ST. PAUL, Minn. – This Friday, Concordia-St. Paul open the 2026 season with a four-game weekend series at Missouri Western State (0-3), playing a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m., and single games on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon in St. Joseph, Missouri.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
With baseball in the Midwest in February, eyeing the forecast is vital. This weekend appears to be ideal for Division II baseball based on the calendar and location, with high temperatures ranging from 45 to 56 degrees and partly cloudy to sunny conditions throughout the weekend, with winds starting at 18mph on Friday before falling to 10mph on Sunday.

While the high temperatures are favorable, Saturday's low temperatures (22 overnight low on Friday, 31 evening low on Saturday) have caused a slight shift in the weekend schedule, moving Saturday's doubleheader to a weekend opening doubleheader on Friday, allowing a shorter window to complete Saturday's game in optimal conditions.

SERIES HISTORY & ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
This weekend marks the first meeting between the Golden Bears and Griffons on the diamond. 

MWSU was picked 10th in the 13-team MIAA Baseball Preseason Poll after producing a 14-33 overall and 12-24 MIAA record for an 11th place finish in 2025. The Griffons are off to an 0-3 start to the 2026 season, falling last weekend in a three-game series at MSU Denver 13-11, 11-8 and 12-5. 

Five different Griffons had a 1.000 or better OPS and six had at least a .946 OPS. David De Hoyos hit .455 with three doubles and seven RBIs on opening weekend and Miguel Cantu hit .429 with a double, a solo homer and seven runs scored. Micah Kobuszewski and Luke Parmentier each homered, as well, with Kobuszewski producing five RBIs. 

The Griffon starting pitchers each gave up 5-plus runs, and none pitched out of the fourth inning. Cole Evans, Jackson Parrill and Sebastian Gutierrez combined for 10.1 innings, 16 runs on 20 hits and 10 walks with seven strikeouts. Ben Ayala provided 5.2 strong relief innings, allowing a run on seven hits with a 4-0 strikeout-walk ratio. The only other pitcher with a sub-10 ERA for the Griffons after opening weekend is Evan Peterson, who went 1.2 scoreless innings with a strikeout among his five outs.

As a team, MWSU holds a 12.38 team ERA and 2.50 WHIP with MSU Denver hitting .374 against the Griffon pitching staff.

"Missouri Western has a new coach and a lot of transfers, we expect them to be a formidable opponent. They are an older/veteran team with mostly juniors, seniors and transfers and playing them early will provide good competition," said head coach Neil Lerner. 

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
Following the MWSU series, Concordia will open NSIC play with one of two NSIC neutral site series, facing Minnesota Crookston for four games (three conference, one non-conference) at LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott, Kansas the weekend of February 20-22. 

The team then flies south to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in the Orlando area, playing six non-conference opponents sandwiched evenly around a four-game (three conference, one non-conference) series against new NSIC member Jamestown.

"We have a challenging non-conference schedule, and that's good – we want to be challenged!" Lerner continued. "We get a key conference opponent early in the year, Crookston has been consistently in the top-half of the NSIC and it's a key early-season matchup. We've battled them well the last few years including a split last year in an intense series. When we head to Florida, we'll face some good teams and get an NSIC series in against Jamestown. With our last game, we'll be at Rollins on their campus, a program that's typically in the top-25 in the country."

Lerner continued, "We'll see some good opponents there (Florida) and it's by design to get us to where we play NSIC games every weekend – we have experienced the level of baseball that we'll play against in the Northern Sun. We've been in Arizona the past few years, but we are excited to get some good competition and warm weather in Florida this year."

NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
For the second year in a row, Concordia enters the season looking to fill multiple holes vacated by graduation from the previous season. Last year, it was a number of position players in the starting lineup. This year, it's the pitching staff.

The Golden Bears had nine different pitchers start a game last year, six started at least two games and five started five or more games. 

Of Concordia's 50 games, 48 starts have left the program with Sam Cooper (5 app, 1 GS) and Christian Lindow (15 app, 1 GS) the only pitchers who started a game still on the roster. 

"When you lose a starting pitching staff we lost with guys like Korey (Dahlberg), (Gavin) Rusch, (Reese) Piontek, Fritz (Meyer) – guys who were in the rotation and brought stability, they will be missed. But we are excited about the group that we have. A lot of the guys we will see in the rotation are pitchers who transferred in, they have been in college baseball and figured out the mix of being a college baseball player and managing school and we hope that leads to a quick transition. The last few years, with our rotations, we knew what we'd be getting out of them and that is a gift and a blessing – to know that you'd get 5 innings and have a pitcher keep you in a game."

Lerner continued, "Pitching and defense wins games and we all know that, and we will need some of these guys, several from Division I programs last year, to step up, be leaders and solidify the staff. In an ideal world, having experience is great, but our team has new guys, new energy and a new feel to the team that is exciting. Coach Dahlke has done great individualizing plans for pitchers to be successful, and as much as we've done in preparing these guys in fall ball, in winter throwing and live at bats, you need to see what happens when you get out on the field."

"I'm excited to see them compete, see these guys out on the field, make adjustments and work with them as best as we can to give them a chance to be successful, pitch deep in games. And that was the nice thing about the past few years, we felt like we would get through 4-5 innings and now that is what we want to see some of these guys step into."

The pitching staff having a new look provides opportunities for players to step into prominent roles, which is something Lerner and the coaching staff have gone through already, having faced similar challenges with rebuilding the lineup for the 2025 season.

"You know, it has been fun, we have had senior-dominated teams the last few years but a new group is exciting. And what has been happening in our program over the past few years is veteran players like Kal (Brohmer), Thimmy (Nick Thimsen), (Brayden) Roybal and others have carried on a culture that was established, they continued it, and most importantly they have instilled it into the younger players who are now our veteran leaders who were mentored by them. We have a great culture in our program of players being inclusive, integrating the new players and I've been impressed with the connections the guys have made as a team. Usually there's bumps in the road, but I think it's been smooth."

The 2026 team has been infused with virtually half of its roster being newcomers: 11 freshmen and six transfers for 17 new faces among a 37-man roster with nearly a third of the players being new to college life as well as being new to the increased grind of being a college baseball player. 

"There is excitement with so many new faces, new personalities and backgrounds, but with that comes a learning curve that needs to happen. We will be patient, but a lot of teaching needs to happen. A focal point for us has been to get players 'game ready' because we will play some freshmen, and some transfers who didn't have a big opportunity to play in games will get that chance this year for us. And while we are patient as coaches, for the players' sake, we want to get them to the best version of their potential as soon as we can. It's been, it's been exciting and has been a different coaching step for me and my staff to get them up to speed and game right right away."

Despite one of the colder winters, specifically January, in Minnesota in recent history, the Golden Bears have been able to utilize their multiple facilities to prepare for the season. 

"We are fortunate to have a dome to practice in and an indoor facility like the pole barn to get game-ready in January. No one up here is outside at this time of the year, so we simulate as best we can to put them in spots that are game-like, try to get them comfortable playing at the speed of a game. We play simulated games in the dome, we do live at bats in our hitting facility. Nothing replaces getting between the white lines, but that's why we play these early (non-conference) games, get in a series against a Division II, regional opponent like MWSU, to get game-ready for NSIC play.

"We get team defensive work in, our hitters get live at bats against our pitching staff, we can stretch out our arms, we simulate speed for baserunning and game drills, our catchers build rapport with our pitchers and how games will be called – that's the goal, get all of these game situations simulated at high intensity so we are comfortable with each other in games. Our first few series are on turf, so the dome really helps prepare us for how the ball will bounce when we get outside."

Lerner concluded, "When you practice at high intensity and game speed, it should carry into the games. There's always nerves when you have an opponent, the intensity level ramps up when you play someone, but it's exciting as a coaching staff to simulate those things in practice as we prepare fo the season."

MEET THE TEAM: CATCHERS
The Golden Bears went into the 2025-26 academic year armed with one of the top returning defensive backstops in program history. But the departure of Trett Joles from the roster this winter prior to the team's official start to practice in January will allow a pair of returning backup catchers an opportunity to run with new roles heading into 2026.

While framing, managing the pitching staff and controlling the running game last year, Joles was also steady in the batter's box, hitting .312/.403/.500 (.903 OPS) with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.

"We were fortunate to have Trett last year, he's a bulldog back there, but due to injury he won't be back with us this season. We are bummed to lose Trett, but we have a couple guys who are ready to step in and I'm excited for them to have that opportunity."

Eli Nelson played in 15 games and earned nine starts last year, popping a pair of doubles, a home run and seven RBIs among his 33 at bats while Chase McQuade earned a start, played in eight games and got his first taste of live game action with 10 at bats.

"We expect the catcher position to be split between the two. Eli played a bit more last year and is a strong defensive player and a grinder-type of player who really works hard. Chase got to play a bit last year, too, and they'll be our main two guys and are both ready for it. The reason you have depth is so that when there is an opening, you have someone ready to take advantage of it."

The team also has two-way newcomer Davon Castro, a freshman switch-hitter and right handed pitcher from Cretin-Derham Hall. 

MEET THE TEAM: FIRST BASE
"We do have a lot of new guys on the team, but Chuck Harms is back and he was one of our best last year. He solidifies our team and lineup. He's a plus-plus defender, can drive the ball with power and hit gaps. He will be a middle-of-the-lineup guy and was our NSIC Player to Watch this preseason – he's a staple at first base."

In 2025, Charlie Harms hit .279 but managed at bats well while drawing 28 walks and compiling a .408 OBP. His ability to hit for extra bases helped him manage a .805 OPS, scoring 36 runs and driving in 31 more while walking more than he struck out. 

The position also includes Blake Eckmann, who had a couple of starts last season and had a double among his first seven career at bats. 

"Blake could see time there, too, and he's in the mix to DH. He played a little early in the season last year but got hurt and missed the rest of the season with an injury. His bat can bring power to the lineup."

New to the mix at first is Bennett Brathol, a two-way player from Hudson, Wisconsin, "Bennett is a true freshman who we have been impressed with both with his swing and his work on the mound. He's a two-way guy with pop in the bat and could see some time at DH."

MEET THE TEAM: MIDDLE INFIELD
After having veteran bats Koby McBroome and Bennett McCollow up the middle, the Golden Bears will turn to some new faces up the middle.

"Koby and Bennett were really staples for us the last few years and are big losses. They were solid players with good career. But we are excited about the young guys coming into the middle infield group, we have a redshirt sophomore, a redshirt freshman and two freshmen up the middle."

The returner with the most experience is Jack Setterlund who played in 27 games in a variety of roles as a reserve while also making six starts. With 33 at bats, Setterlund was able to draw more walks (7) than strikeouts (6) while scoring nine runs, driving in four and putting down a team-best five sacrifices. He was also 5-5 in stolen base attempts in his valuable role off the bench.

Also returning is Hawken Hedlund, who redshirted in his first year with the program in 2025.

"Setty got some time last year in the middle infield for us and will continue to push to play second base for us, and Hawken is a redshirt freshman who could see time at both middle infield spots, provide some depth because he can also be a factor at third base and in the outfield."

New to the squad this year are true freshmen Max Kaplan and Nick Carlson, "they'll get an opportunity to start at short. They were both Metro All-Stars, both All-Conference high school players. Carlson was an All-State and All-State Tournament Team player. We are looking for Nick and Max to jump in right away as freshmen, and Max could play at short or second."

The team also features true freshman Isaac Beseman, who is expected to take a redshirt season while recovering from an injury.

MEET THE TEAM: THIRD BASE
The corner infield has its returning starters back, as Will Husemann returns across the diamond from Harms. 

"Husemann will continue as our starting third baseman. He's been in our program, played a bit as a true freshman on our team that made the NSIC Tournament final four, he's a middle-of-the-lineup guy who can be a power bat. He has improved his defense to the point where we feel solid with him at the hot corner. The lineup is centered around guys like Will. He has stepped up as a leader, he has matured and hopefully continues that defensive improvement as his career builds."

In 2025, Husemann slugged .411 with six home runs among his 14 extra-base hits, scoring 32 runs and driving in 29. He also went 4-4 in stolen base tries. 

The team also features true freshman two-way player Nolan Swenson at third base, "he is a freshman who can help us at third base and on the mound. We're excited about his bat, he has power and could be a middle-of-the-order, lefty power guy in the future and we are excited that he gets to work with and learn behind Will, and we are excited to see his future growth."

MEET THE TEAM: OUTFIELD
While the team loses multi-year starting corner outfielder Noah Juliar, who led the team in hitting (.345), runs (39), RBIs (33), extra-base hits (19), doubles (14), they do return a pair of starting outfielders.

"Our outfield features two guys who had strong years in our conference last year who we expect to be starters: Eric Berg hit .300 as a freshman and that says a lot about a guy in the NSIC, look for him to be a top-of-the-order guy. He was infielder in high school and transitioned well to the outfield in college for us last year, and has grown to play some solid defense out there. He runs well and hits for some power."

"And Kaden Johnson was our starting centerfielder last year and will return to that role. He has huge potential to be an All-NSIC-type of player up the middle, he's one of our fastest runners, hits for power, drives the ball to the gaps, has a plus-arm and has great range in center field. Look for Kaden and Eric to bring their experience from last year and be focal point starters."

Berg hit .296 as a true freshman, playing in 45 of 50 games while starting 42. He produced 40 hits with 10 doubles and two home runs, adding 28 runs and 22 RBIs with an .800 OPS. Johnson had 15 extra-base hits with nine doubles and six home runs while leading the team with 10 stolen bases without being caught. He scored 25 runs and drove in 29.

The third spot in the outfield includes multiple options as the team has depth in the outfield. 

"Landon Behringer is one of our few seniors on the roster and is a plus-plus runner, has worked hard to improve his hitting and could continue to push for outfield playing time."

Joining Behringer in the competition for outfield action are freshmen Gus Berger, Tate Gage and Luke Lehnen.

"We're excited about Gus Berger, a true freshman from Minnetonka where he was an All-Conference player, played in the state championship and keeps making a case to be the starting left fielder. He's hard to strike out, our pitchers describe him as a 'tough AB' and he battles like crazy at the dish."

"Tage Gage is one of our three Eagan players where he played for Coach (Steve) Butler, and Luke Lehnen is a freshman from Wisconsin – these guys can push for playing time."

The outfield mix also features flexibility from players such as Hawken Hedlund among others who help the team with in-game versatility.

MEET THE TEAM: DESIGNATED HITTER
With competition at multiple positions combined with freshmen vying for their first taste of college game action, Coach Lerner views the DH position as an opportunity to utilize the team's depth and versatility.

"I don't see a set-guy right now to be the true favorite. Some guys at positions we think could play this spot based on how others are doing include Blake Eckmann, Chase McQuade if he's not catching, Nolan Swenson, Bennett Brathol, Max Kaplan, to name a few. It could be a bit of a rotation based on who is swinging a hot bat, who is playing well defensively at a certain position. We feel good about our depth which gives guys an opportunity to help in the lineup."

LINEUP MUSINGS
Until Lerner and the coaching staff pen the opening day lineup, Lerner has some ideas on where various bats will factor into the mix. 

"Berg will be a top-of-lineup guy. Middle-order/RBI spots include guys like Kaden, Harms and Husemann. Then we look to take some pressure off of new guys like the middle infielders, Berger, put them in spots to get on base early in their career and start to get their confidence up."

MEET THE TEAM: STARTING PITCHING
With only two out of 50 games started returning from the 2025 team, the Golden Bears will have a completely overhauled starting rotation in the 2026 season.

"When you have a new staff like we do, we are feeling different about the rotation than in past years when we knew our top 3-4 guys by this point. Guys who start the opening series this year could change throughout the year based on how we perform as we get games under our belt."

The Golden Bears hauled in a major transfer recruit with the addition of former Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year Sam Kennedy, who produced a 2-0 record with a 2.45 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings at the University of Minnesota in 2024. 

"Sam will be a starter for us, he was successful at Minnesota and we believe he can be successful in the NSIC. He was hurt last year and hasn't pitched live in a while, we want to build him back up into a weekend starter. He has a plus fastball, a plus breaking ball and is working on his third and fourth pitches, as well. His top two pitches are really good and he can anchor a staff."

A high leverage and long reliever last year, Ollie Yuhas appears poised to earn a shot at the starting rotation in 2026. Last year, the left-hander had a sub-1.00 WHIP (0.88) and a .184 opponent batting average in 11.1 innings in six appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 1-0 record and a 3.97 ERA.

"Ollie was a reliever last year including some high-leverage work and is a guy who could move into a rotation spot, but wherever he is used it will be a big role. He has experience and competes hard. He doesn't overpower with velocity but he mixes three pitches, keeps hitters off balance and we feel he can pitch 5-6 innings if we need it," said Lerner. 

Like Kennedy, a few transfers will also be in the mix for starting roles on the staff including left-handed Valparaiso transfer Jack Thompson, right-handed South Dakota State transfer Tyus Smith and left-handed Charlotte transfer Daniel Musgjerd. 

"We got Jack from Valpo and he's a guy we saw in high school when we were recruiting Liam Bystol at Rosemount. His sister Ava plays on our basketball team so there are some additional ties to that relationship. Jack is a competitor, and while he doesn't have a hard fastball, he is able to pitch backwards, get ahead in counts and keep hitters off balance."

"We picked up Tyus from SDSU, and while he didn't get a big role with the Jackrabbits, we expect him to have a role with our staff and I'm excited to see him take advantage of his opportunity here. Musgjerd was in line to be a member of our starting staff, but might miss some time with an injury but we expect him to get himself back into the mix as the season goes on."

There are also freshmen looking to break into the starting rotation mix including lefty Evan Newlander and redshirt freshman Lou Walker, a lefty from Minneapolis Southwest High School.

"Evan was an All-State high school pitcher from White Bear Lake and is a lefty with a funky delivery who has been a tough at bat for our hitters. Walker redshirt last year, he's grown, gained velocity and can push for a starting role, as well."

MEET THE TEAM: BULLPEN
Concordia's top-two returners in terms of innings pitched from last year's team are expected to be high-leverage, high-usage relief pitchers again in 2026 with Liam Bystol and Christian Lindow combining for 30 appearances (15 each) and both topping 20-innings.

"Liam and Christian were two guys who provided significant innings for us last year and we see that again this year. They are strike-throwers, they compete, have pitched in high-leverage before and I could see them being the first two guys out of the bullpen. We like that they can calm a game if things aren't going great, or come in for big spots and get outs. Lindow is our innings leader returning from last year (23.1) and Liam wasn't far behind (21.2). Those two are arms to give us significant innings out of the bullpen."

With more than a strikeout per inning last year, right hander Caden Carsen will look to make an impact in high-leverage work. In the fall, his arm had more opportunity to rest as he used his leg to join the football team and was one of the top punters in the NSIC with a 40.3 average with excellent directional kicking. 

The Golden Bears will look to Carsen to replicate his kicking distance in his fastball velocity, and hope that his ability to command his pitches will be similar to his directional kicking. Last year, Carsen had 14 strikeouts in 13.0 innings and a 14-6 strikeout-walk ratio in 11 relief appearances. 

"Caden will be a high leverage arm for us, he grew into a good role last year and settled games down, and entering this year has gained velo."

The back-end of the bullpen will be bolstered with the addition of transfers Cole Newell from Purdue Fort Wayne and Justin Benjamin from Iowa Central Community College. 

"Cole is a guy who has pitched in Division I baseball and been successful and we can see him in a late-inning, high-leverage role. He's a strike-thrower with good stuff and a couple of plus pitches. Justin helped his Iowa Central team to the World Series and has been good in that role in big spots before, we see the same here. He has a hard slider and is a guy who is proven in big situations."

The bullpen will be rounded out with a mix of returners Sam Cooper and Jake McNeil, freshman Riley Wuebkers and two-way players Davon Castro, Bennett Brathol and Nolan Swenson. 

"Riley is a freshmen who could get some work out of the bullpen for us, our two-way guys Davon, Bennett and Nolan could add some innings and Sam and Jake are returners from last year who we could see helping the bullpen again this year."

The team will also get stronger as the year goes on, with injured pitchers Musgjerd, Cooper Mollett, Jack Nicklaus and Miles Jensen all working hard to get back on the mound to help the team. 

"We have a younger staff in terms of eligibility, but a lot of guys who have been around college baseball. We have a lot of transfers who have been around the game and we hope that they excel in new roles together as a staff. Graduation gives players opportunities and that's what guys want and we want them to take advantage, step into the roles and flourish."