Quinn leads Bulldog baseball team to a decisive doubleheader sweep against Dakota Wesleyan
Senior third baseman Jaidan Quinn (18) prepares to take his pitch (photo from previous game).
Photo credit: Cohen Carpenter
By Cohen Carpenter
Bulldog phenom, senior third baseman Jaidan Quinn smashed four home runs and drove in nine runs, leading No. 15 Concordia University, Nebraska, to a commanding doubleheader sweep over Dakota Wesleyan, 19-6 and 22-4, in some of the last regular season baseball action of the year, Friday, April 25 at Drake Field.
The games, originally scheduled for Plum Creek Park., were moved to Mitchell, S.D. due to dreary weather in Seward but the change did little to slow the Bulldogs’ offensive onslaught.
In the opener, Concordia (35-9, 23-3 Great Plains Athletic Conference) racked up 15 hits, including five home runs. As one might expect in a 19-run game – the stellar offensive performances were frequent and potent: Quinn went 2-3 with two homers, four RBIs and three walks, while sophomore first baseman Matt Rhoades was 3-4 with a homer and four RBIs. Junior left fielder Jaeden Jordahl went 2-2 with a homer and three RBIs, freshman Cade Vanis was 3-5 with two RBIs and last but not least, senior and DH extraordinaire Brad Hallock went 2-4, with an RBI.
While the sticks were obviously talking, the plate discipline was just as impressive. The Bulldogs drew 10 walks and capitalized on three Dakota Wesleyan errors. The Tigers (12-33, 11-15 GPAC) mounted a six-run fifth inning, sparked by Dexter Payne’s two-run single, but could not close the gap. Graduate student pitcher Alex Johnson earned the win, allowing four earned runs over 4.1 innings with six strikeouts, marking his seventh win of the season.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second game, exploding for 22 runs on 13 hits, including six homers, in a five-inning mercy-rule rout. Quinn went 2-2 with a solo homer and a three-run shot, driving in five runs. Hallock was 1-2 with a three-run homer and four RBIs, and Rhoades added a two-run homer.
Concordia drew nine walks, was hit by three pitches and stole three bases, with junior pinch runner Zack Day scoring four runs on his lonesome and adding to his program stolen base lead, swiping a bag in the day’s second contest. Twelve players recorded hits, and nine drew walks. Braxton Greenburg (6-0) got the start for the Bulldogs where he struck out 11 over five innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
Through the first two games of the series, Quinn led the way, going 4-5 with seven runs, four homers, nine RBIs, three walks and a hit-by-pitch across both games. Rhoades was 5-8 with five runs, two homers and six RBIs, while Hallock went 3-6 with five runs, two homers, six RBIs and three walks. Junior outfielder Bronx Lewis hit two triples, and senior second baseman and leadoff hitter Ty Nekoliczak reached base five times. Concordia’s 28 hits and 19 walks overwhelmed Dakota Wesleyan’s pitching staff, which also committed five errors as a defense.
Concordia has clinched the GPAC regular season title and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Tournament berth. Their 23 conference wins tie a program record, one shy of the GPAC’s single-season mark of 24, set by Doane in 2022. Quinn, an All-American from Bonner Springs, Kan., has a program-high 95 career home runs, good for second all-time in NAIA baseball history. Dakota Wesleyan, despite the losses, secured a GPAC Tournament berth, set to begin May 1.
Concordia will be gunning for the series sweep over Dakota Wesleyan, Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Drake Field at noon. Beyond that, the Bulldogs will have their eyes set on the aforementioned GPAC tournament for the final frame of the academic year.
