Photo courtesy Concordia University

SEWARD, Neb. — In just five seasons, Ryan Dupic has turned Concordia University into a baseball school.

Dupic, a graduate of Emmetsburg, is the head coach of the Bulldogs, who are coming off the school’s second appearance in the NAIA National Championship.

In 2017, Dupic led Concordia to the first berth, with both teams winning regular season Great Plains Athletic Conference titles and one win at nationals each year as well.

“It has been a great year of shared experiences between our players, families, and coaches,” Dupic said. “We have a terrific group of players and families that have made this an especially memorable season.

“The relationships on the team are very strong and the players have done a terrific job of having a shared mission throughout the season.”

Dupic, who picked up his second GPAC coach of the year award this season, has won 146 games over the past five seasons. That includes a 33 this past year and a school-record 23 conference triumphs.

Concordia broke six team records and four more individual marks this year including for longest win streak at 15 and most home runs in one game at seven.

“I’m thankful the players received so many postseason awards,” Dupic said. “They’ve worked very hard and certainly accomplished a lot, so it’s great to see them receive the postseason recognition. All of the awards are a byproduct of the team’s success, so each person’s recognition is the team’s recognition.”

Christian Meza was named the conference player of the year and five others earned first team honors.

Dupic’s five-year run marks the winningest period at Concordia, which has in turn given him the ability to grow as a coach. His first season, which ended at 26-18, was the school’s first winning record since 1979,

“Concordia has been a good fit because the institution’s values mesh well with mine: service to students, strong faith and a commitment to excellence both academically and athletically,” he said. “There are people within the institution like the president and athletic administration that stand firm in those values; that support is very valuable for me as I try to do my job.

“Additionally, those values attract some terrific young men that allow me to be in contact with great student-athletes and families.”

Dupic would go on to play at both the University of Iowa and Buena Vista University following his career at Emmetsburg. He earned academic all-Big Ten status twice and was a first team all-conference pick for the Beavers two times.

Since moving to the coaching ranks, he has seen a shift in the recruitment process with time passing.

“When I first started coaching in 2007, conversations with student-athletes could be a pretty straight line from A-to-B,” Dupic said. “People seemed to handle more direct communication much better. I don’t believe that’s the case as frequently in 2019. Though I haven’t strayed too far from that, I think there is definitely a difference in communication styles necessary; it’s challenged me to be much more patient and to try to find different ways to get the same message across to players, recruits, and families.”

RYAN DUPIC PROFILE

Coaching record at Concordia

2015: 26-18 overall, 8-12 in GPAC

2016: 28-27 overall, 11-9 in GPAC

2017: 34-22 overall, 19-9 in GPAC

2018: 25-22 overall, 13-13 in GPAC

2019: 33-20 overall, 23-5 in GPAC

Totals: 146-109 overall, 74-48 in GPAC