No. 22 — QU baseball team reaches NCAA DIvision II World Series

Editor’s note: Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Sports Director Chris Duerr have covered sports in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri since the start of the 21st century. Together, they will celebrate the top moments they have witnessed through the first quarter of the century throughout the “25 of 25” series.

QUINCY — Dominic Miles said it best before the Quincy University baseball team embarked on its 2017 campaign.

“It’s not going to happen like last year,” the senior center fielder said.

That was in reference to the way the Hawks needed to play and the end result. Despite having one of the program’s most prolific offenses ever and the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, Quincy fell short of reaching the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time in program history.

Although the pieces were in place to be one of the region’s top teams yet again, albeit with an offense meant to manufacture runs over hitting long balls, the Hawks didn’t head into the 2017 postseason with the same sort of swagger. Having gone 5-8 over the final 13 games of the regular season, Quincy lost the chance to be the No. 1 seed and the regional host.

Then something magical began to take place and a history-making run followed.

Senior right-hander Graham Spraker shut down Illinois-Springfield in the opening game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, allowing one run over 7.1 innings in a 10-1 QU victory that kickstarted a title pursuit. The Hawks won the next three games, including a 4-3 victory over Drury in which Nolan Snyder went 3 for 3 with three RBIs, to win the GLVC championship and the automatic regional berth.

The fun was just beginning.

Forced to travel to Midland, Mich., for the NCAA Midwest Regional, the Hawks opened with back-to-back victories over Wayne State and Saint Joseph’s, getting a walk-off double by Jake Walters in a 4-3 victory over the Warriors and a game-winning RBI double in the eighth inning from Chandler Purcell in the 9-8 victory over the Pumas.

Northwoods, the host school, knocked the Hawks into the loser’s bracket with a 5-3 victory, but an 8-5 victory over Wayne State in an elimination game an incredible ninth-inning rally in which Brynn Martinez belted a game-tying two-run home run and J.C. DeMuri blasted a game-winning three-run home run.

It set up an epic final day of the regional.

Having to beat Northwoods twice to win the regional and the World Series berth, the Hawks took the first game with TJ Tamaccio driving home pinch-runner Cole Cimarolli with a single to right field in the eighth inning for a 4-3 lead.

The best was yet to come.

QU coach Josh Rabe gave the ball to freshman left-hander Riley Martin to start the winner-take-all finale, and the future professional pitcher allowed just four hits and tossed six scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen.

In the top of the seventh, however, Hawks catcher Jack Klages belted a solo home run to right field for a 1-0 lead, and in the eighth, DeMuri drove home Matt Hilmes with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for a 2-0 advantage.

The bullpen and the defense took care of the rest. Freshman right-hander Alex Pribyl worked two scoreless innings, retiring all six batters he faced while striking out two. He handed the ball over to senior closer Cole Crawford to end it in the ninth, but the Timberwolves made it interesting.

Crawford walked the leadoff hitter, allowed a one-out single and hit a batter with two outs to load the bases. However, he got pinch-hitter Brooks Ullery to pop out in foul territory to Tamaccio at third base for the final out.

A dogpile ensued as Quincy earned the first World Series berth in program history.

The Hawks headed to Arlington, Texas, for the World Series, losing to Colorado Mesa and the University of California-San Diego to end the season, but the magical postseason run and the breakthrough moment of getting to college baseball’s biggest stage created memories for a lifetime.

Missed one of the “25 of 25”? Here are the links to all prior stories:

No. 23 — QHS boys soccer team finishes as state runner-up in 2015

No. 24 — Highland, Canton combine to win four state softball titles

No. 25 — Southeastern’s Dave Swisegood becomes winningest baseball coach in Illinois