ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul head baseball coach
Neil Lerner has announced the commitments of eight prep players for the 2026 baseball season.
Joining the Golden Bears are
Gus Berger (1B/OF, Minnetonka, Minn./HS),
Nick Carlson (SS, Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS),
Tate Gage (OF, Eagan, Minn./HS),
Max Kaplan (IF, Cottage Grove, Minn./Park HS),
Luke Lehnen (OF, Sussex, Wis./Hamilton HS),
Evan Newlander (LHP, White Bear Lake, Minn./HS),
Nolan Swenson (RHP/IF) and
Hayden Vucinovich (RHP, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS).
"This is truly a great day for our program as we welcome these eight new players to our Golden Bear baseball family. We feel that top-to-bottom, this is as complete of a class as we have had in many years," said Coach Lerner. "Knowing that we lost several key players from our successful 2024 team and will graduate a large group of seniors this upcoming year, we tried to identify a group of players who could come in and make an immediate impact for us in 2026. We feel this class not only provides this with their talent, but is also comprised of outstanding young men who will work hard and be leaders not only on the baseball field but in the entire CSP community."
Gus Berger (1B/OF, 5-7, 170, L/L, Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka HS)
Minnetonka High School:
A two-sport athlete for the Skippers and has earned a letter in baseball since his sophomore campaign … an All-Lake Conference honorable mention selection and team captain … has helped the Skippers to a pair of MSHSL Section 2AAAA titles and two MSHSL state appearances including a third-place finish.
Personal:
Has not declared academic field of study … youngest of three, with an older brother and an older sister.
Coach Lerner on Berger: "I've had the pleasure of knowing Gus and his family for many years and couldn't be more excited to have him join our team. He is a great kid who comes from a great family. Gus has been a three-year starter and middle of the lineup guy on an outstanding Minnetonka High School baseball team, helping his team earn state tournament berths the past two years. His at bats are always competitive as he has a great approach and, frankly, he just knows how to hit. Gus is a student of the game with a tireless work ethic. We think he could make an immediate impact on our 2026 team either at first base or in the outfield."
Nick Carlson (SS, 6-1, 188, R/R, Champlin, Minn. / Champlin Park HS)
Champlin Park High School:
A two-sport athlete for the Rebels, competing in baseball and hockey … a baseball team captain … earned All-Northwest Suburban Conference honors in baseball and All-Northwest Suburban Conference honorable mention honors in hockey … helped the baseball team to a Northwest Suburban Conference championship as a sophomore.
Personal:
Undecided on a preferred course of study … has a younger brother … his father played baseball at Winona State.
Coach Lerner on Carlson: "Nick was at the top of our list of shortstop prospects for quite a while and we are fired up that he will be continuing his baseball career with us. Nick has outstanding athleticism to go along with great hands and arm strength, skills that should translate well as a shortstop in the NSIC. At the plate, he has been a top-of-the-order presence throughout his high school career at Champlin Park and his club baseball career with Iceman. He has the potential to be a mainstay in our infield for years with the chance to develop into a top-notch NSIC shortstop."
Tate Gage (OF, 6-0, 185, R/R, Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS)
Eagan High School:
Has earned seven combined letters between baseball (4) and football (3) including senior year for the Wildcats … named All-South Suburban Conference honorable mention and earned the Wildcat Service Award … as a junior, hit .253/.356/.299 (22-87) with four doubles, 16 runs, 12 RBIs and 14 stolen bases while helping the Wildcats to a runner-up finish in the section tournament … an All-District selection and team captain in football.
Personal:
Will pursue a business major with a minor in finance at CSP … has a pair of older brothers who both played baseball at Augsburg University while his father competed in wrestling at Augustana University.
Coach Lerner on Gage: "We have been fortunate to have had great players join our program from Eagan High School, playing for former Golden Bear Steve Butler, over the last several years and this trend continues with Tate. Having seen Eagan play many times as we recruited current Golden Bears
Will Husemann,
Connor Strop, and Chuck Harms, I was impressed with the way Tate played the game since he was a sophomore. He is an outstanding defender who is fun to watch run around in the outfield. As the leadoff hitter for a talented Eagan team, Tate showed the ability to be a tough out for opposing pitchers and a guy who can be a weapon on the bases with his speed. Finally, as we spent time with Tate we were more and more impressed with him as a person. We feel he not only has the chance to make an immediate impact on our team as an outfielder but also to be a leader on our team for years to come."
Max Kaplan (IF, 6-3, 160, L/R, Cottage Grove, Minn. / Park HS)
Park High School:
Has earned three letters each in baseball and hockey for the Wolfpack … an All-Suburban East Conference First Team selection and team captain … as a junior, hit .273 with a .405 on base percentage … handled the glove with a .928 fielding percentage.
Personal:
Will study business at Concordia … is one of four in his family with an older sister and two younger brothers … each of his parents were college athletes, with father playing baseball at Minnesota State University, Mankato and his mother swimming at Iowa State University.
Lerner on Kaplan: "We really enjoyed getting to know Max and his family during the recruiting process and feel that he will be a great fit with our guys and Concordia as a whole. He is a hard worker who excelled in both baseball and hockey at Park. On the baseball field, Max is a smooth fielder who can play multiple infield positions. A left-handed hitter, Max has the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field. His skill set should already play at the college level and with increased strength and time to develop, he could become a big-time player at the D2 level."
Luke Lehnen (OF, 5-11, 185, R/R, Sussex, Wis. / Hamilton HS)
Hamilton High School:
A two-year varsity team captain for the Chargers … helped the Chargers to back-to-back region championships … as a junior, hit .250 (15-60) with a .397 on base percentage … as a pitcher, compiled a 1.70 ERA and nine saves.
Personal:
Interested in pre-physical therapy as a course of study at Concordia … oldest of three with a younger sister and brother … has a cousin who played baseball at Winona State and a cousin who plays hockey for University of Nebraska Omaha and was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL.
Lerner and Lehnen: "Luke came highly recommended to us by his coaches at Prospect Training Academy in Wisconsin. When we were able to see him play in person, it was clear why they liked him so much. Although not the biggest guy, Luke displayed the ability to drive the ball to the gaps and out of the park. Additionally, he runs well and has the skill set to play all three outfield positions. We look for him to provide immediate depth to our outfield with the ability to compete for playing time as a freshman."
Evan Newlander (LHP, 6-0, 170, L/L, White Bear Lake, Minn. / White Bear Lake HS)
White Bear Lake High School:
A two-sport athlete for the Bears, earning letters in baseball and hockey … an All-Suburban East Conference honorable mention selection as a junior … two-time team captain … named Most Improved in hockey as a junior.
Personal:
A business major at Concordia … the oldest of three with a younger brother and sister.
Lerner on Newlander: "Evan comes to our program after we heard some great things about him from his high school and club ball coaching staff, along with some former high school teammates of his who are current Golden Bears,
Jack Setterlund and
Kaden Johnson. Evan has a unique delivery that provides some deceptiveness allowing him to be able to keep hitters off balance. With the athleticism that he has and the potential to gain strength, we believe Evan is just starting to scratch the surface with his development."
Nolan Swenson (RHP/IF, 6-3, 200, L/R, Belle Plaine, Minn. / Belle Plaine HS)
Belle Plaine High School:
A two-sport athlete for the Tigers, earning four baseball letters with two in basketball … named All-MRC and All-Section team … named the team's Hitter of the Year … a two-way player for the Tigers, slashed .413/.506/.640 with a 1.146 OPS in 25 games (31-75), including nine doubles, a triple, two home runs, 20 runs scored, 23 RBIs and 11 walks … on the mound, he held a 2.80 ERA in 25 innings with a 46-21 K-BB ratio and only 16 hits allowed in seven appearances … he helped the Tigers to back-to-back MRC conference championships, including a section title as a sophomore in 2023, taking fifth at the MSHSL state tournament with a 20-7 record before posting an 18-7 record in 2024.
Personal:
An exercise science major at Concordia … middle of three in his family with an older sister and a younger sister.
Coach Lerner on Swenson: "Nolan has played on many successful high school teams and has been a staple in that lineup for a long time. When getting to know Nolan, it was clear that he really is a student of the game and is always looking for ways to improve and is willing to put the work in to get to where he wants to be. He is a big kid with a ton of athleticism and is able to play multiple positions and also contribute on the mound. We are excited to see where Nolan's development takes him and believe he will have a successful career here at Concordia."
Hayden Vucinovich (RHP, 6-1, 190, R/R, Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson HS)
Thomas Jefferson High School:
A two-sport athlete for the Jaguars, competing in baseball and basketball … an All-Metro West Conference selection and Cy Young performer … named team captain for senior year … compiled a 1.90 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 32.1 innings, striking out 43 and allowing just 15 hits with a .139 opponent average.
Personal:
Intends to pursue a sport management major at CSP … middle of three boys with an older and a younger brother.
Coach Lerner on Vucinovich: "Hayden was a no-brainer when it came to identifying him as a potential recruit. He's a good kid from a great family here in the Twin Cities area. We had the chance to see him throw several times between high school (Bloomington Jefferson) and club (GRB Northstar) teams and we could quickly see the athleticism he has on the mound, his ability to command all of his pitches, and his bulldog mentality. He has shown the ability to run his fastball to the upper 80s to even touching some lower 90s. We are excited to get Hayden on campus and start working with him and look forward to him pitching a ton of innings for us during his time as a Golden Bear."
