QU’s Napleton receives GLVC Player of the Year honor, while Schissel is Coach of the Year

QUINCY — Not long after Luke Napleton left QU Stadium the day he broke the Quincy University baseball program’s single-season home run record, he received a text message with a video attached.

It was from Ryan Snyder, the slugger whose record Napleton broke, who wanted to congratulate the Hawks junior catcher.

Snyder may need to record another congratulatory clip.

During Wednesday night’s banquet preceding the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in Marion, Ill., Napleton became the sixth QU player ever and the first since Snyder in 2016 to be named the GLVC Player of the Year.

A LaGrange, Ill., product and graduate of St. Rita High School, the junior catcher tore apart GLVC pitching as he led the league in home runs (17), RBIs (55), total bases (111) and slugging percentage (.910). He tied for third in doubles (12) and was third in batting average (.393).

Overall, Napleton finished the regular season with a school-record 26 home runs and he’s collected 80 RBIs, which ranks third in program history. He’s hitting .370 with an .878 slugging percentage.

Defensively, Napleton threw out 9 of 37 would-be base stealers.

The Hawks won two of the league’s four postseason awards as Matt Schissel was named the GLVC Coach of the Year. In his second season in charge of the program, Schissel guided the Hawks to the regular-season GLVC title and the second 40-win regular season in program history.

In two seasons, Schissel has fashioned a 77-34 overall record and a 42-14 GLVC record.

Napleton was one of six QU players named first-team All-GLVC.

First baseman Lance Logsdon, designated hitter Austin Simpson, utility player Dustin Dupont, right-handed starting pitcher Spencer Walker and right-handed reliever Chase Gockel.

Logsdon hit .397 in conference play with eight doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. Simpson hit .360 with 13 doubles and nine home runs. Dupont, who started at three different positions, hit .457 against GLVC pitching with 37 RBIs and a .526 on-base percentage.

Walker went 5-1 in league play with a 3.36 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. Gockel went 3-0 with three saves and a 0.96 ERA. He struck out 29 batters in 18.2 innings.

Shortstop Gino D’Alessio and outfielder Zach Parks were second-team selections.