For love of the game: Raiders’ year-round passion for baseball leads to unparalleled success

Quincy Notre Dame senior co-captains Jake Schisler, left, and Dalton Miller, smile as they get ready to accept the Class 2A sectional championship plaque. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — At the most elemental level, it’s a warehouse. The building has been remodeled and retrofitted to be a baseball haven, but the brick exterior, the large, garage-style doors and the location close to the Mississippi River suggest it once was used for storage, construction or manufacturing. The Quincy Notre Dame baseball players embrace…

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Working on a chain gang: Raiders use unique home run celebration to inject energy into state championship pursuit

Quincy Notre Dame first baseman Dalton Miller gets the gold chain put around his neck after hitting a home run against Jacksonville Routt at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Mason Winking’s employee discount probably saved him $3 or $4 on the welded galvanized steel chain he purchased at Farm & Home Supply. Yet, the real value of those 35 gold-painted links is immeasurable. That chain is part of what links the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players so strongly together. It stands for…

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Raiders rally on record-setting day to end regular season with confidence boost and victory

Quincy Notre Dame closer Dalton Miller reacts to striking out the final batter in Saturday's 6-4 victory over Jacksonville Routt at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team figured out there’s an immediate need for a sense of urgency with the postseason on the horizon. Another deficit, a lengthy weather delay and a senior-led pep talk brought that into focus. The Raiders stared down history Saturday in the regular-season finale against Jacksonville Routt at Ferd…

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‘I knew I had to prove myself’: Kenning owns strike zone, Raiders bounce back with complete effort

Quincy Notre Dame junior right-hander Evan Kenning delivers a pitch during Tuesday's 10-2 victory over Palmyra at The Ferd. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Taking the mound one night after four pitchers combined to walk seven batters and uncork five wild pitches in the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s first loss of the season, Evan Kenning knew what he was up against. “The pressure was kind of on to throw strikes,” he said. “I knew I had…

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Championship aspirations: Depth, talent, know-how give QND baseball players confidence they can chase state title

Quincy Notre Dame senior right-hander Tyler Dance, left, and senior first baseman Dalton Miller will each play a critical role in the Raiders' success this spring. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Dalton Miller admits the luxury of experience and camaraderie enjoyed by the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team can get taken for granted. “We’ve been playing together for so long it’s a security I’ve become numb to almost,” the senior first baseman said. “Sometimes I can’t say I appreciate the security of my teammates…

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Raiders play home run derby in final regular season game, run win streak to 20 straight

Quincy Notre Dame third baseman Brady Kindhart belted two home runs and drove in four runs during Saturday's 12-2 victory over Jacksonville Routt in Jacksonville, Ill. Matt Schuckman file photo

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Just in case anyone in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional showed up Saturday at Jacksonville Routt to get a peek at what the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team is capable of doing, the Raiders provided plenty of food for thought. Namely, the Raiders made them ask: How do you stop this…

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Kindhart stays in ball-meets-barrel groove as QND baseball team keeps piling up victories

Quincy Notre Dame third baseman Brady Kindhart, right, gets a first bump from QND coach Ryan Oden after safely reaching third base during Friday's 13-1 victory over Marceline (Mo.) in the QND/Palmyra Spring Slam at the Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — With each swing he took, Brady Kindhart sensed he was inching closer to where ball and barrel would meet in harmony. Once that happened, the Quincy Notre Dame junior third baseman has done nothing but string hits together. Friday, he bookended the Raiders’ 14th consecutive victory with sweet-spot connections. Kindhart delivered a run-scoring…

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