*UPDATED May 2 with change in GPAC schedule.*
SEWARD, Neb. – The slate has been wiped clean for each of the eight GPAC baseball teams that have qualified for the conference’s postseason tournament. After an up-and-down regular season, Concordia hopes to make a run to the GPAC championship game as it did last season when it was the No. 1 seed. This time around, head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will have to navigate its way out of the Midland Bracket if it is to extend its season beyond this weekend.
In the opening game of the Midland Bracket, the sixth-seeded Bulldogs (25-20, 13-13 GPAC) will take on third-seeded Doane (26-23, 15-11 GPAC) in Fremont, Neb., (Moeller Field) at 3 p.m. on Friday. Concordia is guaranteed to also play on Friday as part of the double-elimination format (full schedule at bottom). Midland will be live streaming all games in its pod via Stretch Internet.
At their best, the Bulldogs are capable of beating any team in the conference. Concordia split a doubleheader with GPAC regular-season champion Northwestern and has been close to unbeatable with ace pitcher Nick Little on the mound. Little is a frontrunner for GPAC pitcher of the year accolades after a 13-strikeout performance in a win over Dakota Wesleyan in his final start of the regular season. Little is now 9-2 with a 1.99 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 86 innings (11 starts). The native of Lithia, Fla., is the leader for a staff that ranks second in the GPAC in ERA (4.35) and needs one more strikeout to break a program single-season record.
Dupic is hoping to get his team healthier by Friday. Star second baseman Christian Meza has fought through pain in recent weeks. He pushed his team high batting average back above .400 (.401). Meza, Thomas Sautel (.367 BA) and Wade Council (.333 BA) have been the most consistent performers for an offense that has run hot and cold in conference play. The team’s biggest issue has been its defensive struggles in the infield. Concordia’s 82 errors are the most of any GPAC squad.
The Bulldogs won three of four over Doane during the regular season. Two of those Concordia wins came in walk-off fashion, including a 6-5 victory after being down 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth. The Tigers were a contender for the GPAC title before Manny Armendariz went down with an injury while in the midst of a no-hitter against Concordia on April 22. Armendariz has not appeared since then. Doane has the GPAC’s leading hitter in Tommy Anderson, who is batting .415 with 23 extra base hits. The Bulldogs and Tigers rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the conference in runs per game.
In games against the other two squads in the Midland Bracket, Concordia went 2-0 versus Mount Marty and 0-4 versus Midland. The Warriors (29-19, 16-10 GPAC) will carry a seven-game winning streak into postseason play. They swept a four-game series from Doane over the weekend. Midland and Mount Marty will play the second game in Fremont on Friday.
Under Dupic, Concordia is 5-3 in GPAC tournament games. The Bulldogs came up one win shy of advancing to the 2016 conference championship contest. Concordia went 2-2 at the 2016 GPAC tournament and then 3-1 at the 2017 GPAC tournament.
2018 GPAC Baseball Tournament
Northwestern Bracket
Friday, May 4
Game 1 – No. 4 Hastings vs. No. 5 Morningside, 3 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 1 Northwestern vs. No. 8 Briar Cliff, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 5
Game 3 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 12 p.m.
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 3 p.m.
Game 5 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 6 p.m.
Monday, May 7
Game 6 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12 p.m.
Game 7 – If necessary (Game 6 Winner/Loser), 3 p.m.
Midland Bracket
Friday, May 4
Game 1 – No. 3 Doane vs. No. 6 Concordia, 3 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 2 Midland vs. No. 7 Mount Marty, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 5
Game 3 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 12 p.m.
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 3 p.m.
Game 5 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 6 p.m.
Monday, May 7
Game 6 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12 p.m.
Game 7 – If necessary (Game 6 Winner/Loser), 3 p.m.
GPAC Championship Game – Tuesday, May 8 or Wednesday, May 9
Northwestern Bracket Winner vs. Midland Bracket Winner, Time TBA