ST. PAUL, Minn. – While the ground may be covered in a thick blanket of snow in St. Paul, the Concordia-St. Paul baseball team will open up the 2019 season this weekend as they travel south to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational Games.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
It will be a busy trip for the Golden Bears as the team is scheduled to play 11 games in nine days in the Tucson Invitational Games starting this Saturday. CSP kicks things off with four straight games against NAIA competition before facing fellow NSIC schools six of the final seven games of the trip.
 
All games will be played at Kino Sports Complex, the former the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox.
 
When asked what he hopes to see from the team in Arizona, head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie said, "We need to figure out what we're doing in a few different positions so we want to get some guys some opportunities to earn a job." When talking about being able to get outside to play after six weeks of indoor practice, McKenzie added, "It's an amazing feel to finally get out there. Every year when we walk out on the field as coaches, we ask each other 'Could you coach here?' All you need to do is walk out on the field and play."
 
First on the schedule is Concordia-Nebraska on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as the two schools are set to meet for the first time since CSP moved to NCAA Division II. The Bulldogs are members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and enter the weekend with a 1-3 record to start the year.
 
The Golden Bears follow up the opener with a doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. The Tigers dropped two of three to Minnesota Crookston last weekend in their season opening series. DWU also participates in the GPAC.
 
Following another meeting with Concordia-Nebraska on Monday at 7:30 p.m., CSP will face their first DII competition on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. start against Wayne State. The Wildcats enter in riding high with five wins in their first six as they took two of three from Northeastern State before sweeping a three-game set against Fort Hays State.
 
Concordia will take on another team off to a 5-1 start next Wednesday as they take on St. Cloud State at 5 p.m. The Huskies won their first five contests of the year, including two wins over ranked opponents, before dropping their last game to Missouri S&T.
 
Next Thursday and Friday, CSP will face Southwest Minnesota State at 7:30 p.m. on both days. The Thursday night contest will be the first of the season for the Mustangs.
 
The Golden Bears are scheduled for back-to-back games on Saturday, March 9^th with a 1 p.m. meeting with Jamestown and a 5 p.m. meeting with Minot State. Jamestown represents the third school in the GPAC that CSP will face on the trip while Minot State represents the fourth NSIC school on the schedule. Jamestown enters the week with a record of 2-3 while opens their season on Friday in CSU-Pueblo.
 
Concordia is scheduled for one more game on Sunday, March 10^th at noon as they face St. Cloud State for the second time of the trip.
 
Live stats will be available for all games on the trip.
 
2018 REVIEW
2018 was a season to remember for the Golden Bears as it featured crazy weather and dominant pitching performances before culminating in a trip to the NSIC Championship game.
 
"It was a great year and a miserable year," said McKenzie. "With all of the travel due to the weather, I still think the most impressive thing is the fact that 18 guys made NSIC All-Academic." Talking about the team's performance on the field, he added, "We felt we had a chance to win every time we stepped on the field. We lost to Augie by one run three times, including in the championship, so weren't quite able to get over that hump. But overall it was a lot of fun and the kids played great and grinded through it."
 
In between frequent rain and snowstorms throughout the spring that cost the team 10 games on their schedule, CSP finished the year with a record of 26-16 overall and 16-10 in NSIC play to wrap up their fourth top-five finish in the past six years and earned their second trip to the conference title in three years.
 
While the trip to championship matchup with Augie may have been the highlight, Concordia's pitching staff put together an incredible run of six consecutive shutouts in which they held their opponents off the board for 47 innings in a row from March 10-18. Overall on the season, the Golden Bears finished with the second best ERA in the NSIC with a mark of 3.43 as a team while the staff combined to strike out 376 and allow an opponent average of just .242 in their 336.1 innings of work. CSP's .972 fielding percentage as a team was also second-best in the league.
 
The excitement didn't end with the conclusion of the season as CSP ace Gus Varland became the third player in the DII era at Concordia to be selected in the MLB Draft as he was selected in the 14^th Round by the Oakland Athletics. Varland wasted no time making his presence known on the professional stage as he finished with a microscopic 0.95 ERA in 38.0 innings over three different levels en route to being named the 22^nd ranked prospect in the A's system, according to MLB.com.
 
PRACTICE UPDATE
While Gus Varland may be gone after a dominant season that saw him earn Central Region Pitcher of the Year honors, much of the core of last year's squad remains intact heading into this year. Having that experience has helped CSP hit the ground running this spring.
 
"We're a pretty veteran team so everybody knows how to go about their business and get their work in to prepare for the season," said McKenzie. That work consists of position-specific defensive drills and throwing in the Concordia Dome at Sea Foam Stadium as well as hitting drills and simulated games in the pole barn.
 
An area the team has focused on early in the year has been on the bases. The Golden Bears relied heavily on their pitching and defense in 2018 and will be looking to find ways to manufacture more runs on the offensive side. McKenzie pointed this out, saying, "We've put a real emphasis on base running so far as we look to get faster and more aggressive on the base paths this spring."
 
A LOOK AT THE NSIC
For the second year in a row, Concordia was tabbed to finish fifth in the NSIC Preseason Poll.
 
The defending NCAA Division II National Champions of Augustana University were the top pick in the poll. This marks the first time since joining the NSIC in 2008 that the Vikings have been picked to win the league. Augustana, the defending NSIC Tournament champions, amassed 193 points after receiving 13 first place votes (coaches can't vote for their own team). Minnesota State was second with 175 points and two first place votes. Minot State, the defending regular season champions, were picked third with 172 points, while St. Cloud State was fourth with 162 points. CSP followed with 139 points while Wayne State registered in at sixth at 121 points.
 
The depth of the conference spreads beyond the top-six as the strength of the teams throughout the league continue to improve. On the subject, McKenzie said, "From top to bottom, this league is really good. Anybody can beat anybody so it's a grind every week. In past we were probably not viewed in the same light as we are now, but with Augie winning the title, nobody is taking this conference lightly anymore."
 
One big change this season will be a switch to three-game weekend series. In the past, the NSIC has featured a four-game series on the weekends with doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday. Starting this season, schools will still play two games on Saturday, a seven-inning game one and a nine-inning game two, before playing a single nine-inning game on Sunday. "It's going to be way easier on the pitching staff and way easier with travel," said McKenzie about the change. He added, "Those seasons were hard, so this should save some wear and tear on the kids. It also adds the advantage of being able to play everybody in the league which hasn't been the case before."
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
With a lot of familiar faces all over the diamond, the pitching staff is especially deep with it comes to veterans as five of the team's top six starters and several key bullpen pieces from last year's squad are back in the mix this year.
 
Headlining the group is NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Louie Varland. Louie, the younger brother of former Golden Bear Gus Varland, enters his third year on campus coming off a huge sophomore season last year as he compiled 5-1 record with a 1.41 ERA in 44.2 innings on the mound. Varland struck out 51 and walked 18 while holding opponents to a .213 batting average.
 
Senior Zach Lauzon was another key member from the quartet of quality weekend starters from last season as he struck out a staggering 66 hitters in 49.2 innings while registering a 2.17 ERA. Lauzon limited teams to a .218 batting average against in his 10 appearances and eight starts.
 
Fellow seniors Josh Gaworski and Keanu Mendez will also be counted on to bolster the starting rotation in 2019 as both flashed impressive stuff last year. Gaworski allowed just one run and five hits over his first three starts in navy and gold, including a no-hitter against Minnesota Crookston on March 18, 2018, before finishing the year with a 3-2 record and 41 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. He allowed just 23 hits on the year to collect a .183 opponent average. Mendez cruised to a 3-1 record in six appearances, four starts, with 21 strikeouts and a 4.22 ERA in 21.1 innings. The Omaha native saved perhaps his best for last as he held Minot State to two runs in 5.0 innings while striking out eight to pick up the win in the NSIC Tournament semifinals.
 
Junior Connor Hurley has been a valuable swingman his first two years as a Golden Bear as he has provided effective innings as both a starter and reliever. Last season he struck out 30 hitters in his 23.1 innings spread over 10 appearances. He will be competing with the promising sophomore trio of Michael Voss, Ryan Christopher and Ross Bastyr for a weekday rotation spot. Voss, Christopher and Bastyr all made at least five appearances in their debut season at Concordia.
 
While several of those rotation candidates will also see action in the bullpen, CSP returns several more arms that will pitch meaningful innings late in games. Shane Benson put together an impressive 2017 season as the team's closer and will once again be looked at in a relief role while seniors Blake Stelzer and Nate Stolte as well as sophomore Luke DeGrammont will also fight for innings in key roles. Junior Ray Wellner and freshman Ryan Fering are also in the mix to pitch for the Golden Bears.
 
Behind the plate, 2017 All-NSIC Second Team catcher Carter Schmidt returns to his role as Golden Bear backstop after spending the 2018 season in the outfield. Schmidt led the team with a .371 batting average while collecting 10 extra-base hits and driving in 16 on the year. The senior reached base at a .432 clip while slugging .457 to provide a solid presence at the top of the CSP order.
 
Behind Schmidt, the Golden Bears have four different catchers looking to earn playing time at the catcher position. Seniors Jeffrey Kressler and Tom Austin provide two more veteran options behind the plate while a pair of newcomers in junior transfer Ted Elsner and freshman Chandler Ibach are also in the mix.
 
Over at first base, seniors Ben Suits and Roch Whittaker will once battle it out for an everyday role this year after splitting time over there over much of the past three seasons. Suits has connected on six home runs and driven in 46 while hitting .278 over his career at CSP while Whittaker is a .260 career hitter with 13 extra-base hits while providing a strong defensive presence. Sophomore Ryan Bastyr gives the team another look as a left-handed bat at the position. All three will also be considered for the designated hitter role while Suits and Bastyr could also see time on the mound.
 
Second base is another position littered with seniors as three seniors, including 2017 All-Region pick Isaac Hormann, will be looking to earn playing time at the keystone. Hormann has been a consistent producer for the Golden Bears in his first three seasons at Concordia as he has hit .306 or better all three years while collecting 31 doubles and five home runs in 120 games. The Young America native has also reached base at a .400 clip in his career while slugging .448. Fellow seniors Kyle Horstmann and Cody Marek as well as freshman Jarod Wandersee provide competition at the position.
 
Moving across the diamond to shortstop, 2018 NSIC All-Tournament Team selection Patrick Bordewick is expected to hold down the position as he looks to take a step forward in his junior season. Bordewick has provided some solid work with the glove to go along with some pop as he has picked up 14 doubles and four home runs over his first two years on campus. Wandersee will also get a look at shortstop as well as second base.
 
At the hot corner, All-NSIC Second Teamer Drew Sannes will once again be expected to provide veteran leadership in the infield. A transfer from North Dakota, Sannes burst onto the scene with a .359 average and a team-leading 25 RBI and .438 on-base percentage while fielding .926 at third. Behind Sannes, Eathan Soeffker, a freshman from Buffalo High School, will look to get some action at third base and potentially at DH.
 
In the outfield, athletic sophomore Ryan Christopher is expected to roam centerfield while the senior trio of Steven Nessler, Jake Steckler and Cole Kirchoff will compete with freshmen Shea Pekarek and Jack Young for roles in the corner outfield. Hormann could also move to the outfield and see some time there as well.
 
Christopher got his feet wet as a two-way player last year as he made 15 appearances, including 11 starts, in the field and hit .257 while Nessler had a big 2017 season with a .328 average in 30 games before moving into more of a reserve role last year. Steckler gives the Golden Bears a solid defensive option in the outfield as he has made 53 appearances there over three years in navy and gold while Kirchoff was also in and out of the lineup in his time as a Golden Bear.
 
To follow along with the Golden Bears throughout the season, please visit cspbears.com for game previews, game recaps, rosters, schedules, live statistics and live video of select games.