QUINCY — Josh Rabe’s wardrobe is different. His daily routine is, too.

After the Quincy University baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on May 29, Rabe made his transition from coaching to administration. On June 1, he officially moved into his role as the Quincy University athletic director, having spent the previous five months as the AD in-training.

So he’s traded ballcaps and shorts for golf shirts and slacks, and his diamond refuge has been exchanged for conference rooms and offices.

The only person in Great Lakes Valley Conference history to be named the Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year in their respective sport, Rabe now is tasked with leading the Hawks into a more prosperous era athletically.

During the 2020-21 school year, Quincy finished 10th in the GLVC Commissioner’s Cup, which is based on final standings in the league’s seven core sports. The Hawks finished in the top five in four sports (baseball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball) and in the bottom three in three others (men’s basketball, women’s basketball and softball).

It’s the third time in the last four years — no Commissioner’s Cup was awarded for the 2019-20 campaign — the Hawks finished 10th or worse. That comes on the heels of 10 straight years of finishing between third and eighth. 

Quincy also landed 14th among the GLVC’s 15 schools in the All-Sports Trophy. It’s the third straight time it has been 14th, and QU hasn’t finished higher than 10th in the last eight years.  The Hawks sponsor teams in 19 of the GLVC’s 22 intercollegiate sports.

Yet, Rabe looks beyond those results — he certainly expects better in the years to come — to see why people should be encouraged by what is taking place on the QU campus. He points to facilities that are among the best in the GLVC and a vibrant, young coaching staff that has brought energy and enthusiasm to the athletic department.

The new QU athletic director sat down with Muddy River Sports editor Matt Schuckman to discuss the upcoming season and the future of Hawks athletics.

Take a listen.