Prospect League Playoffs - Championship Series Preview

The Prospect League Championship Series begins on Thursday for the first game of the best-of-three series between the Chillicothe Paints and the Quincy Gems!

August 9, 2023

The 2023 Prospect League Playoffs will finish this weekend with the Prospect League Championship Series on Thursday, Saturday, and if needed Sunday.

You can watch every game live on Prospect League TV and for more information and quick links on every playoff game check out our Playoff Central Page.

The Eastern Conference Champion Chillicothe Paints and the Western Conference Champion Quincy Gems will battle in the best-of-three series to crown the 2023 Prospect League Champion. Game one will be hosted by the Gems at QU Stadium in Quincy, Illinois on Thursday, and games two and three will be hosted by the Paints at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Quincy Gems

33-26 Overall
17-12 Home
16-14 Away
29-20 in Western Conference
4-6 in Eastern Conference
13 wins in their last 17 games

Chillicothe Paints

43-17 Overall
25-7 Home
18-10 Away
39-13 in Eastern Conference
4-4 in Western Conference
13 wins in their last 15 games

Setting the Scene: The Gems and Paints are tied for the most championship series appearances as each will make their sixth appearance in the 2023 Prospect League Championship Series. Both the Paints and Gems have three Prospect League titles, only one will exit this series with their record fourth.

Series History: This series is the first meeting of the 2023 season between Gems and the Paints.

The two teams last played in the 2018 regular season. The teams split a two-game series in Quincy with the Gems winning game one 7-5 and the Paints winning game two 12-0.

The Paints lead the all-time regular season series against the Gems 6-1. The Paints are 5-0 against the Gems at VA Memorial Stadium in the regular season. While the Gems are 1-1 against the Paints at QU Stadium in the regular season.

In the postseason the two teams have only ever played in the championship series. The Gems have won two titles over the Paints. In 2009, the Gems swept the Paints 2-0 with one win in Quincy and one win in Chillicothe. In 2014, the Gems defeated the Paints 2-1 with one win in Quincy and one win and one loss in Chillicothe.

Championship History: The Gems have won three Prospect League Championships, winning in 2009, 2011, and 2014. The Gems lost in the championship series in 2013 and 2016.

The Paints have won three Prospect League Championships, winning in 2010, 2019, and 2022. The Paints lost in the championship series in 2009 and 2014.

The Gems won three of the first six Prospect League Championships. The Paints have won two of the last three Prospect League Championships.

Gems Path to the Championship: The Gems fought off the Burlington Bees and Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp to capture the second half Great River Division Championship.

On Sunday, the Gems defeated the Clinton LumberKings 6-5 in Clinton to win the Great River Division Championship.

On Tuesday, the Gems defeated the Thrillville Thrillbillies 13-6 in Marion to win the Western Conference Championship.

Paints Path to the Championship: The Paints won both the first half and second half of the Ohio River Valley Division fending off the Champion City Kings, Johnstown Mill Rats, and Lafayette Aviators.

On Sunday, the Paints defeated the Champion City Kings 7-6 in Chillicothe to win the Ohio River Valley Division Championship.

On Tuesday, the Paints defeated the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 12-0 in 7 innings in Chillicothe to win the Eastern Conference Championship.

Gems Scouting Report: As a team, the Gems rank sixth in the Prospect League in hits (517), third in runs (415), fourth in home runs (48), sixth in doubles (97), tenth in batting average (.275), and seventh in slugging percentage (.418).

The Gems rank fourteenth in the Prospect League in earned run average (7.06), eleventh in WHIP (1.83), twelfth in hits allowed (543), and fifth in strikeouts (463). They also rank fifth in fielding percentage (.963).

Paints Scouting Report: As a team, the Paints rank first in the Prospect League in hits (628), runs (471), batting average (.320), and slugging percentage (.474). They also rank second in triples (24) and third in home runs (54).

The Paints rank second in the Prospect League in earned run average (4.98), second in WHIP (1.53), sixth in hits allowed (480), and sixteenth in strikeouts (389). They also rank fifth in fielding percentage (.963).

Gems Key Players: Lucas Loos has been the leader of this Gems offense all season. Loos finished the season first in runs batted in (62), second in home runs (13), and also sported a .297 batting average with a .645 slugging percentage.

Kyle Hvidsten is the Gems' batting average leader as he entered the playoffs batting .347 with 43 hits, 10 doubles, 4 home runs, 37 runs scored, and 29 runs batted in.

Stephen Eskridge leads the Gems out of the bullpen with 6 saves and 1 win in 16 appearances in relief this season. Eskridge entered the playoffs with a 0.83 earned run average in 21.2 innings pitched to go along with 30 strikeouts compared to 12 walks.

Paints Key Players: The Paints have three of the top five batting average leaders in the Prospect League in their lineup as Victor Figueroa (.430) ranks first, Tim Orr (.385) ranks fourth, and Cole Kwiatkowski (.359) ranked fifth.

Tim Orr is the Paints' offensive leader as he entered the playoffs batting .385 with 69 hits, 15 doubles, 5 triples, 6 home runs, 61 runs scored, and 54 runs batted in.

The Paints' pitching staff is led by Nick Falter, who entered the playoffs with a 4-2 record in 11 appearances and 55.0 innings pitched. Falter has a 3.60 earned run average with 56 strikeouts compared to just 15 walls.

Championship Series Schedule: Game 1 | Thursday, August 10 | QU Stadium | Quincy, Illinois | Quincy Gems 18 vs Chillicothe Paints 12

Game 2 | Saturday, August 12 | VA Memorial Stadium | Chillicothe, Ohio | Chillicothe Paints 12 vs Quincy Gems 0