SEWARD, Neb. – After finally taking the field in front of their home crowd, the Bulldogs’ competition will reach another level of intensity, welcoming the only two ranked foes in the conference. Concordia University, Nebraska Softball will host No. 23 Midland, then take on No. 7 Northwestern in Orange City. The Seward side went 3-1 in the past two doubleheaders to sweep Briar Cliff and took game two on the road at Hastings.
Wednesday, April 2 vs. No. 23 Midland (21-10, 3-1 GPAC), 4 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats: Game 1 – Game 2 | Location: Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, April 5 at No. 7 Northwestern (30-5, 10-0 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: NWC Softball Diamond (Orange City, Iowa)
By the numbers
· Windy conditions seem to crush all hope of the long ball at Smith Softball Complex versus the Broncos. After getting shut out in game one (4-0), the Bulldogs changed their approach to the plate and rallied in game two for an 11-5 road win. Combining the 4th and 6th, Concordia hit eight balls and pushed across nine runs to push the game out of reach late. Down 6-5 in the seventh, senior Hanna Bowers hit a double to left, scoring Aubrey Wright and Taryn Ganstrom in a walk-off home opening triumph over the Chargers. The momentum from game one continued in game two as the offense wrote eight tallies on the scoreboard to seal the fourth win in GPAC play. Delanie Voshell, Ganstrom (.438), Aubrey Bruning (.429), Aubriana Krieser (.385), and Bowers (.385) paced the team in hitting percentage and Krieser hit her first homer (three-run) of the season.
· Ganstrom, the rare hitting pitcher combo player, came into the circle and hurled three innings without a hit to take the win. The Seneca, Kan., native knocked .434 (7-for-16) in the last two doubleheaders with two triples and a double. She scored six runs and batted in two. Batting .355 on the year, the Southwestern transfer has 33 hits, primarily in the lead off spot, five triples and four doubles. She has 10 stolen bases and 15 RBIs. In the circle, Ganstrom has a 5-2 record, allowing 13 earned runs in 32.2 innings. A Nemaha Central alum, she has 14 strikeouts and 13 base on balls.
· With Culler known as a small-ball coach, his team seems to be the opposite, sitting third in slugging percentage (.475) in the GPAC. Only Dakota Wesleyan (.557) and Midland (.482) are above the Bulldogs in power hitting and one right behind in Morningside (.471). Jennifer Katz (.753) leads the team in extra base percentage and is third in the conference behind Dakota Wesleyan’s McKinnely Mull (.884) and Ashlen Johnson (.764). Other Concordia players at the top are Grace Maguire (.571), Hanna Bowers (.547), Taryn Ganstrom (.538), Aubriana Krieser (.530) and Aubrey Bruning (.529).
· The Bulldogs have totaled seven home runs and 88 extra base hits. Katz has powered a team leading three over the fence and four others have one homer apiece. Krieser, Ganstrom, Bowers and Maguire have the other four-baggers. Ganstrom (five), Katz (four) and Bruning (three) are the leaders in triples. Three Bulldogs have reached double digit doubles as Krieser (12), Kylie Shottenkirk (11), Bowers (11) and Katz (10) are the team leaders.
· In the past week, Voshell had a stellar high hitting percentage (.700) going 7-for-10, forcing three base on balls to boot. The left fielder scored two runs and two runs batted in from the six or seven hole. A Shenandoah High alum, Voshell did something for the Bulldogs, hitting a .769 on-base percentage, adding a stolen base. In conference play, she has a team high batting average (.526) with 10 total knocks in the common foe play.
· A tough week of competition comes as the Bulldogs will look to reverse the trend against the upcoming conference foes after going a combined 0-8 against Midland and Northwestern in the past two seasons. The last time Concordia defeated Northwestern was in 2022, as the Dawgs sealed game one (3-1) on the road on April 2. A year earlier, the Bulldogs defeated the Warriors (6-3) at Plum Creek Park on April 11.
· Records for each team include NWC at the top with a 30-5 overall showing. Dakota Wesleyan (27-8), Midland (21-10) and Concordia (19-9) follow as the top four in the table. There is a variety of conference records, with some having only played four games and the most going to 10 games. The Red Raiders are the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play.
Upcoming opponents
Midland comes into the week with an impressive 21-10 record and a 3-1 conference showing. The Warriors have won their last four against Nebraska Wesleyan University (1-0), Peru State College (12-4) and Waldorf (9-0, 12-3). With a massive void left from hurler Aliya Rincon, the circle looks different for the Fremont bullpen, which mainly uses three-pitcher rotation. Paeton Coler (7-6), Campbell Petrick (8-3), Mackenzie Groninga (5-0) combine for the majority of what makes up the team 2.19 ERA. Earning a .333 side average, Midland leans on Kamdyn Barrientos (.409) and Reese Floro (.402) to get out in front using hitting percentage. Alexis Shepherd (six) and Barrientos (four) combine for 10 homers and Isabelle Pagan is a double machine with 12. In her fourth season, Head Coach Beth Singleton took the Warriors to the NAIA Softball World Series in 2023.
Northwestern is undefeated (10-0) in conference games so far and has already amassed 30 wins (30-5) under Head Coach Shane Bouman. On a 13-game hot streak, the Red Raiders haven’t seen a mark in the loss column since March 8 against Valley City State (N.D.), 7-4. Northwestern is lethal from the circle with three pitchers under a 2.0 ERA including Kate Kralik (1.99), Ellie Jacobson (1.79) and Tatum Schmalbeck (1.94). Kralik (two saves) has a 15-3 record (two shutouts) and 100 putouts, 99 hits given up and 25 walks. In 105.1 innings pitched, she has allowed 30 earned runs from the launching spot. Gwen Mikkelsen bats a team leading .434/.726 hitting and slugging percentage. She has six home runs, and 11 doubles with 39 runs batted in. Other consistent hitters for NWC are Chole Gallegos (.415) and Sydney Jacobs (.389).
Up next
Concordia will have three doubleheaders the following week against Morningside, Doane and Waldorf. The Bulldogs will be on the road in Sioux City, Iowa and Crete, Neb., before coming back to Plum Creek Park versus the Warriors next Saturday.