QUINCY, Ill. — Summer baseball is returning to the Gem City.
Springfield, Illinois-based ownership group Golden Rule Entertainment has obtained a license to field a new collegiate wooden bat baseball team in the city of almost 39,000 next summer, pending contract negotiations with Quincy University and municipal officials.
The Prospect League owners ratified the potential addition of the team at their annual summit earlier this week. On Friday, Golden Rule announced the acquisition in a news release.
“Bringing baseball back to Quincy is a dream come true for us and for the enthusiastic fans in this community,” writes Tim Hoker, Golden Rule Entertainment’s co-owner. “We believe in the power of sports to unite people and create lasting memories, and we are committed to making the Quincy baseball experience truly special.”
Golden Rule Entertainment — led by minor league industry veteran Jamie Toole — states its philosophy is to acquire Midwest sports properties and elevate them to their full potential.
The company had purchased the central Illinois-based Springfield Sliders in 2022 and subsequently rebranded them the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. The team saw a record-breaking 23% attendance increase between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which was the largest league attendance jump during that time frame.
The addition of the yet-to-be-named team is the latest chapter in Quincy’s rich baseball history, which includes fielding St. Louis Cardinals Whitey Herzog and Bruce Sutter. The pair would go on to be named to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“That’s part of our DNA,” Mayor Mike Troup said about summer baseball while reminiscing about growing up watching the Chicago Cubs’ Quincy-based farm team. “The sound of that ball hitting that hardwood and flying through the air — it's summer.”
Quincy hosted minor league baseball teams from 1882 to 1973 under various names, beginning as the "Quincy Quincys" before being renamed “The Gems" around 1907. After the 1973 season, the team moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and folded two years later.
Decades passed before the Quincy Gems moniker returned. In 1996, the Quincy Civic Center Authority brought back the team under the Central Illinois Collegiate League, which later merged with the Prospect League. It played at Quincy University’s stadium as one of the league’s founding members. But trouble soon loomed.
The team posted losses of more $90,000 in 2013, and its director retired. The Quincy Civic Center Authority put the team on the market but initially didn’t have success finding a buyer. In 2014, the team was finally bought for $12,000 by Gems BB3 LLC — a group of Quincy residents including Julie and Jimmie Louthan. The Louthans took full ownership in 2016 but only remained owners for roughly six years before shuttering the team.
"We are sincerely grateful for the unforgettable connections made with players, host families, fans, sponsors and those in the community who supported Quincy Gems Baseball along with the dedicated staff who made summer baseball in Quincy possible," the couple wrote in an August 2023 statement.
The following month, a Tennessee-based religious baseball group bought the Gems for an undisclosed amount. The team then moved to Hendersonville, a Nashville suburb, and rebranded as the Full Count Rhythm. The team currently plays in the soon-to-be 18-member Prospect League.
Troup said the sudden loss of the team came as a shock and sent the city’s staff into a frenzy. “We had no warning that was even an option,” he said. “By the time we got a hold of anybody, they had already sold the team.”
The first hint of a team’s return came in a Tuesday social media post marking the league’s annual conference.
An image of a navy banner shows various Prospect League teams — including the Alton River Dragons and the O'Fallon, Missouri, Hoots. But, “The Return of Quincy Baseball Club" logo was discreetly tucked next to the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes' anthropomorphic brass horseshoe holding a fry-shaped baseball bat with a single glob of cheese dripping off it.
A partnership with Golden Rule Entertainment makes perfect sense, Troup added. “They want to build a base. They want to be part of the community where they can support some of the nonprofit activities throughout the year,” he said. “That's the kind of partnership that any community would love to see.”
The city’s new summer collegiate baseball team is slated to play at QU Baseball Stadium at 1300 North 18th St., pending an agreement among the city, university and Golden Rule Entertainment.
“We believe, based on the conversations we’ve had in the last six months, that we will have a team for the 2025 season and be ready to go. Some things have got to get done,” Hoker told Muddy River News. He’s slated to serve as the director of the new team. “There’s a big list, but we are prioritizing the ones that have to get done. Most of those are around making sure [QU Stadium] is safe and comfortable for the fans.”
There are concerns about the aging QU Stadium, which had a $4 million renovation in the 2014-15 season to update the football and baseball sides of the complex. But it now needs seating and lighting updates, new outfield turf and a dugout renovation.
Hoker told the news outlet his company wants the city and Quincy University to foot some of the bill. Troup said he would be proposing the city dip into its food and drink tax reserves to help pay for renovations. Representatives from the three organizations are set to meet Friday.
“Quincy coming back — obviously once everything is finalized — [will] be a great addition for the Prospect League and one that certainly has a great amount of history and lineage,” said David Brauer, the league’s commissioner. “There's been a lot of success and tradition there … and great attendance throughout the years.”
The community will have an opportunity to vote on the official name in the coming months. More information about the future of the team name, branding and other events will be announced during a media event on Nov. 15.
