ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (0-0) opens up the 2020 season this weekend as they travel south to #4 Central Missouri (8-3) for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
The Golden Bears are now scheduled to kick off the 2020 season at 1 p.m. on Friday at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in the first game of a doubleheader. The two teams will then conclude the three-game slate with a noon start on Saturday. The games were originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but inclement weather in the forecast for Sunday pushed the series up a day.
 
Concordia and Central Missouri have met just one previous time with the Mules claiming a 7-4 win in Fort Myers, Florida all the way back in 2004.
 
While the Golden Bears will be making their season debut this weekend, the Mules already have 11 games under their belt as they have picked up wins in eight of those 11 contests. Last weekend in a four-game series with the University of Mary, UCM took three of four.
 
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
For the first time in the Division II era at Concordia, there will be a new face at the helm as iconic head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie stepped down from the role this past summer. In his place, long-time assistant coach Neil Lerner will be taking the reins for the 2020 season while McKenzie will remain with the staff as a volunteer assistant.
 
Speaking about the impact that McKenzie has had on Concordia baseball, Lerner said, "You can't put into words what Lunch has meant to this program. It's not just the success on the field, it's the relationships he's created and the program he has built." Lerner went on to say, "I've been lucky to learn from Lunch over the years and we are continually blessed to have him on our staff."
 
During McKenzie's 20 year run, the Golden Bears tallied 456 wins while claiming NSIC Championships in 2003 and 2008. The program has gone through one of their most impressive stretches over the past few seasons as they reached the NSIC Tournament six consecutive seasons from 2013-18, collecting four top-five finishes in the league during that stretch. CSP also reached the NSIC Tournament Championship game twice in a three-year span, making trips to the title game in 2016 and 2018.
 
While it may be a new voice leading the way for the Golden Bears, Lerner is no stranger to the Concordia program as he has spent 12 seasons on the staff under McKenzie. In addition to his experience in the Concordia baseball program, Lerner also posted a winning record as head coach at Hopkins High School where he led the Royals for eight years (2006-13) to a 120-81 (.597) record including three Classic Lake Conference championships, a pair of Section 6AAA championships for two berths to the MSHSL Class AAA State Baseball Tournament.
 
Lerner has not been the only change to the CSP coaching staff as Kevin Walsh and Jeff Fasching have joined the staff since the conclusion of last season. "I can't say enough about what Coach Walsh and Coach Fasching have brought to our program," said Lerner of the pair. He added, "They have brought a lot of energy and a knowledge of pitching that is impressive."
 
Walsh, who joined as the pitching coach from the University of Mary, and Fasching, who is entering his first season as a graduate assistant after completing his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota, have been instrumental in working with the Golden Bear pitching staff during the fall and winter. Fasching is expected to take on a larger role during the season as Walsh will be moving on to a position as a minor league pitching coach in the Milwaukee Brewers organization this spring.
 
BUILDING A CULTURE
On a roster featuring 15 new players, representing nearly half of the entire roster, building team chemistry and establishing a culture is a key aspect to success. So far, Lerner has been pleased with the attitude of the group and pleased with the integration of all the new faces. Speaking of the newcomers, Lerner said, "The new guys have come in with a ton of energy and are excited to be here."
 
Lerner was quick to credit the upperclassmen, such as CSP's three team captains Patrick Bordewick, Blake Stelzer and Luke DeGrammont, with helping make the transition smooth. "Our upperclassmen have been outstanding leaders," he said of the group. "They have welcomed all these new guys and made them feel like a part of the team from the start."
 
Lerner also pointed out that while there are 15 new faces on the roster, several join the program with previous college experience. Juniors Matt Pietsch, Joey Atkinson, JT Hoffmann and Aaron Brush have all been key contributors at the junior college level over the past two seasons.
 
While the team has been working out and practicing together since September, Lerner hopes that the preseason trip to Arizona will help further grow those bonds and relationships as the team heads into conference play. "The Arizona trip has been so successful for years not just for winning games on the field, but for continuing to build the community during that time together."
 
EARLY SEASON TESTS
While the Golden Bears will hope to continue to build chemistry throughout the non-conference slate, they will also have the opportunity to pick up some important wins against quality competition.
 
Following the season-opening weekend against last season's top team in the region and the fourth-ranked team in the country, the Golden Bears will then take one of the elite programs in the NSIC in St. Cloud State next Wednesday at US Bank Stadium before heading south to Arizona.
 
Speaking of the team's first two opponents, Lerner said, "It's a great opportunity to get to play two really good teams early in the year. It gives us a picture of what some of these top teams look like and where we stand with the hard work we have put in."
 
Three of CSP's eight games down in Tucson will also come against familiar foes as they take on Southwest Minnesota State twice and Bemidji State once in addition to facing five strong NAIA programs from throughout the Midwest.
 
NSIC AT A GLANCE
Things don't get much easier from there as the Golden Bears return home to open up a tough NSIC slate on March 14-15 against Minnesota Duluth.
 
In the 2020 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Golden Bears were picked to finish ninth in what is once again expected to be a very competitive league.
 
The defending NSIC Regular Season and Tournament Champions of Augustana University were the top pick in the poll. This marks the second consecutive season that the Vikings have been picked to win the league. Augustana amassed 195 points after receiving 13 first place votes (coaches can't vote for their own team). Minnesota State was second with 184 points and two first place votes. St. Cloud State was picked third with 164 points, while Wayne State was fourth with 153 points.
 
"It's a great league overall from top to bottom. What has happened over the last few years is some of the teams that have traditionally been bottom of the league teams have improved dramatically. Every game is a grind and every game is tough to win," said Lerner of the NSIC. He added, "Every year, the goal is to finish in the top eight and reach the conference tournament. If you did that, you can feel pretty confident that you had a good season."
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
One of the biggest strengths of the CSP program over the last several years has been the pitching rotation. The Golden Bears have consistently ranked near the top of the league in most pitching categories during their impressive seven-year stretch.
 
Last season, Concordia made it two straight seasons with a pitcher being selected in the MLB Draft as Louie Varland was selected in the 15^th Round by the Minnesota Twins. Louie's brother, Gus Varland, was drafted in the 14^th Round by the Oakland Athletics one year prior. Along with Varland, CSP also loses Zach Lauzon, Keanu Mendez and Josh Gaworski from the rotation to graduation as they will be tasked with replacing their top four team leaders in starts from last season.
 
In 2020, the Golden Bears will be counting on a solid mix of returners stepping into bigger roles in addition to newcomers to solidify the rotation. Early candidates to anchor the starting rotation include seniors Blake Stelzer and Connor Hurley in addition to juniors Luke DeGrammont and Ryan Christopher among the returners. Newcomers Joey Atkinson and Griffin Lapp are also expected to compete for starting roles.
 
Stelzer and Hurley, two of the team's six seniors, will both be making the transition to full-time starters after bouncing between the rotation and bullpen over the last several years. Stelzer is coming off his best season at CSP as he went 3-2 with a pair of saves in his 32.2 innings of work. The Lakeville native struck out 35 batters and held opponents to a .266 average while compiling a 3.03 ERA. Hurley has appeared in at least eight games and started at least two in each of his three seasons on campus heading into this season. During his time at Concordia, Hurley has struck out 83 batters in 93.0 innings while tallying a pair of wins and a save.
 
Like the two seniors, DeGrammont and Christopher will also be asked to take on bigger roles on the mound in 2020. DeGrammont, also a Lakeville native, has been successful in limited opportunities over his first two seasons at Concordia as he has held opposing batters to just a .218 average in 27.2 innings. The left-hander has gone 2-0 with a 4.23 ERA while striking out nearly a batter an inning with 26 strikeouts. Christopher, a two-way player from Jackson, Minn., has the most starting experience among returners as he has made 11 appearances, including nine starts, over the last two seasons. Christopher made six starts with a 2-3 record last season as he struck out 30 in 25.2 innings to go along with a .243 opponent average.
 
Atkinson joins CSP with a wealth of collegiate experience as he compiled an 11-4 record over two seasons with the Wood Ducks of Century College. In 2019, Atkinson put up a 3.35 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP as he struck out 54 batters in 51.0 innings. Lapp joins the Golden Bears after an impressive prep career as a two-way player at Plainfield South High School in Illinois.
 
Much like in the rotation, the Golden Bears will be counting on a combination of returners and newcomers to step up and take on key roles in the bullpen. Shane Benson, Ray Wellner, Ross Bastyr, TJ Johnson, Michael Voss and Austin Braund will be back from last season's group while freshmen Matt Sherman, Christian Morel, Eric Lundell and redshirt freshmen Ryan Fering and Delaney Dahl will also be in the mix.
 
Senior Shane Benson is coming off his best season in navy and gold as he put up a 3-1 record with a pair of saves while compiling a 2.00 ERA over 18.0 innings of work. Benson struck out 16 while walking just three on the year. Wellner really came on strong at the end of 2019 as he worked 7.2 scoreless innings with just four hits allowed and 12 strikeouts over his last five outings. Ross Bastyr has provided CSP with some length out of the bullpen over his first two years as he has worked 37.2 career innings over 21 relief appearances.
 
Concordia will also be tasked with replacing a large chunk of their lineup as they return just three position players that received over 20 starts last season. That trio of Patrick Bordewick, Ryan Christopher and Jarod Wandersee will once again be expected to play key roles both offensively and defensively. They are expected to occupy three positions up the middle most days as Bordewick will return to his role at shortstop while Christopher will be back out in center and Wandersee will take over at second base.
 
Bordewick has been a mainstay in the Golden Bear lineup throughout his career as he enters his senior season with 131 career starts and 444 career at-bats as the team's starting shortstop. The St. Louis Park High School grad took a big step forward in 2019 as he led the team with a .301 average and a .410 slugging percentage with 12 extra-base hits, 24 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. Christopher also put up an improved stat line last season as he slashed .292/.361/.409 with a dozen extra-base hits and a team-best 25 RBIs over 42 games. Wandersee added a .250/.324/.328 slash line over 30 games in his first season on campus.
 
Behind the plate, it will be a pair of underclassmen as sophomore Chandler Ibach and freshman Justin McGuigan are expected to share time this season. Ibach got a taste of college baseball last spring as he appeared in six games, making two starts, for the Golden Bears. McGuigan, a high school teammate of Griffin Lapp, was a four-time letter winner in baseball at Plainfield South High School.
 
While the middle infield is expected to be occupied by two of CSP's three returning starters in addition to freshman Brayden Roybal, the corner infield spots will feature some new faces. At first, junior Ryan Bastyr will likely receive the first crack at an everyday role while freshman Mitch Klass will also compete for time there. At the hot corner, sophomore Ethan Soeffker and the two-way freshman Lapp will battle it out for playing time early in the year while Jack Becker and Cody Maier will also be competing at the position.
 
Both Bastyr and Soeffker showed flashes in their opportunities last season as Bastyr reached base at a .412 clip over 16 games while Soeffker saw three of his five hits go for extra bases. Klass joins Concordia after helping Minnetonka reach the state title game in his high school career.
 
Out in the outfield, CSP will utilize an interesting combination of options with sophomores Jack Young and Shea Pekarek joining Christopher as returners while transfers Matt Pietsch and JT Hoffmann as well as freshman Nick Thimsen will all be vying for playing time.
 
Pietsch, who was an All-Region pick at Minnesota State Community & Technical College in 2019, is expected to get the first crack in left field and could fill a role in the middle of the order for the Golden Bears. The junior is coming off a season in which he slashed an incredible .432/.444/.597 with 22 extra-base hits in 50 games.
 
Young is expected to spell Christopher in center field on days in which Christopher is on the mound or in the DH slot as the sophomore looks to build off of his first season in which he appeared in seven games as a true freshman.
 
In right, Pekarek and Thimsen will both have chances to win the job. Pekarek picked up a pair of hits and drove in four in 13 games last year while Thimsen helped Klass and the Skippers of Minnetonka to a strong season.
 
Hoffmann is also expected to see some time in the outfield in addition to taking on pinch running and pinch hitting duties after two solid seasons at Century.
 
Another transfer, Aaron Brush, is also in the mix at the designated hitter position or as a bat off the bench while freshman Mason Wolf from Holy Angels will also be utilized as a weapon off the bench.
 
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.