‘It’s going to be fun baseball to watch’: Hawks set sights on making another run at trip to Cary

Quincy University center fielder Brock Boynton will be in the Hawks' starting lineup for the fourth straight season and is expected to be a catalyst for the No. 13 team in the NCBWA Division II top 25. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The Saturday Morning Breakfast Club is ready to trade its name for something more meaningful and permanent. Something like “World Series champion.” That’s why 20 or more Quincy University baseball players gathered around 9 a.m. each Saturday during the offseason at the QU Health and Fitness Center to lift weights, do cardiovascular exercises…

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Dreams of Division II World Series berth dashed as soft-tossing lefties befuddle Hawks in super regional

Quincy University first baseman Lance Logsdon and the Hawks saw their record-breaking season end Saturday with a 5-2 loss to Indianapolis in the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional at QU Stadium. | Photo courtesy Olivia Kindt, QU Athletics

QUINCY — That’s just baseball. Those three words were the only way the Quincy University baseball team could make sense of an unlikely finish to an incredible season. The Hawks were ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball. However, they saw their…

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Hawks’ Napleton becomes fourth QU standout to be named Midwest Region Player of the Year

Quincy University catcher Luke Napleton has been named the Midwest Region Player of the Year, become the fourth Hawk in program history to receive the honor. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Luke Napleton’s historic season has him in line for All-American honors. The Quincy University junior catcher was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Midwest Region Player of the Year and a first-team all-region selection, which makes him eligible for All-American consideration. QU coach Matt Schissel was named the Midwest Region Coach of…

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

Quincy University junior catcher Luke Napleton, left, was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year. | Matt Schuckman photo

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…

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Hawks’ goal on Florida trip is to become part of national contender conversation — now and for seasons to come

Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel, left, greets right-hander Spencer Walker as he comes back to the dugout during a game last season against Missouri S&T. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Asked what he hoped his team’s accomplishes on a seven-game, 11-day trip to the Sunshine State, Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel responded with his own query. “Short term or long term?” he asked. Everything Schissel does for this program is viewed through both of those lenses. In this case, the short-term answer…

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‘It’s his show now’: Rabe stays out of way as Schissel continues success with QU baseball program

Quincy University Matt Schissel looks into the dugout during Saturday's doubleheader against Illinois-Springfield. | Photo courtesy of Max Bennett

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Josh Rabe wasn’t about to miss this.  His baseball team usually is still playing in late May. This year’s squad had an important doubleheader to play on Saturday morning … in an under-8 tournament. Rabe now coaches his oldest son’s team, the Mayhem. Oh, that Quincy University baseball team, which Rabe guided…

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‘It’s like a punch in the face’: Hawks miss opportunities in eighth and ninth, come up short in Super Regional

Quincy University catcher Luke Napleton shows the ball to home plate umpire Scott Wyckoff after tagging Nick Meyerhofer at home plate in the fourth inning of Saturday's game. | Photo courtesy of Clay Stalter, University of Illinois-Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Missed it by THAT much. The Quincy University baseball team had the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the eighth inning of the deciding game, and it had the tying runs on base in the ninth inning. In each instance, the Hawks couldn’t come up with the biggest hit of the…

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20/20 Vision: Hawks score early, often and plenty to get within one victory of NCAA Division II World Series

Quincy University's Gino D'Alessio, left, and Dayson Croes celebrate after scoring on Lance Logsdon's double in the fourth inning of Friday's NCAA Division II Super Regional game at the University of Illinois-Springfield. | Photo courtesy of Max Bennett

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — It would appear the Quincy University baseball team tore the cover off the ball when taking a first glance at the boxscore from Friday afternoon’s 20-6 victory over Illinois-Springfield in the NCAA Division II Super Regional. Sixteen runs in the first four innings. Twenty hits, six of them for extra bases. It…

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Schuckman: Character Schissel shows in wake of heart-breaking loss is why success will follow

Quincy University coach Matt Schissel has the Hawks two wins from playing in an NCAA Division II super-regional in his first season at the helm. Matt Schuckman photo

CALEDONIA, Mich. — Matt Schissel struggled for good reason to calculate whether the Quincy University baseball players were ready to rebound 40 minutes after a gut punch. “I’ll be honest,” the first-year Hawks coach said, “I wasn’t ready to go back and play.” Schissel took at least 25 minutes of that 40-minute gap between games…

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