ST. PAUL, Minn. - This week, Concordia-St. Paul will host an unexpected midweek doubleheader as the Golden Bears (12-20, 7-13 NSIC) reversed sites with Minnesota Duluth (9-23, 7-13 NSIC) for a noon start at Barnes Field on Thursday. This weekend, CSP will hit the road to face Minot State (13-17, 8-12 NSIC) at Corbett Field in Minot, North Dakota for a three-game weekend series on Saturday (DH) and Sunday (9). 

WEATHER OUTLOOK
On Thursday in St. Paul, the first pitch at noon is forecast for a 43 degree temperature, partly cloudy conditions and a 9mph WNW wind blowing in from the left field corner. Temperatures will increase to a high of 48 with stability through 6 p.m. including a calm WNW wind throughout the day. 

For the weekend series in Minot, the two days feature similar forecasts with a high of 64 on Saturday and 63 on Sunday. Saturday shows a partly cloudy condition with a SSE 16mph wind ranging between 10-20mph. On Sunday, the day will warm from a low of 32 with mostly cloudy conditions, a NE 12mph wind ranging from 10-15 and a 24 percent chance of rain that increases on to 71 percent on Sunday night. 

SERIES HISTORY: CSP 34, UMD 32
The Golden Bears and Bulldogs have met 66 times since CSP joined the NSIC and NCAA Division II level in the 2000 baseball season. UMD welcomed CSP to the league by winning seven of the first eight contests between the schools in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Concordia then posted a 13-5 record in the next 18 games from 2003 to 2009. 

In the recent history, it's been all Concordia as the Golden Bears have won 14 of the last 18 games between the programs dating back to 2019 with head coach Neil Lerner holding a 10-4 record against the Bulldogs since taking over the program in 2021. Concordia is 7-9 all-time at Barnes Field against UMD and 13-8 against the Bulldogs at neutral site locations. 

In the last meeting between the clubs, UMD topped CSP 8-2 and 27-22 in a Barnes Field doubleheader in late April. 

SERIES HISTORY: CSP 16, MINOT 14
The Golden Bears and Beavers have met 30 times since Minot State joined the NSIC with the first meeting at the DII level coming in 2014 as CSP won the first four games with doubleheader sweeps in 2014 and 2015. Minot State returned the favor with four-straight wins in 2017, setting the tone for an evenly matched series between the programs.

Concordia has won three of the last five and is 6-3 in the last nine contests dating back to 2023. The teams split a four-game series in Tucson last year, with Minot State winning the first two before CSP swept the final day.

Concordia is 3-1 on the road at Minot State, last making the longest road trip the team faces in the NSIC in the 2021 season. Concordia is 8-7 against the Beavers under head coach Neil Lerner.

MILESTONE WATCH
With seven combined triples, junior Kaden Johnson's four triples are tied for the fourth-most in a season in CSP history. He is one shy of a second-place tie between Bryan Lippincott (2010) and Noah Juliar (2024) and two shy of Eric Schutte's school-record six triples in 1998. Freshman Gus Berger has hit three triples.

The speedy center fielder Johnson is also climbing the charts in single-season stolen bases with 12, tied for 11th. He's just one shy of a tie for eighth place, but from there the gap widens, as it will take four more to reach Dan Beech with 16 steals in 1994 in seventh place, a four-player tie with 17 steals in third, reaching 19 stolen bases for second before the all-time record holder Eric Schutte's 30 stolen bases in 1998. In his career, Johnson has swiped 22 bases in 24 attempts and ranks 13th in career stolen bases, just one shy of the top-10.

Freshman Nick Carlson has drawn 28 walks in CSP's first 32 games, currently tied for 13th on the single-season list. He's 14 walks shy of Jon Stockton's 2009 record of 42 walks in a season, with a number of former Comets and Golden Bears to pass along the way.

Sophomore Eric Berg has been hogging all of athletic trainer Joe Hoffer's ice with 11 hit by pitch, currently ranking 12th. He's only three HBP away from a five-way tie for second, with 14 HBP last achieved by Trett Joles in 2025 and first recorded by Dave Johnson in 1995. To reach the record holder, Berg will need to add to his collection of armor as Chris Duda holds the record for most HBP in a season with 21 set in 2005. Berg has been hit 21 times in his season and a half, which ranks ninth in career history, nearly halfway to Dave Johnson's career record total of 43 for the Comets from 1995-98.

On the mound, with a 20 inning requirement to be eligible, freshman Evan Newlander is fifth in most strikeouts per 9-innings with 11.81 in his 21.1 innings of work to start his career. The record holder, Jake Schmidt, actually led the nation with 13.43 strikeouts per 9 in 2009 in his 69.0 innings of work, while also serving as CSP's leadoff hitter whether he was pitching or playing in the field. CSP's top-19 pitchers in terms of strikeouts per 9 all struck out at least 10.10 batters per 9 innings.

In relief, Justin Benjamin has saved four games for the Golden Bears, cracking the top-10 in a seven-player tie for ninth. He's one save away from a tie for third with five saves last achieved last season by Jack Greenlun, and he's three saves away from the co-record holders Riley Sweeney in 2018 and Nick Anderson in 2010 with seven.

Off to a strong start to his career, freshman left fielder Gus Berger has reached the minimum 100 AB required to qualify for the career leaderboards where he ranks fifth with a .713 slugging percentage while his .467 OBP ranks 10th. 

IN THE RANKINGS
Team
2nd - doubles, 63
2nd - triples, 11 (38th)
2nd - base on balls, 165
4th - double plays, 21
6th - runs, 220

Individual
1st - Kaden Johnson, 4 triples (20th)
2nd - Gus Berger, 41 RBIs
2nd - Justin Benjamin, 4 saves (32nd)
3rd - Eric Berg, 11 HBP
4th - Nick Carlson, 28 walks (0.97/game, 28th)
4th - Gus Berger & Charlie Harms, 12 doubles
5th - Gus Berger, 77 total bases
5th - Gus Berger, 3 triples
6th - Gus Berger & Charlie Harms, 24 walks
6th - Eli Nelson, 4 sacrifice bunts
7th - Gus Berger, .713 slugging percentage
7th - Kaden Johnson, 36 runs
9th - Gus Berger, 7 home runs
9th - Kaden Johnson, 12 stolen bases