Gems return eight players as Prospect League season kicks off tonight; three home games set for weekend

QUINCY — The Quincy Gems open play Wednesday night in the Prospect League with a road game at Burlington. After a road game Thursday at Springfield, the Gems open the home season with games on Friday and Saturday against Clinton and Sunday against Burlington.

The Gems return eight players from last year’s team, which finished 31-29 and in second place a half-game behind Normal in the Prospect League’s Great River Division. The Gems defeated Normal in the first round of the playoffs last season but lost to Alton in the Western Conference finals.

Outfielders

Cross Jumper, Arkansas State
Freshman from Jonesboro, Ark.
Batted .276 in 170 at-bats this spring for the Red Wolves. Originally signed with the University of Tennessee. Ranked as the fifth-best high school player in Arkansas as a senior in 2021.

Harry Oden, Maryville
Freshman from Quincy
Quincy Notre Dame graduate signed out of high school with Lindenwood but has since transferred to Maryville. Didn’t play this past season. Batted .378 and played left field last spring for QND, which posted 32-3 record. His father, Ryan, used to be the Gems’ pitching coach.

Nathan VerMaas, Arkansas State
Junior from Omaha, Neb.
Batted .297 in 37 at-bats this spring for the Red Wolves. Transferred from North Dakota State, where he had four hits in 21 at-bats in 2021. His grandfather played in the New York Yankees’ minor league system.

Joe Siervo, Jefferson College
Freshman from Chesterfield, Mo.
Hit .379 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and 15 stolen bases this spring for Jefferson College. Played high school baseball at Parkway Central. 

Luke Jessen, Nebraska
Sophomore from Elkhorn, Neb.
Cooled off after a hot start during his freshman season in 2022, ended up hitting .257 in 26 games with 19 starts. Batted only seven times in 2023, going hitless. Was considered the top outfield prospect in Nebraska in class of 2021. Signed in September 2019 with Nebraska.

Easton Mains, Iowa Western
Freshman from Omaha, Neb.
Collected seven hits in 35 at-bats during his freshman year for the Reivers, who posted a 38-14 record. Played at Elkhorn North High School, while Gems outfielder Luke Jessen played at Elkhorn South High School.

Harrison Blueweiss, New York University
Freshman from Bradenton, Fla. 
Had two hits in nine at-bats this spring for the Violets.

Infielders

Jaden Correa, Nebraska
High School Senior from Chicago
Played this spring at De La Salle High School, where he hit .395. Twenty-two of his 45 hits were for extra bases. He will be late to Quincy, because he led the Meteors to a Class 3A regional championship last weekend. De La Salle plays Lindblom in the sectional semifinals on Thursday. Signed in October 2021 with Nebraska. 

Lucas Loos, Oakland (Mich.)
Junior from Payson
Led the Golden Grizzlies with a .315 average this spring. Didn’t become an everyday starter until later in the season. Batted .238 for the Gems last summer with nine home runs and 30 RBIs. Batted .401 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs during his sophomore season at John Wood Community College. 

Harry Fandre, Quincy University
Freshman from Willowbrook, Ill.
Got three at-bats during early part of regular season for the Hawks. Only hit came against Truman State on March 26. Hit .283 as a senior at Hinsdale Central.

Cam Suto, Lee
Sophomore from Marietta, Ga.
Hit .354 this spring for the Flames with 12 home runs and 58 runs batted in. Hit .307 during his freshman season at Lee. 

Jimmy Koza, Virginia Military Institute
Freshman from Carpentersville, Ill.
Hit .278 in 108 at-bats with 20 runs batted in this spring for the Keydets. Was named to the all-freshman in the Southern Conference. He batted .333 in 14 conference games. Attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as a high school senior.

Jack Zebig, Maryville
Freshman from Plainfield, Ill.
Hit .320 in 206 at-bats in 55 games for the Saints this spring, collecting 16 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBIs. Played last summer for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen in the Northern League. Attended Marmion Academy.

Joe Huffman, Quincy
Freshman from Avon
Batted .264 in 110 at-bats through 43 games for the Hawks this spring, collecting 29 hits and 27 walks. Moved into starting lineup during postseason. 

Catchers

Kyle Hvidsten, Iowa Western
Freshman from Jordan, Minn.
Batted .292 with nine RBIs in 50 at-bats this spring for the Reivers. Was named most valuable player in Minnesota Baseball Coaches’ Association’s 47th annual High School Baseball All-Star series in 2022.

Riley Black, Lee
Sophomore from Cleveland, Tenn.
Hit .322 in 46 games with 11 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Hit .257 as a freshman in 41 games. Named to the all-Gulf South Conference second team. Led Bradley Central Hugh School to second-place finish in TSSAA Class AAA baseball state tournament.

Otto Jones, Washburn (Kan.)
Junior from Arvada, Colo.
Batted .253 in 99 at-bats this spring for the Ichabods. Hit .349 in 63 at-bats during the spring of 2022. Hit .287 in 101 at-bats for the Gems last summer.

Pitchers

Ben Gregory, Maryville
Freshman from Granger, Ind.
Made 14 appearances and started 11 games for the Saints this spring, posting a 6-3 record and a 6.23 earned run average. Struck out 68 batters in 60 2/3 innings. Was named Northern Indiana Conference MVP as a junior at Penn High School, but underwent internal brace surgery on Sept. 7, 2021. Pitched three-hit shutout over Indianapolis Cathedral in Indiana Class 4A state championship game in June 2022.

Stephen Eskridge, Graceland
Junior from Canton, Ill.
Appeared in 17 games this spring for the Yellowjackets, throwing 29 innings. He was Graceland’s closer, earning seven saves and compiling a 4.34 earned run average. He struck out 43 batters in 29 innings and was a first-team All-Heart of America Athletic Conference selection.

Josh Hempleman, Quincy University
Junior from Parker, Colo.
Has yet to pitch for the Hawks. 

Cole Parkhill, John Wood Community College
Sophomore from Quincy
Made 18 appearances this spring for the Trail Blazers, pitching 45 innings and compiling a 4.40 earned run average. Threw 17 innings for the Gems in 2021, allowing 29 hits and 17 walks while sporting a 14.77 ERA.  

Cael Kolacia, Iowa Western
Freshman from Fort Dodge, Iowa
Made 16 appearances, throwing 44 innings with an earned run average of 4.30. Posted a 4-0 record last summer with the Gems, pitching 21 1/3 innings and striking out 19 with a 4.64 earned run average.

Connor Schwindeler, John Wood Community College
Freshman from Quincy
Pitched 10 innings for John Wood Community College this spring, allowing 18 hits and six walks while striking out 13. His earned run average was 10.97. He posted a 1-3 record with a 4.81 earned run average in eight appearances as a senior at Quincy High School. Made four appearances for the Gems in 2022, posting a 6.75 ERA in 5 1/3 innings.

Cooper Stotts, Quincy University
Freshman from Philadelphia, Mo.
Has not yet pitched for QU. Recorded 2.35 earned run average and 75 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings during senior season at Marion County High School. Pitched 7 1/3 innings last season for the Gems, allowing 7 hits and 8 walks and compiling a 7.36 ERA.

Philip Reinhardt, Maryville
Sophomore from Valmeyer, Ill.
Made 18 appearances for Maryville this spring, going 3-1 with a 7.30 earned run average. Posted a 3.51 earned run average in 20 appearances as a freshman for the Saints in 2022. Pitched for the Gems in 2021 and 2022. Made three appearances and pitched 11 innings in 2021. Made eight starts for Gems in 2022, went 2-2 with 5.06 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 37 innings.

Jake Syverson, Missouri State
High School Senior from Westminster, Colo.
Playing this spring for Holy Family, the No. 1-ranked Class 4A team in Colorado.

Stefan Stockwell, Culver-Stockton
Senior from Ankeny, Iowa
Made 15 appearances for Culver-Stockton this spring, starting seven games. Pitched 39 innings and struck out 39 batters with 5.08 earned run average. Has a 9-8 career record with a 6.11 ERA in four seasons with the Wildcats. Pitched 24 1/3 innings with 12 appearances last summer for the Gems, posting a 5.55 ERA.

Dawson Flowers, Northwestern State
Junior from Brookhaven, Miss.
Made 18 appearances for Northwestern State this season, posting a 3.81 earned run average over 26 innings. Led Demon relievers with 19 relief appearances in 2022. Had 11 scoreless appearances in his first Division I season. Went 4-4 with a save and pitched to a 4.20 ERA in 68 innings during his two-year career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. 

Tim Gooden, Lee
Sophomore from Helena, Ala.
Appeared in 15 games, pitching 22 innings, for Lee this season, compiling a 7.77 earned run average with 30 strikeouts. Made 18 appearances in 2022, compiling a 6.38 ERA. 

Carter Poole, Highland Community College
Freshman from Kansas City
Went 0-6 with 12.15 earned run average, pitching 33 innings and allowing 41 hits and 54 walks while striking out 37 for Highland which went 11-42 this season. Played high school baseball at Oak Park in Kansas City.

Juan C. Wu, John Wood Community College
Sophomore from Tegucigalpa, Honduras 
Appeared in five games, pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowed nine hits and nine walks for the Trail Blazers this spring.

Ryan Foley, William Jewell
Junior from O’Fallon, Mo.
Played three years at John Wood Community College, appearing in 29 games with 146 innings of work and 14 starts. Posted a 6.10 earned run average and struck out 125 batters. Pitched 12 innings this spring for the Cardinals, allowing 24 hits and compiling 13.50 earned run average.

Peyton Clampitt, John Wood Community College
Sophomore from Camp Point
Made 14 appearances and started 10 games this spring for the Trail Blazers. Posted a 5-4 record with a 6.70 earned run average in 44 1/3 innings with 53 strikeouts. Made three starts for the Gems last summer, posting a 5.65 earned run average in 14 1/3 innings with 15 strikeouts.