SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Consider it a late season statement made by the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team. In a doubleheader with major GPAC regular season championship implications, the Bulldogs earned a sweep of conference leading Morningside, winning by scores of 6-4 and 6-0 in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday (April 23). In leading the charge, junior outfielder Luke Wilson muscled up for three home runs and power arms Alex Johnson and Micah Sweeton came through on the mound.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has strengthened its conference record to 21-5 (33-14 overall) while pulling even with Morningside (33-14, 21-5) in the league standings. Doane (20-4 GPAC) holds a one-game advantage over both teams in the loss column heading into the regular season’s final weekend.
“We made a commitment as a team to get through this whole weekend and stay focused,” Dupic said. "But certainly everybody is aware (of the stakes). They’re human. They know this was a big series today. I’m very pleased. I thought we battled really well in the first game. We came back from behind, and Alex grinded it out. We got a big swing from Luke Wilson. Second game, we played well all around. It was a good day.”
If it wasn’t already, the secret is out on the sophomore Sweeton. He capped the day with a masterful performance highlighted by a career-high 14 strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game shutout (his second over his past three starts). The right-hander from Temecula, Calif., scattered five hits (all singles) without surrendering a single walk in his latest gem. In the sixth, Sweeton made key pitches to strand a pair of runners on base. He then finished emphatically with a 1-2-3 seventh.
The Mustangs had the unenviable task of facing both Sweeton and Johnson. The Olathe, Kan., native Johnson worked through some command issues (six walks) on Thursday in the process of picking up his 25th career win. He went 6.1 innings with four runs allowed on five hits. Johnson fanned six Morningside hitters before turning it over to Warren Rose, who recorded the game’s final two outs via the K. Impressively, Johnson won all seven of his starts this season in GPAC regular season action.
Said Dupic of the pitching performances, “Those two guys are very good. When we have them on the mound, we feel pretty good. They both threw great today.” Notably, the defense behind Johnson and Sweeton was errorfree in 55 chances for the day.
At the plate, it was the Luke Wilson show. The junior from Alberta, Canada, left the yard for a two-run shot in the fourth inning of game one before launching two homers in game two – a three-run blast in the third and a solo tank in the fifth. As part of the fifth inning of game two, the Bulldogs put it out of reach when Bronx Lewis (19th in 2026), Jake Watson (ninth) and Wilson (ninth) slugged back-to-back-to-back jacks. It just keeps getting better for Watson, who notched four hits on the day while continuing his iron man efforts behind the plate.
Wilson is slashing .338/.442/.615 after Thursday’s outburst. Said Dupic of Wilson, “Luke was a gamechanger today. We have tremendous confidence in him and know that he’s a fantastic player and a great kid. He came up with some huge swings today. We’re really pleased with his at bats and what he brought to the table.”
Morningside dropped a pair on Thursday despite limiting the potent Concordia offense to a combined nine hits on the afternoon. The Mustangs gained an early advantage with two runs in the top of the first off Johnson, but their infield defense let them down. Morningside committed six errors over the first three innings while relinquishing the lead. Ace pitcher Cade Nolan went four innings (six runs allowed on four hits and three walks) in game one. In game two, Kade Yasui covered 4.2 innings before being pulled in response to the Bulldog fireworks in the fifth.
The Mustangs could still guarantee themselves of at least a share of the GPAC regular season title with a sweep of Doane in Sioux City on Saturday. As for Doane, it will play at Dordt on Friday before heading to Morningside the next day.
The regular season is scheduled to conclude on Saturday with a drive west on Interstate-80 for a doubleheader with Hastings (21-23, 9-17 GPAC). First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT from Duncan Field. The Bulldogs will attempt to lock up home field for the GPAC tournament (and potentially win a conference regular season title) as the Broncos aim to secure a spot in the postseason.