A High-Octane Match-Up In The Playoff Opener

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/11/23)—No.3 seed Concordia will face No.2 seed St. John's at Becker Park on the campus of St. John's on Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. In a rematch of an offensive explosion in the regular season that saw the two teams combine for 37 runs and 45 hits. The Cobbers are making their third straight MIAC playoff appearance and second consecutive trip to the 4-team tournament.

Below you will find all the information you need to get ready for the "second season".

TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket prices for are $10 for adults and $2 for any students (5 years old and younger are free). One ticket is good for the entire day. There is no senior discount. MIAC passes will be honored. No other passes will be accepted.

WHAT: MIAC Baseball Playoffs – 1st Round

WHEN: Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Becker Park – Collegeville, Minn. (Dimensions: 330 ft. down the lines, 373 ft. in the alleys and 395 to dead center)

TEAMS: No.3 Seed Concordia (20-16, 14-6 MIAC) at No.2 Seed St. John's (23-14/14-6 MIAC)

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, May 11
G1: (No. 1) Gustavus Adolphus vs. (No. 4) Bethel, 2:30 p.m.
G2: (No. 2) Saint John's vs. (No. 3) Concordia, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 12
G3: G1 Loser vs. G2 Loser, 12 p.m.
G4: G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner, 3 p.m.
G5: G4 Loser vs. G3 Winner, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 13
G6: G4 Winner vs. G5 Winner, 3 p.m.
G7: 25 minutes after G6, if necessary

LIVE LINKS:  Live Video | Live Stats

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Concordia finished the regular season by winning five of their final six games. The Cobbers also fashioned a 7-game win streak during the league season and went 9-1 after starting the MIAC campaign 0-2.

St. John's also won five of their final six conference games, with the loss also coming in the final game of the regular season. The Johnnies started the 2023 MIAC schedule by winning four straight. They followed that by losing four of their next five games before going 9-2 down the stretch.  

RECORDS VS. OTHER PLAYOFF TEAMS: Concordia went 3-3 against the other team in the playoffs. CC swept Bethel, was swept by Gustavus in the opening DH of the year and split with the Johnnies. St. John's was 4-2 against the other three postseason squads. All six games were played at St. John's with SJU sweeping Bethel and splitting against the Gusties and Cobbers.    

HOME AND AWAY: Concordia was 7-5 in away games this season. They were 9-5 on the road against MIAC teams which included doubleheaders against Augsburg and St. John's that were supposed to be played in Moorhead but were changed due to weather conditions. The Johnnies went 13-2 at home this season. They were 12-2 against MIAC teams in the friendly confines of Becker Park.      

PLAYOFF PEDIGREE: Concordia is making its 11th overall MIAC playoff appearance (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023) and fifth in the past 11 years. The Cobbers have yet to claim the tournament championship and are 5-16 in their previous 10 trips to the conference postseason. Concordia made the MIAC title game back in 2013 where they lost to St. Thomas. CC got to the semifinal game in 2005 and 2001.   

St. John's is making 15th appearance in the MIAC postseason (2003-07-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-22) and third straight. The Johnnies won the title on four occasions (2012-15-16-19) and are 20-21 in their 14 previous league playoff appearances.

PLAYOFF HEAD-TO-HEAD: The two teams have faced each other four times in the MIAC playoffs, with St. John's holding a 3-1 advantage in those contests. The most recent meeting in the postseason came last year when the Johnnies posted a 6-3 win in an elimination game. The lone win for CC came back in 2010 in the first round. In that game, the Cobbers were down to their final out and trailing 3-1 before Jake Krause and Dan Wackler came up with the game-winning hits to give Concordia a 4-3 win.

SERIES HISTORY: The two teams are within five wins of one another since the 1988 season. The Johnnies hold a 39-34 edge in the last 73 games played between the teams. The record in Collegeville during that stretch is dead even, with each team winning 18 games.   

REGULAR SEASON MATCH-UP: The teams played a wild doubleheader at St. John's on Apr. 18 in a twinbill that was originally schedule to be played in Moorhead. The Cobbers put up 16 hits, scored 16 runs and were helped by seven SJU errors in a 16-1 win in the opener. The tables were turned in the finale as St. John's had 20 hits and scored 18 runs in an 18-2 victory.

The two games were so lopsided that the winning teams combined to score 34 runs and hammer out 36 hits, while the losing squads combined for only three runs and nine hits. Andy Gravdahl had his first career 5-hit game in the opener, with Alex Rudquist and Mason Klevgaard combining to go the full 7.0 innings. They only allowed three hits and didn't let a St. John's base runner get past second base after the first inning.   

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: How each team ranks in the MIAC for conference games only.