Biography
Career (2022-26): Draeger put together a strong five-year collegiate career, spending two seasons at Lincoln Land Community College before finishing with three seasons at Quincy.Â
Across his career, Draeger appeared in 50 games and made 37 starts on the mound, throwing 189.2 innings. He finished with a 22-8 record, two saves, seven complete games, a 4.84 ERA, and a 1.36 WHIP.
Draeger totaled 178 strikeouts to just 48 walks, posting a 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio while averaging 8.45 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.28 walks per nine innings.
2026 (Graduate): Draeger made 11 appearances with nine starts during his graduate season, posting a 3-2 record across 37.2 innings pitched. He finished the year with a 6.93 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts. His best outing of the season came in a win over William Jewell (4/19/26), where he tossed five innings, allowed two runs, and struck out a season-high six batters.
2025 (Senior): Draeger saw his senior season cut short due to injury, but still made five starts for the Hawks. He went 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 22.2 innings pitched. His best outing of the season came against Colorado School of Mines (3/2/25), where he earned the win after throwing six innings of one-run ball.
2024 (Junior): Draeger made eight relief appearances during his first season with the Hawks, posting a 2-0 record with three saves and a 1.91 ERA across 9.1 innings pitched.
He made his Quincy debut against Lewis (4/7/24), tossing a scoreless inning. Draeger earned his first save as a Hawk in an 11-6 win over Indianapolis (4/13/24), recording the final two innings, before picking up his first Quincy win against Southwest Baptist (4/21/24) after allowing one unearned run across two innings with two strikeouts.
2023 (Sophomore at LLCC): Draeger made 13 appearances with 11 starts during his sophomore season at Lincoln Land Community College, posting a 6-3 record across 53.2 innings pitched. He finished with a 4.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts.
His top strikeout performance came in a win over John Wood (3/20/23), where he punched out a season-high 10 batters while allowing just one run over five innings.
2022 (Freshman at LLCC): Draeger made 13 appearances with 12 starts during his first season at Lincoln Land Community College, going 8-2 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 66.1 innings pitched. He led the Loggers with 68 strikeouts while issuing just nine walks.
Draeger made his collegiate debut against Milwaukee Area Tech (2/19/22) and earned his first career win against Jackson College (3/7/22), tossing seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. He later struck out a season-high 11 batters in a win over Danville Area (4/16/22) before capping his freshman season with a complete-game shutout against Parkland (5/19/22), scattering five hits across nine innings with seven strikeouts.
Personal: Ben Draeger is a native of Morton, Illinois, and a graduate of Morton High School. He comes to Quincy after spending two years at Lincoln Land College. Draeger is the son of Debbie and Keith and has two siblings, Katelynn and Stephen.
Outside of baseball, Draeger is proud to be an Eagle Scout. His favorite athlete is Ian Happ, and he is a fan of the Chicago Cubs, Green Bay Packers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
