Quincy Wins Third GLVC Baseball Championship Title in 2017
OZARK, Mo. – Quincy University won all four of its games in the 2017 Great Lakes Valley Conference Baseball Tournament to claim the league trophy for the third time in school history Sunday afternoon at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Missouri. The first two Conference Championship crowns for the Hawks came in 2000 and 2011.
With the exception of the championship final against Drury, in which it won 4-3, Quincy defeated its other three opponents by four or more runs in each outing.
The Hawks started the postseason event with a dominant 10-1 win over No. 3 East seed Illinois Springfield Thursday morning in the rain. They followed Friday night with another impressive performance, topping No. 4W William Jewell, 6-2, before Saturday evening’s 9-5 win against #4E Saint Joseph’s. With the victory against the Pumas, Quincy punched its seventh ticket to the championship game.
Sophomore left fielder Colin Hawk paced Quincy’s title game with an impressive outing, going 3-for-3 and driving in three of the four runs, including the game-winner in the seventh inning.
Both teams called in five pitchers to the mound, but it was senior Graham Spraker who notched the win through 4.0 innings of work, striking out five batters and not allowing a hit after entering the game in the third. Junior Cole Crawford closed things out and picked up his ninth save of the year in 1.0 inning to help secure the title.
Drury’s Avery Jennings was credited with the loss after only 1.0 inning pitched, giving up four hits and two earned runs.
With the win, Quincy earns the league’s automatic berth to the 2017 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. The other GLVC schools in contention for postseason bids will learn their Midwest Regional fate during the NCAA D-II Selection Show later tonight at 10 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.