SEWARD, Neb. – With its spring break trip complete, the 21st-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team now shifts focus to the start of league play. The Bulldogs went 4-3 during their seven-game, four-day stretch of action that included stops in Lakeland, Fla., and Winter Haven, Fla. Most notably, Concordia took a game from third-ranked and previously unbeaten Southeastern University. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will carry a 12-6 overall record into the opening weekend of GPAC baseball. Due to some restructuring of the schedule caused by the weather forecast, the Bulldogs will play at Midland on Friday instead of Sunday.
This Weekend
Friday, March 14 at Midland (2-13, 0-0 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: G1 – G2 | Location: Moller Field (Fremont, Neb.)
Saturday, March 15 at Northwestern (11-5, 0-0 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: NWC Baseball Diamond (Orange City, Iowa)
By the numbers
· A late winter storm that wreaked havoc in the Midwest last week delayed Concordia’s arrival in Florida and resulted in a slight alteration to the schedule at Southeastern. However, the two sides still managed to play a four-game series (March 7-8). The Bulldogs won game three in a slugfest, 20-13, while the Fire took the other three contests (by scores of 15-6, 4-1 and 9-3). When the series was complete, Concordia moved on to the RussMatt Invitational and triumphed in all three games – 4-2 over Lawrence Tech University (Mich.), 15-0 over Judson University (Ill.) and 12-1 over Valley City State University (N.D.). In the victory at Southeastern, first baseman Matt Rhoades starred by going 3-for-5 with two home runs and eight RBIs. During the seven-game Florida stretch as a whole, Brad Hallock paced the offense by hitting .444 (12-for-27) with three homers and eight RBIs. As a team, the Bulldogs slashed .291 / .406 / .551 (BA / OBP / SLG) with 16 homers in Florida.
· The first NAIA coaches’ poll of the regular season was unveiled on March 5. After landing at No. 20 in the preseason, Concordia slipped one spot to No. 21. Meanwhile, GPAC rival Doane was situated just outside the top 25 as the second team listed in the “receiving votes” category. The NAIA also recently released the first ‘Bo Chip’ rankings (essentially an RPI ranking), which placed the Bulldogs at No. 13 in the country. The Bo Chip rankings were calculated prior to Concordia’s trip to Florida. Under Dupic, the Bulldogs have been ranked in the top 25 at some point during the season in each of the past five years. The highest ranking in program history was No. 12 in 2021.
· Returning First Team All-American third baseman Jaidan Quinn continues to mash home runs at an impressive rate. On the final day of the Florida trip, Quinn slugged the 80th and 81st home runs of his career. In the history of NAIA baseball, there are only two others with at least 80 blasts: Charlie Muniz (89) of the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) and Concordia’s own Joey Grabanski (88). Muniz broke Grabanski’s all-time NAIA home run record this past Friday. As for Quinn, his career stat line includes a .355 batting average, .514 on-base percentage, .819 slugging percentage, 218 hits and 230 RBIs. In 2025, Quinn is hitting .322 with eight homers, 25 RBIs and an .814 slugging percentage.
· Those who thought the Bulldog offense would take a major step backwards after the departures of Grabanski, Alec Blakestad and Jay Adams thought wrong. Concordia is far and away the GPAC leader in home runs with 33 through the first 18 games of 2025. The Bulldogs have also swiped 29 stolen bases in showing off a versatile lineup. Four Concordia players have already notched five home runs: Jaidan Quinn (eight), Brad Hallock (five), Jaeden Jordahl (five) and Matt Rhoades (five). Among regulars, Ty Nekoliczak is the team’s leading hitter with a .387 batting average (24-for-62) to go along with a .500 on-base percentage. Hallock (.362 BA / .416 OBP / .623 SLG) is also swinging a hot bat while the likes of outfielders Jordahl and Bronx Lewis have proven to be high-impact transfer additions. At catcher, Michael Welch has 13 hits in 30 at-bats (.433) and Tanner Tompkins has 10 hits in 33 at-bats (.303). Additionally, freshman Cade Vanis recorded the first home run of his college career as part of the win over Valley City State.
· The pitching staff faced an exceedingly difficult task in going up against Southeastern. The best start of that series was delivered by Alex Johnson, who went 5.2 innings and produced eight strikeouts. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks. In the one win of the series, DJ Andersen starred out of the bullpen with nine strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings. He picked up the save. In Sunday’s win over Lawrence Tech, Christian Gutierrez covered eight innings with two runs allowed and eight strikeouts. The top four rotation starters moving forward figure to be (in alphabetical order): Braxton Greenburg, Gutierrez, Johnson and Micah Sweeton.
· With conference play on deck, the Bulldogs take on the role as one of the league favorites once again. During Dupic’s tenure (which began in 2015), the program sports a conference record of 159-77. Dupic led Concordia to GPAC regular season titles in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 and to GPAC tournament championships in 2021, 2022 and 2024. The Bulldogs have played in six GPAC Championship Games since Dupic took over the program.
The opponents
Heading into a scheduled Tuesday (March 11) home game, Midland has struggled to a 2-13 record while playing a wealth of quality opponents. The Warriors were swept in a four-game set by Keiser University as part of their trip to Florida. Head Coach Shea Bennett served an interim role in 2024 before having that tag removed prior to this season. Bennett led Midland to a 33-19 overall record (16-12 GPAC) in ’24. The Warriors retuned First Team All-GPAC third baseman/DH Joshua Hardamon. Midland is hoping its bats heat up along with the weather. Through 15 games, the Warriors have slashed .198 / .313 / .290. From a pitching perspective, Owen Kelley (2-1, 2.01 ERA, 7.25 K/9) has started strong. Midland sports a 6.93 team ERA. The Warriors were picked fourth in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Northwestern has started solidly at 11-5 overall while coming off wins over Lawrence Tech and Judson in its final two games in Florida. With more than 400 career wins to his credit, Head Coach Brian Wede is in the midst of his 19th season leading the program. The Red Raiders have won four GPAC regular season and three conference tournament titles under his direction. Returning Second Team All-GPAC pitcher Drew Dykstra was tabbed the GPAC Pitcher of the Week after he threw a no-hitter versus Cornerstone University (Mich.). Through four starts (28.2 innings), Dykstra has allowed only one run and seven hits. Northwestern owns a rock-solid 4.70 team ERA. At the plate, Luke Wroblewski is 21-for-47 (.447) with eight extra-base hits. Northwestern was placed at No. 6 in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Up next
A four-game series showdown is scheduled to take place the weekend of March 22-23 when Concordia and Doane will go head-to-head in Crete. The two sides shared the 2024 GPAC regular season title before the Bulldogs went on to claim the GPAC tournament championship.