UPDATE (12:20 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 24): The Concordia-College of the Ozarks seris has been canceled due to inclement weather.
SEWARD, Neb. – Instead of a Friday-Saturday series, Concordia University Baseball and College of the Ozarks are now set to play Saturday and Sunday (view specific game times below). The change was announced on Tuesday (Feb. 22). The Bobcats play their home games on turf at Bob Smith Field in Point Lookout, Mo. Head Coach Ryan Dupic also traveled his Bulldogs to the Ozarks last season and they emerged with three wins in a four-game set.
Weekend Series at College of the Ozarks
Saturday, Feb. 26 at Ozarks (3-5), 12 p.m. DH
-Live Webcast/Stats
Sunday, Feb. 27 at Ozarks (3-5), 1:30 p.m. DH
-Live Webcast/Stats
By the numbers
· 18th-ranked Concordia went 5-1 during the opening week of the 2022 season. After a 3-0 loss to Baker University (Kan.) in the ’22 opener, the Bulldogs defeated Baker, 7-2, and then went on to topple William Woods University (Mo.), 11-4, the University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 21-2, Viterbo University (Wis.), 14-3, and William Penn University (Iowa), 8-1. Based on recent seasons, the victory over William Penn was most notable. Last season, the Statemen went 33-18 overall. In the early going, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 61-15.
· First Team All-GPAC second baseman Jay Adams has picked up where he left off during last season’s run to the NAIA World Series. In last week’s action, the native of Waverly, Neb., went 13-for-25 (.520) with 10 runs, four doubles, a home run, eight RBIs and three stolen bases. He also handled all 22 chances in the field without committing an error. Six regulars in last week’s lineup also batted at least .300: Ty Nekoliczak (.583; 7-for-12), Jaidan Quinn (.533; 8-for-15), Keaton Candor (.429; 9-for-21), Jakob Faulk (.333; 5-for-15), Tanner Tompkins (.313; 5-for-16) and Jesse Garcia (.300; 6-for-20). Adams and Joey Grabanski delivered a home run apiece on the week.
· The pitching staff has begun to answer questions about the starting rotation – one of the only real unknowns heading into this spring. Though they have not yet been stretched out to work deep into games, Caden Bugarske and Alex Johnson have both been impressive. Bugarske has thrown eight shutout innings (two starts), allowing six hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts. Meanwhile, Johnson has fired eight scoreless frames (two starts), surrendering just three hits and no walks while fanning nine batters. Jake Davey and Daniel Rivera have also started one game apiece.
· If a starter happens to have a bad day, Dupic feels confident he can get strong results from a deep bullpen. Eleven Bulldogs have already made at least one relief appearance so far this season. Over two outings out of the bullpen, Caden Johnson has been dominant, striking out 12 hitters in six innings with just one hit allowed. There hasn’t yet been a save opportunity, but Concordia returns closer Nathan Buckallew, who notched seven saves last season. He also produced four wins and a 2.22 ERA in 2021. The ‘pen also features Shane Whittaker, who averaged 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings last season.
· College of the Ozarks will enter the weekend with a 3-5 record that includes two wins over Baptist Bible College and one over Columbia College (Mo.). Head Coach Neale Richardson’s squad went 16-23 last season. The team’s top hitter so far this season has been Spencer Greene, who is 8-for-22 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs. Greene has also covered the most innings on the mound (12). He’s 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA.
Next week
After this weekend, the Bulldogs will have a bit of time before they begin action in Auburndale, Fla., on Saturday, March 5. Concordia will continue play in the state of Florida through March 12 before readying for the start of conference play. The complete schedule can be found HERE.