LAKE WALES, Fla. – Never before has a Concordia University Baseball team hit more home runs in a single game – or a single day – than the 2022 Bulldogs did on Thursday (March 10). Led by four blasts from Jaidan Quinn, Concordia muscled up for a combined 14 home runs while defeating Lawrence Technological University (Mich.), 15-2, and Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.), 10-5. Both games were played at Lake Wales High School in Lake Wales, Fla., as part of the Warner University Invitational.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s bunch is proving to be a formidable offensive group once again. The Bulldogs’ eight home runs in the win over Lawrence Tech broke the school record for most in a single game. Concordia moved to 10-4-1 overall.
“We know we have guys capable of driving the baseball,” Dupic said. “Today they did a really nice job of executing their swings and getting their pitch. There’s really not a lot to say when you hit that well. We don’t mind playing on (shorter) fields like that. We had some guys really drive the baseball well and have a really, really good day.”
The full home run list for the day can be found below. Between the two games, multiple big flies were belted by Quinn (four), Jay Adams (three) and Keaton Candor (two). The most impressive fireworks display came in the bottom of the third in the win over Lawrence Tech (4-8). The half inning began with consecutive homers by Jesse Garcia, Alec Blakestad and Quinn. The program’s current all-time home run leader with 33, Candor went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs in the day’s first game. Ten Bulldogs racked up at least one hit in that contest.
Home runs vs. Lawrence Tech:
· Jay Adams – solo (1st)
· Jesse Garcia – solo (3rd)
· Alec Blakestad – solo (3rd)
· Jaidan Quinn – solo (3rd)
· Jaidan Quinn – two-run (4th)
· Keaton Candor – solo (5th)
· Jimmy Juergensen – two-run (5th)
· Jakob Faulk – solo (6th)
Home runs vs. CCSJ:
· Jaidan Quinn – solo (2nd)
· Keaton Candor – solo (3rd)
· Michael Welch – solo (4th)
· Jay Adams – two-run (4th)
· Jay Adams – solo (5th)
· Jaidan Quinn – solo (6th)
A Kansas City area native, Quinn is turning heads with how seamlessly he has worked his way into the heart of the Concordia lineup. Quinn has connected for five home runs over the past two days. He’s also help solidify the third base position from a defensive perspective.
Said Dupic, “Jaidan’s someone I’ve known for a long time. He came to our camp a while back. A good friend of mine coached his travel ball team in high school. He was looking for a change and we were ready with open arms. He’s a really good player and has a ton of talent. Things are coming together for him pretty well. It’s fun to see him play so well offensively and defensively. He makes some really nice plays defensively.”
All Adams does is keep sticking the ball at the top of the lineup. Two of his three homers came against CCSJ (4-9). The Waverly, Neb., native was one of four Bulldogs with multiple hits in the capper. The others were Blakestad, Garcia and Quinn. As part of the comeback win (trailed 5-0 after the first inning), catcher Michael Welch also left the yard for the second time this season.
Beyond the offense, Concordia did a lot of other things well on Thursday. Alex Johnson started the first game and got the win while throwing four solid innings (one earned run on three hits and two walks). Johnson and reliever Christian Gutierrez (3.0 IP) combined for 11 strikeouts. Against CCSJ, Caden Bugarske shook off a rough first inning and proceeded to throw a seven-inning complete game. He fanned 10 batters to just one walk.
“It’s pretty clear that the headline is the offense, but our guys were very good defensively and made a lot of good plays,” Dupic said. “That’s a key for our team. Alex Johnson threw well. Caden Bugarske gave up five in the first inning and then put up six zeroes after that – that’s very uncommon. Christian Gutierrez threw the ball well. We played pretty well in all facets today.”
On paper, Friday will be the most challenging day of the road trip for the Bulldogs. They are scheduled to take on No. 25 Warner University at 4:15 p.m. CT / 5:15 p.m. ET and No. 10 Bellevue University at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET. Both games will be staged at Royals Field in Lake Wales, Fla., home to Warner. For live coverage of Friday’s games, click the links below at game time.