QUINCY (WGEM) – It didn’t take Matt Schissel long to think of a word to describe his 2026 Quincy University baseball squad.
“Close. We really have a close bond,” said Schissel, whose team opens the season Saturday and Sunday against Christian Brothers College in Millington, Tennessee. “We’ve got a lot of older guys who have been around the program for several years.
“Our leadership has just been awesome so I’m really excited about that. We are a player-led program which should really help us.”
The season, which was pushed back by a day because of recent heavy snow and ice that hit the Memphis area, saw the games moved from Memphis to Millington, the site of the multi-field USA Stadium Complex.
“We’ve been able to get outside the last couple of days to practice,” Schissel said. “That’s just kind of the way it is around here with the weather.”
Next week, the Hawks will travel to face defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion Colorado Mesa in a four-game set before returning home.
QU’s home opener against Roosevelt is the start of a 12-game homestead featuring three four-game series against Roosevelt (Feb. 20-22), Davenport (Feb. 27-March 1) and GLVC opener against Truman State (March 6-8).
Schissel, who is his fifth year, saw the Hawks finish just under .500 for the first time since the 2001 season at 26-27 last year. But an 18–14 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference helped secure a berth in the postseason tournament for the 14th consecutive year.
Schissel has compiled a 138-89 record with two NCAA Div. II postseason berths, two Super Regional appearances and a GLVC regular season and tournament championship in his four years.
Schissel said the Hawks rotation for the weekend will see All-GLVC First Team selection in left-hander Roman Harrison starting the season opener with grad right-hander Ben Draeger starting the second game. On Sunday, redshirt junior right-hander Kade Ruffner will start the first game with the second game starter undecided.
QU features a solid and experienced six-man core which includes:
Joe Huffman, SS: The senior was one of two Hawks to appear and start in all 53 games, compiling a slash line of .296 batting average/.409 on base percentage/.529 slugging percentage across 189 at-bats. He was second on the team in doubles (11), home runs (11), total bases (100), and walks (22). He led the team in hit by pitches with 17 and also produced 44 RBI and scored 41 runs.
David Broughton, 3B: The junior led the team in doubles (12), RBIs (59), walks (23) and sacrifice flies (7). His 59 RBIs ranked third in the GLVC. His slash line was .297/.384/.490 and he was also second on the team with 18 stolen bases in 20 attempts. He also hit nine home runs
Ben Dahlof, CF: The senior appeared and started in 47 games and was a key piece at the top of the order, where he led the team with a .390 batting average, .462 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases. His .390 average was ranked fifth in the GLVC. He also had seven doubles, three home runs, 23 RBIs and scored 44 runs.
Isaiah Fudge, 2B: The redshirt sophomore appeared in 45 games, starting in 43 of them, where he totaled 167 at-bats and hit .305 with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs, and 26 RBIs.
Byron Blaise, C: In 35 games and 32 starts, the senior hit .272 with seven doubles, one triple, one homer and 17 RBIs. Behind the plate, Blaise threw out 12 baserunners.
Harry Fandre, 1B: The redshirt junior hit .322 with seven doubles, six homers and 23 RBIs. He also had 19 walks and four hit by pitches helping him to a .432 on-base percentage.
Roman Harrison, LHP: All-conference selection made 16 appearances and eight starts, where he tossed 63.2 innings and had a 5-4 record with a team-best 4.10 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. The senior also led the team with 72 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .226 average. In his final six starts in conference play, Harrison did not give up more than three runs in a start and had a 3.14 ERA to go along with 43 strikeouts.
Ben Draeger, RHP: The senior had last season cut short due to injury but still managed to toss 22.2 innings across five starts. Draeger had a 3-1 record with a 4.76 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.
Kade Ruffner, RHP: The redshirt junior made 14 starts, where he had a 6.29 ERA and 1.81 WHIP across 58.2 innings. He had a 4-3 record and 56 strikeouts.
Logan Mueller, RHP: The senior made 17 appearances out of the bullpen, where he had a 2-3 record and tossed 20.2 innings. He had a 7.84 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP to go along with 15 strikeouts and seven walks.
The GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll with first-place votes in parenthesis:
Indianapolis 181 (5)Illinois Springfield 170 (4)Maryville 169 (2)Drury 160 (2)Lewis 139 (1)Quincy 128Missouri S&T 125Missouri-St. Louis 124 (1)Upper Iowa 81McKendree 78Rockhurst 69William Jewell 66Southwest Baptist 41Truman State 30Lincoln 14
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