SEWARD, Neb. – The 20th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team has taken at least three of four in every four-game series it has played so far in 2021. The Bulldogs hope to continue that trend this Thursday and Friday as they take on Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa. It will be a battle between the two most recent programs to win the GPAC regular season title – Concordia in 2019 and Northwestern in 2018. Originally, the series was slated to for Friday-Saturday, but was moved up to alleviate the number of athletic events the Red Raiders are hosting on Saturday.
April 15-16: No. 20 Concordia (26-5, 13-3) at Northwestern (14-18, 7-9)
5 p.m. DH Thursday / 3 p.m. DH Friday
Northwestern Baseball Diamond | Orange City, Iowa
Webcast: Red Raiders All-Access
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Fan Policy: Fan attendance is not limited at Northwestern. Mask usage is encouraged when proper distancing cannot be maintained.
By the numbers
· Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has played a four-game series against six different opponents this season and has taken at least three of four in each instance. Those series have been played against College of the Ozarks (three/four), Grand View University (three/four), Dickinson State University (sweep), Midland (three/four), Dordt (sweep) and Briar Cliff (three/four). In other words, the Bulldogs have yet to lose a series in 2021.
· The home run disparity between Concordia and its opponents has been significant. The ’21 Bulldogs have pushed their school single season home run record to 52 (compared to 12 by opponents). In the series with Briar Cliff, Concordia added six homers to the total thanks to two big flies from Ben Berg and one apiece from Keaton Candor, Beau Dorman, Jakob Faulk and Joey Grabanski. Berg’s three-run homer on Sunday was particularly noteworthy for the lengthy distance it traveled over the left field wall at Plum Creek Park. Jesse Garcia remains the team leader with 11 home runs (tied for a program single season record) in 2021 and 26 blasts for his career (one off the all-time program record).
· There may not be a pitcher in all of the NAIA with nastier stuff than Jake Fosgett, who recorded 10 more strikeouts in five shutout innings versus Briar Cliff. The native of Carlsbad, Calif., leads the NAIA with an average of 16.91 strikeouts per nine innings. He has notched 62 K’s in 33 innings this season. Meanwhile, Nick Little has now won eight starts in a row (dating back to last season). On the year, Little is 4-0 with a 3.24 ERA and has covered at least six innings in three-straight outings. Trent Wood (4-1, 3.19 ERA, 41. IP) has also been terrific. The struggle has been in finding a consistent No. 4 in the rotation.
· Every team in the GPAC is just over halfway through the conference regular season schedule. Concordia and Doane are currently tied atop the league standings with identical 13-3 GPAC records. At this point, it might be a three-team race for the conference regular season title between Concordia, Doane and Jamestown (11-5 GPAC). The Tigers have kept up the pressure with a high powered offensive lineup of their own.
The opponent
Northwestern entered the week having taken three out of four from Dakota Wesleyan and Dordt in its most recent action. It was a nice response from Head Coach Brian Wede’s team after it started out 1-7 in GPAC play. The top hitter for the Red Raiders has been Colton Harold, who is batting .342 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBIs. Northwestern’s top three pitchers all sport ERA’s below 4.00: Brady Roberts (3-4, 3.13 ERA), Dylan Kirkeby (3-1, 3.23 ERA) and Brett Shelton (3-3, 3.94 ERA). In conference games only, the Red Raiders have been outscored by a combined total of 102-95.
Looking ahead
Concordia will be back at home April 25-26 for its final home games of the regular season. The Bulldogs will host Jamestown on April 25 and Morningside on April 26.