching rotation features four main starters, including Cameron Repetti, who is 11-0 with a 3.58 ERA. In addition, Gage Williams is 9-1 with a 3.25 ERA and has notched 96 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, Jonathan Haab (18.33 K/9) has flashed devastating stuff. The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Wednesday.
(2) Freed-Hardeman (37-19) – The Lions of Henderson, Tenn., hosted Concordia for the 2019 NAIA Opening Round. However, the two sides never met. In this week’s NAIA coaches’ poll, Freed-Hardeman was listed as the first team outside the top 25. Tournament runner up in the Mid-South Conference, the Lions will be making their eighth all-time appearance in the opening round. The program has twice advanced to the NAIA World Series. The ringleaders for the Freed-Hardeman lineup are first team all-conference selections in third baseman Will McCall (.402 BA, 15 HR, 74 RBIs) and catcher Mason Libla (.317 BA, 11 HR, 38 RBIs). Head Coach Jess Trask will likely turn to either Colton Hunt (9-4, 4.57 ERA, 9.26 K/9) or Alex Huey (7-4, 3.70 ERA, 9.52 K/9) for the start on the mound versus the Bulldogs. Also worth noting, the Lions sport an impressive .977 team fielding percentage.
(4) Midway (27-22) – The Eagles of Midway, Texas, earned an automatic bid to the national tournament by way of their River States Conference (RSC) regular season championship. This will be the program’s second trip to nationals and its first since 2017. Midway will be seeking the first national tournament win in program history. Head Coach Luther Bramblett was named the RSC Coach of the Year. Two Eagles were named first team all-conference: catcher Barrett McGill (.355 BA, .401 OBP, 4 HR, 33 RBIs) and outfielder Cameron Nichols (.399 BA, .478 OBP, 9 HR, 42 RBIs). As a team, Midway is hitting .316 with a .424 on-base percentage. Three pitchers have started the majority of the team’s games: Blake Kincaid (4-4, 5.25 ERA, 8.31 K/9), Dylan Burton (7-3, 4.89 ERA, 7.74 K/9) and Own Clark (5-4, 4.07 ERA, 12.85 K/9). Midway received votes in this week’s NAIA coaches’ poll.
(5) Saint Xavier (31-25) – The Cougars of Chicago, Ill., will be making their fifth all-time appearance on the national stage. Saint Xavier scooped up an automatic bid to nationals thanks to its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship. The program owns two all-time wins at the national tournament. This is not a powerful team (as its .379 team slugging percentage would attest), but the Cougars roll out a legit ace in Nico Saldias, who is 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 79 innings. Several bullpen arms have gotten strong results while contributing to a 4.46 team ERA. The team fielding percentage is a rock solid .975. Pitching and defense have been a key for a squad with only 23 home runs on the season. Head Coach Aaron Rouse has led the program to two national tournaments over the past three seasons.
Facts about Concordia at the national tournament
· A 2021 NAIA World Series qualifier, Concordia has appeared in the opening round of the national tournament for the fifth time in program history. Each of those appearances have come during the tenure of Ryan Dupic, who first took the Bulldogs to the opening round in 2017. In previous appearances, the Bulldogs made their way to Hutchinson, Kan., in 2017, to Henderson, Tenn., in 2019 and to Bellevue, Neb., in both 2021 and 2022. Concordia is 10-7 all-time in opening round games and has won at least one national tournament game in each of the four prior appearances. Opening round wins have come over Jamestown (2017), Clarke University (2019), MidAmerica Nazarene University (twice in 2021), Bellevue (twice in 2021 and once in 2022), Central Methodist University (2022), Judson University (2022) and Tabor College (2022).
· It’s been extremely rare for a GPAC team to reach the NAIA World Series. In fact, only once before Concordia reached that stage in 2021 had a GPAC squad advanced to the World Series – Briar Cliff accomplished that feat in 2005. Two current GPAC members appeared in the World Series either before the GPAC formed or prior to joining the league: Jamestown (2004 and 2008) and Morningside (1960). Briar Cliff went 0-2 in its 2005 trip to the World Series. No GPAC team has ever won a game at the World Series.
· The ’22 Bulldogs came within one win of a return trip to the World Series. While being sent to Bellevue for a second year in a row, Concordia dropped its first game of the tournament (5-1 to Judson) and then rallied back to claim four straight victories. The Bulldogs turned some heads when they routed host and sixth-ranked Bellevue, 16-2, to force a winner-take-all contest. In that blowout, Concordia went deep six times with one home run apiece coming from Jay Adams, Joey Grabanski, Jaidan Quinn, Keaton Candor, Jesse Garcia and Teyt Johnson. Caden Johnson fired seven strong innings in the triumph. Ultimately, the Bruins took the next game, 5-2, and booked their trip to the NAIA World Series.
· While going 4-1 during the 2021 opening round, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents, 38-32. Four of the games were played at Brown Park in Omaha while one contest was played at Don Roddy Field in Bellevue. Keaton Candor paced the team at the plate in the opening round by going 8-for-23 (.348) with four doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs. Jakob Faulk also pounded three home runs (including two in the clinching game) and Jesse Garcia belted two blasts. Twelve different pitchers were used. Nick Little (9 IP) and Caden Bugarske (8.1 IP) logged the most innings during the opening round. Nathan Buckallew earned credit for two wins.
· Dupic has brought about what is certainly the golden age of Concordia Baseball. Prior to Dupic’s arrival in 2015, the Bulldogs had never been to a national tournament. The program had also not experienced a winning season since 1979 and had not won a conference championship since 1986 (8-4 in NIAC play) when Athletic Trainer Randy Baack pitched and played first base. In addition to leading Concordia to five national tournaments, Dupic (280-161-1) became the winningest coach in program history this season. During Dupic’s tenure (2015-present), the Bulldogs lead all GPAC baseball programs in overall wins (280), GPAC regular season wins (138), overall winning percentage (.635), conference regular season winning percentage (.663) and total GPAC championships (five).
· The 2017 Bulldogs won the GPAC regular season title (tournament runner up) and became the first national tournament qualifier in program history. As part of that run, Casey Berg recorded the program’s first-ever hit at the national tournament with a single in the bottom of the first versus Jamestown on May 15, 2017. That appearance helped pave the way for the success Concordia is enjoying now. The Bulldogs won’t have any fear of the national stage. Five Bulldogs who started the program’s first-ever World Series game are on the current postseason roster: Jay Adams, Ben Berg, Jesse Garcia, Joey Grabanski and Teyt Johnson.
NAIA Baseball World Series
The winners of all 10 opening round sites will head to Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) for the 66th annual Avista NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, May 26 – June 2. For more information on the World Series, click HERE. For a complete list of the opening round qualifiers, check out the NAIA release HERE.