(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia baseball is about to embark on their 2023 campaign. The Cardinals won the second NCCAA World Series title in program history last year, finishing 41-21 overall. CUAA brings back 34 returners to mix with 17 talented newcomers. Head coach Zach Johnston enters his 9th season at the helm of the program.
2022 Season Review
Concordia finished 41-21 overall with a 13-9 WHAC record last season. The team received the #6 seed in the WHAC tournament but fell to Indiana Tech and UNOH. The Cardinals bounced back with an NCCAA Regional win over Grace Christian and earned the #2 seed in the World Series. CUAA went on to down Fort Lauderdale 13-3 in the final to claim the second NCCAA World Series in program history.
2023 Schedule Outlook
The Cardinals will start their season February 10-11 with a 3-game series against Johnson. A 4-game series against Shawnee State and a 3-game slate against Marian rounds out the month.
The team plays series against Asbury and IUPUC to start March. WHAC play starts with a doubleheader at Cleary on March 18. The Cardinals' home opener will be March 19 against Aquinas. The team will stay at home March 25-26 to host rival Siena Heights and finish the month.
The next month sees the homestand continue with doubleheaders against Lourdes April 1-2. The Cardinals will travel to NCAA Central Michigan on April 5 for a game. After traveling to UNOH for a doubleheader, the team will host rival Madonna and Cornerstone for series. CUAA travels to Rochester and then hosts Indiana Tech and Grace Christian. The busy months concludes with series away at UM-Dearborn, Cornerstone, and Lawrence Tech.
On May 2, the Cardinals will play at Eastern Michigan to conclude the regular season.
Concordia Personnel
Graduate student Tyson Kleinfelter had 68.1 innings pitched last year with 82 strikeouts. Graduate student Billy Blair will also look to take the mound again this season as a former NCCAA World Series MVP.
Senior James (Jimmy) Wressel comes back after hitting 7 home runs and batting .377. Senior Jarrett Batanian returns after notching 46 RBI including 9 home runs. Senior Jordan Sherman comes back after making 43 RBI and 8 home runs. Senior Timothy Pomaville pitched 72.1 innings with 68 strikeouts. Senior Aaron (AJ) Brazelton had 54 hits with a .344 average. Senior Logan Fleming pitched 33 innings with 31 strikeouts. Senior Johnny Shields made 15 hits. Senior Caleb Harmond had 5 hits.
Junior Mackenzie Martin pitched 36.1 innings with 18 strikeouts. Junior Jake Ryan made 4 hits. Junior Jake Moyer had 2 RBI.
Sophomore Aaron West had 7 home runs and a .369 batting average. Sophomore Kyle Hebner hit 7 home runs with a .337 average. Sophomore Justin Kozlowski had 29 RBI and a .301 average. Sophomore Kenneth (Dave) Rozmys pitched 30.1 innings with 38 strikeouts. Sophomore Bryon Mane pitched 13.2 innings with 13 strikeouts. Sophomore Ryan Kotecki had 18 hits and 5 RBI. Sophomore Blake Weaver notched 7 hits. Sophomore Curtis Townsend recorded 6 hits. They also return Andre Hutchins, Ben Steele, Brad Oltersdorf, Derek Hebner, Evan Jasiak, Jack Geraghty, Jack Vrba, John Markiewicz, Riley O'Connell, Ryan Dixon, Ryan Patterson, and Zach Brickner to the team after being a part of the NCCAA World Series winning squad last year.
The Cardinals have added 17 newcomers this year: foreign transfers Taisei Yamada and Taishin Matsushita, juniors Drew Fleming and Drew Murphy, sophomores Harrison Ryan and Tyler Wressel, and freshmen Aidan Buchberger, Amari (Bobby) Morgan, Ben Cruz, Ethan Orlowski, Garret Williams, Kolton Horn, Kyle Winslow, Marcus Bugeja, Owen Johnson, Ryan Taylor, and Trey Acker.
Head coach Zach Johnston is joined by:
Assistant coaches: Steve Dennison, Tom Johnston, Gabe Farr, and Matt Hunt
Student assistants: Brendan Gossman, Caden Flanery
Team managers: Alec Escandon and Carter Richardson
2022 Stats
