SEWARD, Neb. – Opening day will arrive on Friday for the 2024 Concordia University Baseball team. This year’s squad will begin the campaign just as the 2023 edition did – with a trip south to Oklahoma City. As part of the weekend getaway, the Bulldogs will play twice against host Oklahoma City University and once against seventh-ranked Bellevue University. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program is coming off a season that saw it finish at 40-18 overall while reaching the national tournament for a fourth-straight year.
Please note that the weekend slate was moved up one day due to the weather forecast in Oklahoma City. Originally, Concordia was slated to play Saturday-Sunday but will now play Friday-Saturday.
This Weekend
Friday, Feb. 9 at Oklahoma City (6-0), 11 a.m. CT
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Jim Wade Stadium (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Friday, Feb. 9 vs. No. 7 Bellevue University (1-3), 1:30 p.m. CT
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Jim Wade Stadium (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Saturday, Feb. 10 at Oklahoma City (6-0), 1:30 p.m. CT
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Jim Wade Stadium (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
For further reading on Bulldog Baseball, check out the 2024 season preview HERE. A recent feature on slugger Joey Grabanski can be found HERE. Grabanski is the reigning GPAC Player of the Year and returns along with fellow 2023 First Team All-GPAC honorees Jay Adams, Alec Blakestad, Caden Johnson, Ty Nekoliczak and Jaidan Quinn. Once again, Dupic expects the offensive lineup to be a strength. The ’23 squad reset program standards in numerous categories, including runs scored (581) and home runs (117). Grabanski and Quinn shared the individual school record for home runs with 27 apiece.
The weekend in Oklahoma City will be a challenging one as Concordia takes on a 6-0 Oklahoma City squad and then perennial national qualifier Bellevue, which was ranked No. 7 in the NAIA’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs went 0-3 on this road trip last season before recovering to enjoy another stellar season. So far this season, the Stars of OKC have swept two three-game series from Louisiana State University Alexandria and from Clarke University (Iowa). Meanwhile, the Bruins are 1-3, but they have tested themselves against teams ranked Nos. 3, 17 and 19, respectively. Bellevue’s one victory came against Arizona Christian University (receiving votes nationally) on Jan. 31.
Next Week
The Bulldogs are slated to head to Joplin, Mo., for four games the weekend of Feb. 17-18. Concordia will take on Dakota State University (S.D.) and Graceland University (Iowa) on day one and then play twice against William Penn University (Iowa) on day two. The location will be Joplin High School on Feb. 17 and Wendell Redden Stadium on day two.