Recent News and Events:
5/29  Derek Dormanen Earns All-Region Honors. 

Derek Dormanen So. Menahga, Minn. Named to the 2001 NCAA Midwest All-Region Baseball Team.

Sophomore Derek Dormanen(Menahga, Minn.) was named to the NCAA All-Midwest Region team. Dormanen was named to the third team as a utility player, due to his sharing time at both the pitcher and shortstop positions. The honor caps a breakout season for Dormanen who, last week, was also named to the MIAC All-Conference team. The Cobbers finished fourth in the MIAC and competed at the MIAC tournament for the first time in school history.

Dormanen led the conference in hitting with a .500 average and was among the league leaders in hits and runs scored. He is only the second player in school history to lead the league in batting. The other player, Chris Coste, is now playing for the Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate. He also led the Cobbers in hitting for the season, finishing the year with a .440 average in 25 season games. He also led the team in on-base percentage (.517), and was second on the team in hits with 33. As a pitcher Dormanen was among the league leaders in innings pitched and wins. He finished the year with a 3-3 record and a 3.59 ERA.

5/23 Three Concordia Players Earn MIAC Posteseason Honors.
        | Complete Details and 2001 All-Conference Team |

Three Concordia players were named to the 2001 MIAC All-Conference team. Shortstop/pitcher Derek Dormanen(So., Menahga, Minn.), firstbaseman Chad Felstul (Jr., Morris, Minn.) and designated hitter/outfielder Jesse Rostad (Sr., Barnesville, Minn.) each received the award for the first time in their careers. The Cobbers finished fourth in the MIAC and competed at the MIAC tournament for the first time in school history.

Dormanen led the conference in hitting with a .500 average and was among the league leaders in hits and runs scored. He is only the second player in school history to lead the league in batting. The other player, Chris Coste, is now playing for the Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate. He also led the Cobbers in hitting for the season, finishing the year with a .440 average in 25 season games. He also led the team in on-base percentage (.517), and was second on the team in hits with 33. As a pitcher Dormanen was among the league leaders in innings pitched and wins. He finished the year with a 3-3 record and a 3.59 ERA.

Felstul finished second on the team in hitting with a .375 average, and ninth in the MIAC with a .412 league average. He led the team in hits (36), RBI's (20) and total bases (60). He finished fifth in the league in hits (28) and fourth in the league in home runs with four. He only committed two errors in 220 chances at first base, and his fielding percentage of .991 set a school record for fielding percentage in a season by an infielder.

Rostad finished his four-year career by leading the Cobbers in home runs with six. He was third in the league in that category, and was also among the league leaders in hits (26). He also led the team in at-bats, was third in batting average (.340) and was second in slugging percentage with a .588 mark.

5/12 Concordia Eliminated From MIAC Playoffs by St. Olaf 8-3.
        | Box Score | 
Concordia dropped their second game of the MIAC Playoffs 8-3 to St. Olaf and were ousted from their first trip to the league championships. The Cobbers broke on top in the bottom of the second scoring a single run on two hits, but proceeded to give up three runs in the top of the third. The Oles never trailed after the third, and continued to hit Concordia pitching, totaling 8 runs and 14 hits. Concordia finished with three runs on nine hits. Cobber starter Derek Dormanen (So., Menahga, Minn.) took the loss, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. He helped his cause at bat by going 2-for-5 with two RBI's. Senior catcher Isaac Hjermstad (Sr., Park Rapids, Minn.) hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning and finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

5/11 Concordia Loses to St. Thomas 13-3 in 2nd Game of MIAC Playoffs.
        | Box Score |

5/11 Concordia Upsets St. Olaf 6-4 in 1st Round of MIAC Playoffs.
        | Box Score |
Concordia received a tremendous pitching effort from junior Justin Berg (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.) to upset top seeded St. Olaf 6-4 in the first round of the MIAC playoffs. Berg threw 6.2 innings and limited the league's top offense to 2 earned runs. The Cobbers scored five runs in the eighth inning to overcome a two-run deficit and put the two-time MIAC champions against the wall. The big blows in the inning came via two two-run homers by Chad Felstul (Jr., Morris, Minn.) and Jeremy Morgenroth.

St. Olaf broke on top in the third inning when they scored three runs on four hits. Cobber starter Travis Anderson (Fargo, N.D.) pitched the first two innings and retired the first batter in third inning. After a walk to two-time MIAC MVP Brian Sprout, Anderson was lifted in favor of Berg. Berg allowed the next four Ole hitters to reach base and the score was 3-0.

The game stayed at 3-0 until the fifth inning when Ryan Hebrink (Fr., Sacred Heart, Minn.) walked, took third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a ground ball by catcher Isaac Hjermstad (Sr., Park Rapids, Minn.). St. Olaf starting pitcher Erik Goodmanson allowed only three hits in the first seven innings.

In the top of the eighth Concordia  scratched one run before setting the table for Felstul. With Derek Dormanen (So., Menahga, Minn.) on third Felstul laced a shot to dead center field that landed over the 10-foot fence. Matt Nustad followed the homerun with a single to center and Morgenroth blasted a shot to the left center alley.

Berg was left in to finish the last two innings. He retired the Oles in order in the eighth and then allowed an unearned run in the ninth to pick up his first win of the season. He received a "highlight reel" game-ending play from secondbaseman Tim Miller (Jr., Bloomington, Minn.). Miller barehanded a ground ball that was behind him to start the final double play.

Concordia will now advance to the winners bracket in the tournament and will face the winner of the St. Thomas/St. Mary's game tonight at 7:00.
 

5/08 Concordia to Play St. Olaf in Opening Round of MIAC Playoffs.
Concordia will play league champion St. Olaf in the first round of the MIAC playoffs on Friday, May 11th at 3:30 at Dundas Park in Northfield, Minn. The tournament is a double elimination format with all games being nine innings.
        | Complete MIAC Playoff Schedule | Directions to Dundas Park |

5/07 Concordia Sweeps Into Playoffs With Two Wins Over Carleton.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

5/05 Concordia Loses Key Doubleheader to St. Olaf 6-1, 6-2.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/30 Concordia is Outscored by NDSU 12-6.
        | Box Score |

4/28 Concordia Stumbles Twice Against Macalester 7-6, 16-3.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/27 Concordia Leads the Nation in Fielding Percentage.
Concordia's defense leads the nation in fielding percentage, according to the latest NCAA Division III statistical report which takes into account games played until April 22nd. The Cobbers had a team fielding percentage of .978 through the first 13 games of the season. They had only committed nine errors in 410 chances. The Concordia school record for fielding percentage in a season is held by the Cobber squad of 1996 when they finished the year with a .949 mark. However, fielding percentages have only been recorded since the 1990 season. Concordia also leads the MIAC in fielding with a .974 percentage. 

4/26 Concordia Doubles Up Bethel 9-7, 7-2.
       | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/25 Concordia Sweeps Sun-Filled Series Over Hamline 8-4, 3-2.
       | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/22 Concordia Doubleheader With Hamline Has Been Postponed to 4/25.
Concordia's doubleheader scheduled for Sunday, April 22nd at 2:00 in Moorhead has been postponed due to poor playing conditions. The series will be made up on Tuesday, April 25th at 2:30 at Concordia. 

4/21 Concordia Loses Twice to Gustavus in the Late Innings 5-4,7-6.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/20 The Concordian, Weather warms, so do Cobbers.
        by Eric Morrow, The Concordian

4/18 Concordia Hammers Out a Sweep Over Augsburg 6-3 (8 inn.), 14-2.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/18 Concordia Doubleheader with Augsburg Has Been Moved to St. Cloud.
Concordia's doubleheader with Augsburg has been moved to Dick Putz field in St. Cloud, MN. The start of the two-game series will remain at 2:30. 

4/17 Bryan Marudas Named MIAC Pitcher of the Week.
Concordia sophomore pitch Bryan Marudas (Hinckley, Minn.) has been named the MIAC Pitcher of the Week. Marudas, in his only outing of the week, threw a two-hit shutout against St. John's in Concordia's 2-0 victory over the Johnnies. He struck out nine and did not walk a batter. Marudas did not allow a runner past first base and faced 24 batters, three over the minimum. His pitch control was made even more impressive by the adverse weather conditions -- the game was delayed for 15 minutes due to a slight rain, and the temperature at game time hovered around  40 degrees.

4/16 Concordia Doubleheader With Valley City Postponed Until April 24th.

4/14 Cobbers Lose 1st Game to St. Mary's 5-1, Rally to Win 7-5 in Game 2.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | 

4/13 Concordia Sweeps St. John's 2-0, 8-1 in a Cold, Blustery Doubleheader.
        | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/9 Concordia Splits With Top Ranked St. Thomas.
Wins first game 8-2, drops nightcap 11-2. 
       | Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score |

4/6 Concordia's Games With UW-Superior Have Been Canceled.

4/6 The Concordian, Baseballâs longest rain delay
      by Joe Albert, The Concordian 

3/24-25 Concordia Washed Out of Nebraska. 
             Cobbers rained out of all games in the Midland Tournament.

3/23 Concordia's Games at Midland Tourney Have Been Rained Out.
        Cobbers will play a doubleheader at Peru (NE)  tomorrow at 1:00 pm. 
        Cobbers will play a doubleheader at Midland (NE) Sunday at 12:00 noon.

3/23 The Concordian, Spring brings Îboys of summerâ
        by Laura Walters, The Concordian 

3/12 Concordia's Games at U. of Dallas Tourney Have Been Rained Out.

3/11 Concordia's Game with the University of Dallas Has Been Rained Out.

3/10 Cobbers Need 8 Innings to Beat MacMurray 1-0 for First Win

3/09 Concordia Drops Pair on Opening Day of the Season.
       Cobbers Lose Thriller to Concordia, IL 1-0 in 9 Innings.
       Cobbers Lose Offensive Showcase 12-7 to MacMurray, IL.

3/06 Concordia Baseball 2001 Preview. 

Season Outlook and Notes:

Doug Muzik Sr. Detroit Lakes, MN Team leader in wins in 2000, held opponents to a .265 average over seven games.

Matt Nustad Sr. Detroit Lakes, MN Will lead the Cobber offense in 2001. He finished second on the team in hitting in 2000 with a .383 average.

The 2001 Concordia baseball team will have a familiar look about it, with one major exception. Last year the Cobbers won four out of their last six games, including an impressive split with national runner-up St. Thomas, and missed the inaugural MIAC Tournament by only two games.

The good news for head coach Bucky Burgau is that the entire pitching staff, and four of the top five hitters are back for the 2001 campaign. The bad news is that the team's leading offensive threat and team leader in every offensive category was lost to graduation. Clayton Horgen (Fergus Falls, MN) was a two-time All-Region and All-MIAC performer who led the team in hits, home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and was an anchor for the defense at his first base position.

Burgau will enter his 22nd year as the Cobbers' manager with a deep pitching staff that is completely intact from last year. This stability should help the team improve on their 10-10 record in the league last year and their overall record of 16-17. The 10-10 mark was the 18th time in Burgau's first 21 seasons that the Cobbers have finished at or above the .500 plateau in league play. In that time the Cobbers have only finished below sixth place in the league one time.

Doug Muzik (Sr., Detroit Lakes, MN) and Derek Dormanen (So., Menahga, MN) will be the keys to the starting rotation this season. They were the top starters from a year ago and will benefit from a year of experience. Muzik led the team in wins and he held opponents to a .265 average last season. Dormanen was the team's strikout leader last year, striking out 29 in just 37 innings of work. The pitching staff will rely on Justin Berg (Jr., Moorhead, MN) to solidify the bullpen. Berg was the team's stopper last year, appearing in a team-high 17 games and saving four games. 

The offense will feature a trio of players that had solid seasons last year. Matt Nustad (Sr., Detroit Lakes, MN), Chad Felstul (Jr., Morris, MN) and Jesse Rostad (Sr., Barnesville, MN) finished second through fourth in batting average last year, and all will be back for the 2001 season. Nustad, the Cobbers thirdbaseman batted .383 from the third spot in the batting order and was in the top three in all offensive categories. He will be called on to supply the power for this year's team as he finished second in HR's  and RBI's last year. Felstul, the team's designated hitter, batted .375 last year and led the team in at-bats from the fifth spot in the order. He will be switched to first base, replacing Horgen in the field. Rostad will assume the designated hitter position and will benefit from a constant spot in the offensive lineup. Last season he shared duties at second base and was still able to finish in the top five on the team in hits, with only a limited number of plate appearances. 

Other key players offensively will be Raleigh Schmidt (Jr., Tracy, MN) who led the team in triples and was third in homeruns. He will also be counted on to add speed to the lineup. Schmidt finished second on the team in stolen bases a year ago and was not thrown out all season long. A.J. Bunkowske (So., Vergas, MN) will be shifted to a permanent spot in the outfield and will be looking to continue his late-season hot streak that propelled him to finish second on the team in slugging percentage and third in on-base percentage. 

Concordia will start the season on the road at two tough tournaments. They open play on March 9th at the Eason Shootout in Dallas, TX, and then they travel to Midland, NE to take part in the Midland Snowblower Classic on March 23rd. The Cobbers will play UW-Superior and UM-Morris before they open the MIAC season on April 4th with a two-game series at home against Carleton. Concordia's early MIAC schedule has a home field edge, as they will play three of their first four conference series at home. 

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