QND baseball team overmatched by Sacred Heart-Griffin pitcher in 3-0 loss in regional championship

By DON CRIM, Senior Columnist | May 24, 2025
Quincy Notre Dame pitcher Abram Wiewel grimaces after failing to field a perfectly placed bunt down the third-base line during the fourth inning of the Class 2A regional championship game on Saturday in Quincy. | David Adam

QUINCY – Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin pitcher Andy Antonacci was confident striding off the mound after striking out the side in the top of the first inning. “Some days I feel like I just get in a groove, and from there I don’t feel or hear anything. I just go out and throw,” he said. “Today…

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Lahr takes care of business on mound, at bat as QND snares shutout victory in regional baseball semifinal

By DON CRIM, Senior Columnist | May 22, 2025
Notre Dame's Bradi Lahr pumps his fists while getting a pat on the back from first baseman Eli Johnson after he struck out the final batter to end the fifth inning of Wednesday night's regional semifinal baseball game at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | David Adam

QUINCY – Bradi Lahr picked an opportune time for his best pitching performance of the season. The junior right-hander scattered five hits and struck out 11 in going the distance Wednesday night as Quincy Notre Dame pulled away late for a 7-0 victory over Petersburg PORTA in the semifinals of the Class 2A regional tournament…

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Reyburn finally homers to fulfill coach’s prophecy, punctuating QND’s victory over Brown County

By Shane Hulsey, Sports Writer | May 6, 2025
Quincy Notre Dame junior Weston Reyburn, left, and freshman Eli Johnson share the Raiders' home run cowboy hat after they hit back-to-back home runs against Brown County on Monday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Shane Hulsey

QUINCY — Rich Polak, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach, had seen it coming for the last four months. He helps train Raiders junior outfielder Weston Reyburn during the offseason. “Going into the season, he’d never even had an extra base hit,” Polak said. “He put on 20 pounds of muscle. I said, ‘Listen, you’re…

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Johnson, Wiewel help Raiders storm back for victory over Hannibal before storm ends game

By Don Crim, Senior Writer | April 10, 2025
Abram Wiewel, right, receives a low five from Quincy Notre Dame coach Rich Polak after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of Wednesday night''s baseball game at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Aspen Gengenbacher

QUINCY – The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team provided a little thunder and lightning just before Mother Nature delivered the real thing. Eli Johnson doubled off the left-field fence to drive home the go-ahead run, and Abram Wiewel followed with a two-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning to carry the Raiders to a…

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With baseball in his blood, Polak brings passion to new role as QND’s skipper

By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor | January 13, 2023
Rich Polak, the owner of Complete Game Training Academy in Quincy, is taking over as the new head baseball coach at Quincy Notre Dame. | David Adam photo

QUINCy — Rich Polak was where you’d expect him to be on a wintry Thursday night. Throwing pitches and teaching swing mechanics. “Baseball is my life,” he said. It’s his livelihood and his passion, too. So for the owner of Complete Game Training Academy, coaching the game comes naturally. His fit as the new Quincy…

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