When the conversation regarding the best left-handed pitchers in the history of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball program heats up, Greg Hellhake’s name helps stoke the fire.
In a three-year varsity career, Hellhake fashioned a 16-5 record while striking out 207 batters in 130 innings. He had seven games with 10 or more strikeouts. As a sophomore, he went 4-2 with a 1.58 ERA and started the Class A state championship game against Harrisburg.
As a senior, Hellhake earned first-team all-area honors as he went 5-2 with two saves and a 2.40 ERA. He struck out 80 in 46.2 innings, while tossing a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a victory over QHS. He also hit .384 with 10 doubles.
Hellhake spent three summers playing for the Quincy American Legion Post 37 squad, helping it win three consecutive District 15 titles and compile a 105-34 record.
Recruited to pitch at NCAA Division I Creighton University, Hellhake spent four seasons in the Bluejays’ rotation, compiling a 13-11 record in 47 career starts with 109 strikeouts in 198 innings. He was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-tournament team as a senior after throwing a two-hit, nine-inning complete game to keep the Bluejays from being eliminated.
He pitched in the NCAA Tournament with a six-inning start against Georgia in a game Creighton lost in 11 innings.
"First, I want to thank the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame Committee members for this great award. I am truly honored and filled with Raider Pride to be accepted into the QND Athletic Hall of Fame along with so many other talented individuals.
This award is as much mine as it is everyone’s who helped guide me along my journey. I thank God for the opportunities for me to use my abilities to be successful.
To my parents, Tom and Marlene, and my sister, Emily, who have always been my biggest fans and who taught me to work hard and study hard: Thank you for your love, support, sacrifice, and encouragement through the ups and downs of my entire career.
Thank you to my wife, Sarah, who gets to hear plenty of stories from my playing days, and my two kids, James and Eleanor, in whom I hope to instill the same values I learned during my time at QND.
I learned so much from my wonderful coaches over the years that none of this would have happened without your commitment to instill trust, resiliency, and discipline in your players. Your efforts left a lasting impression to not only excel on the field but also be the best teammate off the field.
To all my teammates, I am grateful for your dedication on the diamond, which helped create memories and a special bond that I still cherish today. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the most successful baseball teams in Raiders history. Go Raiders!"
-Greg Hellhake '06