Posts Tagged ‘Quincy University’
Quincy’s Kirn commits to West Virginia to play final season of collegiate baseball
QUINCY — Aside from the genuine interest the West Virginia University coaching staff showed in him, Griffin Kirn found another reason to believe he could succeed pitching for the Mountaineers. He saw what Derek Clark had done. A left-hander who transferred to West Virginia from NCAA Division II Northwood with one year of eligibility remaining,…
Read MoreSchuckman: College World Series pool is about friendship more than it is baseball
QUINCY — The first pitch came at noon from a pitcher I had never seen throw for a team I have never rooted for against a team I had no idea who was on their roster. Yet, I was all-in on the University of Kentucky baseball team. It will be the case when Arizona, UNC…
Read MoreQU’s Simpson receives first-team All-American honors, Palmyra’s Kroeger on second team
QUINCY — Austin Simpson’s ability to get on base was as good as anyone in the nation. The postseason honors he’s accumulating reflect that. The Quincy University redshirt junior first baseman was named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association first-team All-American this week, becoming the seventh first-team All-American in program history. Simpson, a native of…
Read MoreFormer QU men’s basketball assistant coaches join new staffs
QUINCY — A pair of former Quincy University men’s basketball assistant coaches have landed new jobs. Troy Potts has joined the staff at Frank Phillips College, an NJCAA Division I school in Borger, Texas, as an assistant coach. Meanwhile, Pat Richardson is headed to Jackson, Miss., to be an assistant coach on the Jackson State…
Read MoreKirn, Kroeger, Simpson collect All-Midwest Region honors from NCBWA
QUINCY — A pair of Quincy University baseball players and a Palmyra product earned first-team All-Midwest Region honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hawks left-hander Griffin Kirn and Maryville left-hander Jacob Kroeger were two of the four first-team starting pitchers, while Hawks first baseman/designated hitter Austin Simpson was the first-team utility player. Simpson…
Read MoreHawks run out of gas in GLVC championship game, miss chance to make NCAA Tournament
MARION, Ill. — Hope lasted about six hours. Following Sunday’s 11-1 loss to Maryville in the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, the Quincy University baseball players had time before and after a four-plus-hour bus ride home from Mtn. Dew Park to believe they might still get in the NCAA Division II…
Read More‘I pretty much got every stitch of that ball’: Simpson’s walk-off grand slam sends Hawks into GLVC Tournament title game
MARION, Ill. — The steakhouse Austin Simpson and his parents visited Saturday night had a 12-ounce ribeye on the menu. “I ate the whole thing,” the Quincy University first baseman said. He knew he needed to order it when he saw how it was labeled. “It was actually called ‘The champion,’” he said. How fitting…
Read MoreNever count ’em out: Hawks force extra innings, defeat Greyhounds on Simons’ single in 11th
MARION, Ill. — Connor Simons hadn’t had an official at-bat in nearly a month as he recovered from a concussion suffered in the final game of the Quincy University baseball team’s regular-season series against Indianapolis. So consider this a little bit of payback for putting him on the shelf. Simons drove a breaking ball on…
Read More‘I’m not letting go’: QU’s Ortiz makes game-saving, diving catch in bottom of ninth
MARION, Ill. — JD Ortiz needs to see a video replay of his diving catch to understand just how catastrophic the play could have been and just how remarkable it truly was. All he knows is he was determined to make the play at all costs. “I’m on the floor and my neck and my…
Read More‘That’s just the greatest feeling ever’: DuPont’s walk-off home run lifts Hawks in extra innings
MARION, Ill. — Dustin DuPont took off on a dead sprint toward first base, unsure where the ball he uncorked to right field would actually land. “It hit the back of the bullpen wall, but I thought it hit the fence,” the Quincy University catcher said. “I kind of started taking off a little more…
Read MoreHarrison, Hawks weather storm to pick up victory in first round of GLVC Tournament
MARION, Ill. — After left-handed reliever Roman Harrison navigated the top of the 10th inning without worry Wednesday, staff ace Griffin Kirn approached him in the dugout and asked if he was good to go back out for another inning. “I said, ‘No, we’re going to walk it off this inning,’” Harrison said. Not even…
Read MoreHawks’ Kirn receives GLVC Pitcher of the Year honor, while Broughton is league’s top freshman
QUINCY — Griffin Kirn proved unbeatable in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. David Broughton became the tone-setter for one of the GLVC’s hottest teams. The league’s coaches couldn’t ignore either player’s success. Kirn, the Quincy University baseball team’s left-handed ace, was named the GLVC PItcher of the Year on Tuesday night by a vote of…
Read MoreSchuckman: Relaxed play helps Hawks change outlook, open up world of possibilities
QUINCY — The game and everything about it felt tedious. None of the Quincy University baseball players will deny that. “When you’re getting your butt kicked, it is a chore,” first baseman Austin Simpson said. A five-run loss in the series finale against the University of Indianapolis on April 14 left the Hawks eight games…
Read MorePunctuating a sweep: Simpson’s homer caps Hawks’ perfect weekend against Prairie Stars
QUINCY — Austin Simpson knew he couldn’t go home empty-handed or he’d never live it down. His roommates — Dustin DuPont and Adam Lewis — both hit home runs Saturday in helping the Quincy University baseball team build an insurmountable lead in the finale of its Great Lakes Valley Conference series with Illinois-Springfield. So when…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Hawks head to GLVC Tournament riding high after perfect weekend
QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team had reason to celebrate Saturday afternoon. Not only did the Hawks honor the seniors following the final home game of the regular season, but the 21-7 victory over Illinois-Springfield punctuated a weekend series sweep that earned the Hawks the No. 4 seed for the Great Lakes Valley Conference…
Read MoreHawks secure spot in GLVC Tournament with three wins, look to complete sweep
QUINCY — The situations were strikingly similar, the circumstances decidedly different and the outcomes remarkably the same. Credit Logan Mueller and Roman Harrison for each having a little Harry Houdini in their act. Mueller, a sophomore right-handed reliever, was summoned from the Quincy University baseball team’s bullpen with the bases loaded and one out in…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU takes tripleheader, building serious momentum with postseason on horizon
QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team is heading toward the postseason with some steam. The Hawks won three games Friday — the resumption of Thursday’s suspended game and both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader — to secure their spot in the GLVC Tournament. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Hawks, Prairie Stars play five innings before thunderstorms shake QU Stadium
QUINCY — They waited as long as they could. Finally, the Quincy University baseball players had to leave QU Stadium before the threatening skies dumped rain and hail and ruined a Thursday afternoon at the ballpark. The Hawks and Illinois-Springfield were tied at 2 when lightning strikes within 7 miles of the stadium forced the…
Read MoreSchuckman: Hawks’ Boynton pours heart, soul, tears into chasing baseball dreams
QUINCY — The emotion spills out in ways Brock Boynton can’t always contain. Sometimes it’s a bat flip that goes a little too high or a little too far. Other times it’s the barbaric yawp everyone hears as he rounds the bases on a home run trot. And every now and then, it’s the toss…
Read MoreHuff and puff and blow Bearcats away: Hawks belt eight home runs in GLVC series finale
LEBANON, Ill. — Joe Huffman made certain the Quincy University baseball team went into the final week of the regular season with momentum. Jake Vitale helped ensure that, too. Huffman blasted three home runs Sunday and Vitale jacked two, the second of which gave the Hawks the lead for good in an 18-10 slugfest victory…
Read MoreSchuckman: Progress made, but for Hawks to succeed come fall, hard work must continue
QUINCY — The work isn’t done because the pads came off. Come August, Quincy University football coach Jason Killday and his staff will see if the players embraced that message. The Hawks wrapped up spring practice Saturday at QU Stadium with an energetic, determined effort that highlighted many of the positives gleaned from five weeks…
Read MoreBoynton’s blast highlights epic rally as Hawks earn split with Bearcats in rain-delayed doubleheader
SAUGET, Ill. — The Quincy University baseball team scored eight runs in the sixth inning of game two to earn a split of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against McKendree. The Hawks lost the first game 6-3 and rallied in a rain-delayed second game for an 8-6 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark. Weather forced the…
Read MoreQU baseball team’s offense continues hitting late-season stride, batters McKendree in series opener
LEBANON, Ill. — The Quincy University baseball team is doing what a team in contention for a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament berth should be doing. The Hawks are pummeling the bottom feeders. After scoring 36 runs in a four-game sweep of Southwest Baptist last weekend, Quincy opened a four-game GLVC series with McKendree on…
Read MoreQU’s McClure earns GLVC women’s lacrosse Goalkeeper of the Year honor
QUINCY — Kelly McClure capped off a decorated women’s lacrosse career with a major conference award. The Quincy University graduate student was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year after helping the Hawks advance to the four-team conference tournament for the first time in program history. McClure finished second in GLVC-only games…
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck: QU safety Joseph Webb discusses spring practice, carrying momentum into offseason
QUINCY — The end of the spring is near for the Quincy University football program, which means the Hawks are a step closer to the debut of Jason Killday as their head coach. QU will open its season August 29 at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. As far the progress made during the 15-practice session…
Read More‘He’s a blue-collar guy’: QU turns to JWCC’s Hoyt to guide men’s basketball program
QUINCY — Jake Hoyt owns the upper hand. As new Quincy University men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt sees it, that won’t be the case for long. Last winter, during his freshman season at Illinois College, the coach’s son helped the Blueboys win an NCAA Division III national tournament game. His dad, who spent the past…
Read More‘It’s weird today’: Hoyt leaves JWCC after life-long association, school needs to fill three positions
QUINCY — The navigation on Brad Hoyt’s car needs to be reprogrammed. Instead of the daily drive to the John Wood Community College campus, a route he’s taken for the past 13 years as men’s basketball coach and athletic director, Hoyt will be cruising across town to the Quincy University campus to begin his new…
Read MoreSchuckman: Rabe knows sweat-on-the-brow coaches fit what QU athletic department needs
QUINCY — Experience has provided Josh Rabe with perspective. During Rabe’s three years as the Quincy University athletic director, the head coach of three of the most high-profile programs on campus has resigned to pursue another coaching opportunity. None of those programs could be considered in the midst of thriving at the time. So it…
Read MoreCrim: Pransky’s baseball journey takes him from coach to scout to author
QUINCY — Jim Pransky grew up in a secluded, rural area in northwest Pennsylvania near the New York border. The closest town was two miles away and few other kids were around. So, he threw baseballs at a pitch-back, listened to Yankees games on a transistor radio and voraciously read fictional sports series books by…
Read MoreRally enables Hawks to complete first weekend of sweep of season, continue building momentum
QUINCY — A rally. A sweep. And a new perspective. That’s what Sunday brought to the Quincy University baseball program. The Hawks erased a six-run deficit, took the lead with four runs in the seventh inning and finished off a 10-7 victory over Southwest Baptist at QU Stadium. With that, Quincy swept the four-game Great…
Read MoreMomentun-seizing home runs from Simpson, Broughton catapult Hawks to sweep
QUINCY — Austin Simpson and David Broughton put a charge into the Quincy University baseball team’s pursuit of a conference tournament berth. Simpson, the junior first baseman, jacked a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s opener game of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against Southwest Baptist, erasing a two-run deficit and…
Read MoreBirthday bonanza: Kirn twirls gem, Hawks’ offense comes alive in victory over Bearcats to open series
QUINCY — Griffin Kirn would have been satisfied with a victory for his 22nd birthday. His performance on the mound became the icing on the cake. Kirn allowed just one run over six innings and struck out eight in the Quincy University baseball team’s 13-1 victory Friday over Southwest Baptist to open the four-game Great…
Read More‘We were thankful we were heard’: Former QU tennis coach wins defamation lawsuit against former student-athlete
QUINCY — Brian Holzgrafe exited the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield last Thursday to a sight that brought him to tears. “My wife and I drove away seeing an angel in the sky with the sunset and we just praised God that we were heard,” Holzgrafe said. “We were thankful we were heard.” Seven years after…
Read More‘There were a lot of tears’: Hawkins resigns as QU men’s basketball coach after two seasons at helm
QUINCY — When opportunity knocked, Steve Hawkins needed to listen. He owed that to his family. After discussing an offer to join an NCAA Division I coaching staff with his wife, Kelly, the Quincy University men’s basketball coach knew the time was right to make a move. Monday, he officially resigned as the Hawks’ coach,…
Read MoreSchuckman: Next QU men’s basketball coach faces sizable task of meeting variety of needs
QUINCY — The challenge facing the next Quincy University men’s basketball coach is three-fold. One, replenish the roster. Two, put fans in the stands. Three, win games. All three are intertwined. Prior to Steve Hawkins resigning Monday to pursue another coaching opportunity, four QU players had entered the transfer portal, although two of which are…
Read MoreSchuckman: Changes are happening and will help Killday, Hawks create right trajectory
QUINCY — The changes are subtle, probably unnoticeable to many. For those who see them, follow them, abide by them and trust them, the payoff should be substantial, at least that’s what the Quincy University football players need to be thinking. The transition to a new head coach with new standards and ideals to go…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU football team hits midpoint of spring practice with energetic effort
QUINCY — Halfway to the nearest finish line, but only just beginning the process. That’s where the Quincy University football team finds itself. The Hawks wrapped up their eighth spring practice Friday afternoon at QU Stadium with a spirited, energetic effort that moves them a step closer to the spring game. Quincy will engage in…
Read MoreHawks unable to find strike zone or complete sweep of Flyers
QUINCY — The chance at the first weekend sweep of the season got swept away, all because the Quincy University baseball team found itself playing chase all day. Five Hawks pitchers combined to walk six and hit six batters while allowing 12 earned runs in Sunday’s 14-2 loss to Lewis in the finale of the…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Hawks struggle to finish weekend with another GLVC victory
QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team was unable to string together a third consecutive day of solid pitching and timely hitting, suffering a 14-2 loss to Lewis on Sunday in the finale of their Great Lakes Valley Conference series at QU Stadium. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the day at the ballpark…
Read MoreOrtiz’s walk-off home run could be tide-turning moment Hawks need to change their season
QUINCY — Mark the date now. April 5, 2024. That’ll be the day the Quincy University baseball team points to as the turning point in its season. A bulldogged effort and a momentous swing made it so. Griffin Kirn’s complete game gave the Hawks a chance in the bottom of the ninth to rally from…
Read MoreThe List: Former QU all-region first baseman Lance Logsdon ranks favorite baseball movies
QUINCY — All of the miles traveled and nights spent in hotels gave former Quincy University first baseman Lance Logsdon and his teammates the opportunity to watch plenty of movies, which made him the right person to join Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to rank their favorite baseball movies for this episode of “The…
Read MoreQU baseball team excels in all phases to win series finale against Rockhurst
QUINCY — Sunday looked more like the team Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel expected to see, not the team that has endured too many ups and downs so far. Seth West allowed one run over five innings, the offense drove the ball into gaps and moved runners, and the defense didn’t commit an error…
Read MoreBullpen narrowly avoids spoiling Kirn’s masterful effort as QU baseball team wins series opener
QUINCY — Film study paid off. In the days leading up to Friday’s start against Rockhurst, Quincy University left-handed pitcher Griffin Kirn reviewed as much video as possible of his previous starts this season and past seasons, looking for any mechanical tweak that could give him an edge. Whatever he found worked wonders. The Quincy…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU baseball team opens GLVC series with Rockhurst with victory
QUINCY — Griffin Kirn was nearly unhittable. Brock Boynton put a charge into the offense. And the Quincy University baseball team survived a rain delay and a Rockhurst rally to come up with a 10-9 victory in the first game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference weekend series. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent…
Read MoreCollege notebook: Former QU baseball players D’Alessio, Napleton succeeding at D-I level
QUINCY — A pair of former Quincy University baseball players are off to sizzling starts after transferring to NCAA Division I programs. Gino D’Alessio, an All-Midwest Region shortstop last spring for the Hawks, was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week after hitting .600 over four games as Abilene Christian went 3-1 with…
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck Zoom Edition: Nebraska assistant coach Jessica Keller discusses NCAA Tournament, coaching ladder, QU roots
QUINCY — The leading scorer in the history of the Quincy University women’s basketball program is headed to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach, and following Nebraska’s effort against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, anything is possible for the Huskers. Jessica Keller is in her second season on the Nebraska coaching…
Read MoreHarbin helps Saints take series from Hawks by slamming door in ninth inning
ST. LOUIS — Noah Harbin gave the Maryville baseball team a leg up in the Great Lakes Valley Conference title chase by slamming the door on his hometown team. The former Quincy High School right-handed pitcher stranded the tying run at first base in the top of the ninth inning Sunday, striking out Quincy University’s…
Read MoreFoster joins Richardson in transfer portal, leaves Hawks in need of bonafide scorers
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team’s need for shooters has grown into a need for scorers and ball-handlers as well. Senior swingman Zion Richardson entered the transfer portal last week, giving himself the opportunity to transfer as a graduate student with one year of eligibility remaining. Monday, sophomore point guard Isaiah Foster entered…
Read MoreQU baseball team wins GLVC-opening series as Boynton sparks offensive surge
LIBERTY, Mo. — The Quincy University baseball team is back on track. Sunday’s 16-10 victory over William Jewell at Talley Stadium punctuated a series victory in the first weekend of Great Lakes Valley Conference play, gave the Hawks back-to-back series wins and put the 0-7 start on the season-opening trip to Georgia completely in the…
Read MoreHawks’ Richardson picks up second-team All-GLVC honors
QUINCY — There were moments during the Great Lakes Valley Conference men’s basketball season where Zion Richardson couldn’t be stopped. The league’s coaches recognized that. The Quincy University senior guard was named a second-team All-GLVC selection Wednesday after finishing third in the league in scoring. The 6-foot-4 Richardson averaged 19.1 points per game in GLVC…
Read MoreHawks’ Williams posts 10 double-doubles in league play, earns second-team All-GLVC
QUINCY — Cymirah Williams’ ability to score, rebound and defend made her one of the more problematic matchup problems in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The numbers prove it. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in conference play, finishing as the league’s third leading rebounder and earning second-team All-GLVC honors as voted on by…
Read MoreCrim: With Year 1 done, Boyd’s challenge becomes elevating QU to conference contender
QUINCY — First-year Quincy University women’s basketball coach Courtney Boyd sat in the conference room down the hall from her office in the Health & Fitness Center and pulled out her cellphone. On the screen was a staff breakdown of the point rating system the Great Lakes Valley Conference uses to determine its eight postseason…
Read MoreHawks unable to erase first-half deficit, stumble in final regular-season game
QUINCY — It was a case of déjà vu. The University of Illinois-Springfield men’s basketball team sank its first 11 shots, needed just four minutes to build a 14-point lead and withstood a furious second-half rally by Quincy University on Saturday afternoon to secure a 97-89 victory in the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season finale…
Read MoreClose but no victory once again for QU women as season ends with another narrow loss
QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team gained plenty of experience playing in close games this season. The next step is learning how to win them. The University of Illinois-Springfield outscored the Hawks 16-11 over the final 1 minute, 54 seconds Saturday afternoon to grind out a 79-74 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory in…
Read MoreKirn, Hawks take advantage of coming home to earn first victory of season
QUINCY — Welcome home. After enduring a seven-game losing streak on its season-opening road trip and falling out of the NCBWA Division II Top 25, the Quincy University baseball team used Friday’s home opener as a fresh start and took advantage of the comfortable confines of QU Stadium. Junior left-handed starter Griffin Kirn threw 6…
Read MoreHawks refuse to lose grip on lead in closing minutes, knock off Bulldogs in GLVC play
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Once the Quincy University women’s basketball team managed to grab the lead, the Hawks weren’t giving it up. Freshman forward Ashlynn Arnsman made back-to-back critical field goals in the final two minutes, junior guard Karsyn Stratton made four straight free throws and point guard Mikayla Huffine capped a career-best scoring effort with…
Read MoreBulldogs’ blistering shooting from perimeter buries Hawks in GLVC road loss
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The Truman State men’s basketball team is one of the best 3-point shooting squads in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season. Quincy University is one of the worst. That’s how it looked Saturday. The Bulldogs shot the ball as efficiently as any QU opponent has this season from the perimeter, knocking…
Read MorePeacocks block Hawks’ final attempt, pull off narrow GLVC victory
FAYETTE, Iowa — The opportunity for a late-season road victory that could propel the Quincy University men’s basketball team into the offseason presented itself Thursday night. The Hawks ended up one play away. Zion Richardson had his shot blocked by Upper Iowa’s Nick Reid with less than four seconds remaining in regulation and the Hawks…
Read MoreQU women unable to stay close in second half, lose fifth consecutive game
FAYETTE, Iowa — The Quincy University women’s basketball team’s performance in Thursday night’s 81-57 loss to Upper Iowa mirrored how the season has transpired. It’s a second-half struggle. The Hawks trailed by seven points with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter of the Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at Dorman Memorial Gym before the…
Read MoreCrim: Lepper epitomizes Hall of Fame tenacity and Hall of Fame personality
QUINCY — The one thing Tom Lepper promised ahead of his acceptance speech after being inducted into the Quincy University Sports Hall of Fame was that it would be brief. “I’m not a guy that tries to draw attention to himself, you know,” said the man who never openly sought the spotlight but couldn’t escape…
Read More‘Just get one’: Richardson powers Hawks past Flyers as six-game skid comes to end
QUINCY — After six consecutive losses, the Quincy University men’s basketball team would have settled for any kind of victory. Registering a “team” win proved to be especially satisfying. Zion Richardson scored 22 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and the Hawks received valuable contributions from all 10 players who saw action…
Read MoreStrong start doesn’t lead to stellar finish as QU women can’t keep Lewis from rallying for victory
QUINCY — It wasn’t a slow start that that did in the Quincy University women’s basketball team this time. Instead, it was an erratic finish. Less than 48 hours after erasing a 29-point deficit to nearly upset the University of Indianapolis, the Hawks scored the opening 12 points and led Great Lakes Valley Conference co-leader…
Read MoreHawks strand seven runners on base over final three innings in season-opening loss
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — The big hit the Quincy University baseball team is known for coming up with eluded the Hawks on Friday afternoon. One swing by North Georgia made that hurt even more. After Quincy, ranked 13th in the NCBWA Division II national poll, stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning and left two…
Read MoreQU men continue to struggle to find ways to get over hump, suffer another GLVC loss
QUINCY — While the opponent changes, the story doesn’t. The Quincy University men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with Great Lakes Valley Conference leader Indianapolis for 30 minutes Thursday night, only to be outmuscled down the stretch in absorbing a 75-68 loss at Pepsi Arena. Back-to-back 3-pointers by David Ejah culminated a quick 8-0 run midway…
Read MoreEpic second-half rally for QU women falls narrowly short in GLVC setback against UIndy
QUINCY — It was nearly a comeback for the ages. After playing arguably its worst half of the season and trailing by 29 points two minutes into the third quarter Thursday night, the Quincy University women’s basketball team appeared headed toward a lopsided defeat at the hands of the University of Indianapolis. Instead, the Hawks…
Read More‘It’s going to be fun baseball to watch’: Hawks set sights on making another run at trip to Cary
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…
Read MoreKirn ready to shoulder load of being No. 1 starter in Hawks’ rotation
QUINCY — Griffin Kirn understands the expectation and the challenge. “It’s all about giving the guys a chance to win,” he said. The No. 1 starter in the Quincy University baseball team’s rotation has a history of doing just that. Over the past four seasons — the first two with left-hander Riley Martin as the…
Read MoreSecond-half struggles offensively send QU men to fifth consecutive loss
ST. LOUIS — Another drought, another loss. It’s a trend the Quincy University men’s basketball team cannot shake. The Hawks were tied with Missouri-St. Louis at 42 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference game when the offense went south. Quincy managed just two free throws over an eight-minute stretch,…
Read MoreForced to play catch-up, QU women unable to reel in UMSL in GLVC road loss
ST. LOUIS — Scoring just one field goal in the first six minutes of the second quarter Saturday put the Quincy University women’s basketball team in catch-up mode. The Hawks just couldn’t ever catch up. QU’s second-quarter drought enabled Missouri-St. Louis to build a 12-point advantage that, despite being whittled to four at one point…
Read MoreQU men allow McKendree to go on back-breaking second-half run, suffer fourth straight loss
LEBANON, Ill. — Which statistic best sums up why the Quincy University men’s basketball team suffered a 77-68 loss to McKendree on Thursday night? Could it be the 21.4 percent shooting from 3-point range? Or maybe it was allowing the Bearcats to make 11 treys and shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc? The fact…
Read MoreRough start to fourth quarter proves costly as QU women suffer loss at McKendree
LEBANON, Ill. — The problem the Quincy University women’s basketball team seemed to have fixed resurfaced Thursday night. Three quarters of quality play were undone by one rocky stretch. The Hawks led McKendree by one point heading to the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s Great Lakes Valley Conference, only to get outscored 11-2 over the…
Read MoreKillday’s first recruiting class at QU features local ties, building blocks in trenches
QUINCY — Having spent the past 14 years recruiting the I-55 corridor between Chicago and St. Louis, Quincy University football coach Jason Killday understands there is a wealth of talent between the two metro areas. You just have to look. “You have to be able to dig in the dirt a little bit and find…
Read MoreCold-shooting Hawks fall in double overtime
QUINCY – Despite shooting 1 of 15 from three-point range, the Quincy University Hawks still had ample opportunities to grab a win over William Jewell Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena. Orlando Thomas went coast to coast after a QU steal for a bucket to send the game into overtime, but QU missed its last three…
Read MoreHawks get third straight win heading to first place McKendree later this week
QUINCY – Passion and persistence paid off for Cymirah Williams and her Quincy University teammates Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena. Williams led the Hawks with a 20-point, 15 rebound effort, but hit what she called an “up and over” inside move that led to a three-point play and a 73-60 win over William Jewell in…
Read MoreBlistering shooting in second half helps Rockhurst overcome physical play, pull away from QU men
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team traded punches (figuratively), verbal barbs and physical play (literally) during the first half of Thursday night’s game with Rockhurst. It appeared the trend would continue during the first two minutes of the second half, but Rockhurst took over with an overwhelming shooting performance. During a 10½-minute stretch…
Read MoreStevenson buries clinching 3-pointer to help QU women rally past Rockhurst, even GLVC record at 7-7
QUINCY — When she caught the pass from Karsyn Stratton at the top of the key, Taya Stevenson swears she never hesitated. Even though she hadn’t taken a 3-point shot the entire game. Even though she was only a 27 percent 3-point shooter this season. “I think I have confidence in myself, and my teammates…
Read MorePhoto Gallery: Home-court loss causes Hawks to slip to 10th place in Great Lakes Valley Conference
During a 10½-minute stretch in the second half, Rockhurst made 15 of 20 shots from the field (including nine out of 11 from 3-point range) to turn a tie score into a 23-point lead on its way to a 100-79 victory in Pepsi Arena in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game. Quincy now sits in…
Read MoreQU baseball team voted by coaches as top choice in GLVC preseason poll
INDIANAPOLIS – Quincy University was voted in the preseason coaches’ poll as the choice to win the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) baseball championship, the league office announced on Monday. The preseason poll is determined by the league’s head coaches, who, per GLVC bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their team. Quincy received nine…
Read MoreLast-place Southwest Baptist rallies to defeat QU men, now tied for seventh in GLVC
BOLIVAR, Mo. — The Quincy University men’s basketball team led by as many as 11 points in the first half and held the lead for the first 31 minutes of Saturday’s game. Once the Hawks lost the lead, they never got it back. Drew McMillin made a 3-pointer with 9:10 remaining in the game to…
Read MoreBlass sparks fourth-quarter comeback as QU women erase 10-point deficit to win on road
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Trailing by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, the Quincy University women’s basketball team outscored Southwest Baptist 22-4 during the final 10 minutes and won 72-65 on Saturday afternoon at the Meyer Sports Center in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game. The victory keeps the Hawks (7-12, 6-7 in the GLVC) in…
Read MoreBlistering beginning puts Hawks in command as they climb back to .500 mark in GLVC
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – There are fast starts, and then there is what the Quincy University men’s basketball team did Thursday night. The Hawks blitzed Drury by sinking their first nine shots, six of them from 3-point range, to take a 27-13 lead just six minutes into the contest. They held on for an 83-78 victory…
Read MoreQU women lead for most of contest but lose for 14th consecutive time to Drury
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An opportunity lost. The Quincy University women’s basketball team opened an early 12-point lead and led for nearly 27 minutes Thursday night, but its inability to convert on the offensive end in the closing minutes allowed Drury to rally for a 70-66 victory at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. The Panthers improved…
Read MoreHot start to fourth quarter from perimeter carries QU women to GLVC road victory
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Perhaps this will prove to be a signature victory. The Quincy University women’s basketball team used back-to-back 3-pointers by Mikayla Huffine and another by Mariann Blass on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon to break open a tight game and hold on for a 69-66 road victory over the…
Read MoreQU men suffer 22-point road loss as consistency, confidence issues continue
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy University men’s basketball team dominated one of the best teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference for 12 minutes. It was the other 28 minutes that did in the Hawks. University of Illinois-Springfield used a barrage of 3-pointers to score the opening 10 points and lead 18-2 after four minutes,…
Read MorePro football future still exists for QU’s Wilson after being selected in UFL dispersal draft
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — BJ Wilson is getting another chance to prove he belongs on a professional football team’s roster. Wilson, the Quincy University graduate who was an All-Great Lakes Valley Conference left tackle, was selected in the United Football League’s dispersal draft by the San Antonio Brahmas. He is expected to join the Brahmas…
Read MoreHawks gets bullied on offensive boards in suffering GLVC loss to Peacocks
QUINCY — A basketball team can usually point to a few things to explain why it came up four points short. For the Quincy University men, it was only one. “We gave up 12 offensive rebounds,” guard Zion Richardson said. “That’s the ballgame right there.” Upper Iowa used those opportunities to score 11 second-chance points…
Read MorePlaying from behind too much for QU women to overcome in loss to Upper Iowa
QUINCY — Upper Iowa’s opening salvo was too much for the Quincy University women’s basketball team to overcome. The Peacocks needed just four possessions in the initial two minutes to bolt to an 11-0 lead and that cushion proved to be enough to withstand a second-half charge by the Hawks to secure a 69-62 victory…
Read MoreRichardson’s clutch plays at both ends of floor help Hawks reverse GLVC trend with Thursday victory
QUINCY — To be the hero at one end, Zion Richardson couldn’t be the goat at the other. He put himself in the right position to avoid that. An errant pass by Richardson from the backcourt while under pressure from the Truman State defense gave the Bulldogs a steal and the opportunity to cut into…
Read MoreChoosing to ‘get on the boat’ enables QU women to outlast Truman State for needed GLVC victory
QUINCY — Cymirah Williams put the onus squarely on the shoulders of the Quincy University women’s basketball players. “It’s a choice,” the junior forward said. “It’s our choice.” The choice seems quite simple. Fight through adversity, play buzzer to buzzer and find a way to win or slack off for a quarter or more and…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men and women complete GLVC sweep of Truman State
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams completed a Great Lakes Valley Conference sweep of Truman State on Thursday night at Pepsi Arena with the men surviving a 75-73 finish and the women making clutch free throws for a 78-75 victory. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening at Pepsi…
Read MoreSchuckman: Hawks taking things personal in hopes of getting off roller coaster ride
QUINCY — The trend needs to end. The only way to do that is to take losing personal. So the Quincy University men’s basketball team’s coaching staff slapped those words across the dry-erase board in the locker room following last Wednesday’s 80-66 loss at Rockhurst. “It’s been on the board all week,” sophomore point guard…
Read MoreTrust in their offense enables Hawks to weather field goal drought, defense stymies Bearcats
QUINCY — The longer it took for the Quincy University men’s basketball team to find success offensively, the more an 18-point halftime lead narrowed. The key was it never fully dissipated. The Hawks’ belief in themselves didn’t evaporate either. Quincy made just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the second half of…
Read MoreThree solid quarters not enough for QU women to erase one dismal quarter at start of loss to SBU
QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team continues to find itself three-quarters of the way to success. That missing quarter tripped the Hawks up again Saturday. Southwest Baptist outscored Quincy 23-10 in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead despite the Hawks’ second-half surge, leading to a 68-65 victory in Great Lakes Valley…
Read MoreOffense hits cold spell in second half as QU women drop GLVC road game at Rockhurst
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The run didn’t stop when the third quarter ended. That was bad news for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. Having led by as many as eight points, Quincy saw its advantage completely evaporate in the span of 3 minutes, 33 seconds as Rockhurst closed the third quarter Wednesday night on…
Read MoreEmpty possessions turn tide in Rockhurst’s favor as QU men suffer GLVC road loss
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three consecutive empty offensive possessions coupled with three consecutive empty defensive possessions put the Quincy University men’s basketball team in an unenviable position. Rockhurst made it uncomfortable the rest of the way, too. The sequence that lasted 1 minute, 54 seconds early in the second half of Wednesday night’s Great Lakes…
Read More‘He is the right guy for this program’: QU introduces Killday as new football coach
QUINCY — Jason Killday has never been a job chaser. “Occasionally, you see something you kind of raise your eyebrow to and think, ‘That’d be interesting,’ said Killday, who spent the last eight seasons as the offensive coordinator with the Truman State football program after six seasons on the Quincy University staff. “My goal has…
Read MoreSchuckman: Strong roots in community, football make Killday right choice to guide QU program
QUINCY — Roots run deep in the Killday family, where the family farm outside of Winchester, Ill., remains the beacon that draws everyone home. Josh Rabe wants Quincy University to have the same magnetism. So for the second time this calendar year, when faced with having to hire a head coach for a high-profile program,…
Read MoreHawks head home for holidays with Christmas cheer, three-game win streak and tourney title
QUINCY — The getaway game never got away from the Quincy University men’s basketball team. That should make for a Merry Christmas for all. In the Hawks’ final game before heading home for the holiday break, they held Wayne State to 28-percent shooting from the field in the second half of a 66-55 victory Sunday…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men win championship of Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic
QUINCY — A suffocating defensive effort in the second half of Sunday’s game and a double-double from senior guard Zion Richardson gave the Quincy University men’s basketball team a 66-55 victory over Wayne State and the championship of the Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman was at Pepsi Arena and put together…
Read MoreHawks dispatch East-West University as reaching potential remains work in progress
QUINCY — First, some good news regarding the Quincy University men’s basketball team. The Hawks turned back East-West University 84-52 on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of about 300 at Pepsi Arena in the first round of the two-day Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic. The victory was impressive, even if it came against an overmatched…
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