Northeast Wisconsin high school baseball players are prominent on the 2026 Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association all-state team.
Kewaunee’s Brett Paulsen is the lone representative on the first team from northeast Wisconsin. The Packerland Conference pitcher had quite the season, fashioning an 11-0 record with two saves and a sparkling 0.53 ERA.
From the Fox River Classic Conference, Bay Port’s Parker Lawson and Pulaski’s Braun Wotruba were chosen for the second team. Lawson went 8-1 with a 0.99 ERA, while Wotruba batted .471.
Two Fox Valley Association and two Bay Conference players made the third team.
Kimberly’s Maddux Hermus went 8-1 with a 1.60 ERA. Menasha’s Jacob Coopman was 3-2 with a 0.56 ERA. Kaukauna’s Kaden Kress batted .447, while Seymour’s Cayden Staffeldt batted .424.
Earning honorable mention were Bay Port’s Eli Hart, who batted.434, and his teammate Carson Hawley, who batted .408. Neenah’s Mack Krause, who batted .385, Gibraltar/Washington Island’s Cam Munao, who hit a robust .570, and Seymour’s Carson Staffeldt, who hit .414, also made honorable mention.
The state players of the year were Jace Mataczynski of Hudson in Division 1, Dominic Santarelli of Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic in Division 2, Ira Hilbelink of Cedar Grove-Belgium in Division 3 and Dawson Luther of Pittsville in Division 4.
FIRST TEAM
Pitchers – Tyson Grulkowski, sr., Muskego; Brett Paulsen, sr., Kewaunee; Landon Lassahn, sr., Verona. Catcher – Jack Brenner, sr., Fond du Lac. Infielders – Carter Gordon, jr., Germantown; Chance Ruby, sr., Wilmot; Jace Mataczynski, sr., Hudson; Cal Moreau, sr., Monona Grove; Calvin Roth, sr., Stevens Point. Outfielders – Jon Murkowski, sr., Germantown; Dominic Santarelli, sr., Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic; Dawson Luther, sr., Pittsville. DH/Utility – Ira Hilbelink, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium.
SECOND TEAM
Pitchers – Colton Semmelmann, sr., Brookfield Central; Mason Schmidt, sr., Somerset; Parker Lawson, sr., Bay Port. Catcher – Maddux Lessard, sr., Muskego. Infielders – Brayden Alivo, sr., Saint Thomas More; Trey Kerkhoff, sr., Burlington; Jake Cummins, sr., Milton; Braun Wotruba, sr., Pulaski; Cayden Burtness, jr., Pewaukee. Outfielders – Charlie McIntyre, sr., Whitefish Bay; Chase Staude, jr., Kettle Moraine; Joe Meeter, sr., Holmen. DH/Utility – Zach Rizzo, sr., Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic.
THIRD TEAM
Pitchers – Damian Kosempa, sr., Marquette; Maddux Hermus, jr., Kimberly; Ethan Jeffers, sr., River Falls; Hunter Larson, sr., Barneveld; Jacob Coopman, sr., Menasha; Cal Schneider, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower. Catcher – Logan Hagman, jr., Hudson. Infielders – Mack Endres, sr., Oak Creek; Kaden Kress, sr., Kaukauna; Maddex Welzien, so., West Bend West; Winston Alonso, sr., Reedsburg; Cayden Staffeldt, sr., Seymour; Cooper Sievert, jr., Wisconsin Lutheran. Outfielders – Tyler Smeiska, jr., Mukwonago; Keyton Kilian, sr., Fond du Lac; Bryce Crubaugh-Lockard, sr., Dodgeville. DH/Utility – Brayden Banyai, sr., Madison Memorial.
HONORABLE MENTION
Pitchers – Reed Vorlob, sr., Horicon; Sam Ortiz, sr., Franklin; Mark Susa, jr., Hudson; Bentley Wagner, sr., Jefferson; Marty Hanna, sr., Sauk Prairie; Brett Breidung, sr., Durand/Arkansaw; Gavin Thiel, jr., Stevens Point; True Thurs, sr., Marathon; Nathan Johnson, sr., Dodgeville; Derek Wales, so., Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran. Catchers – Grady Cheever, jr., Germantown; Haaken Hovestol, jr., Delavan-Darien; Mac Konieczny, sr., Columbus Catholic; Cooper Whitehurst, sr., Wisconsin Dells. Infielders – Tyler Olszewski, sr., Germantown; Carson Roemhild, sr., Boyceville; Tysen Teal, jr., Northwestern; Gavin Thompson, sr., Chippewa Falls; Caleb Liggon, sr., Madison Memorial; Logan Michaels, sr., Random Lake; Eli Hart, so., Bay Port; Mack Krause, sr., Neenah; Zandyr Barke, sr., Wittenberg-Birnamwood; Michael Glodowski, sr., Amherst; Henry Grove, sr., Wisconsin Dells; Shawn Jahnke-Fiedler, sr., Fennimore; Cael Koenig, jr., River Ridge; Gage Wall, sr., Seneca. Outfielders – Alex Michna, jr., New Berlin Eisenhower; Dominick Walters, sr., Franklin; Alex Hoff, sr., Saint Croix Falls; Sam Manchester, sr., Hudson; Ethan Westrate, jr., Fall Creek; Cam Glusick, jr., Sun Prairie East; Grayson Gauwitz, jr., McFarland; Ezra Liggon, sr., Madison Memorial; Carson Hawley, sr., Bay Port; Cam Munao, sr., Gibraltar/Washington Island; Sully Perkins, sr., Amherst; Carson Staffeldt, sr., Seymour; Brett Bossert, sr., Mineral Point. DH/Utility – Caleb Johns, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower; Sam Abrahamson, sr., Hudson; Drew Gage, sr., Stratford; Mason Durst, so., Barneveld; Jack Olson, jr., Viroqua.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Northeast Wisconsin baseball players named to all-state team
Reporting by Jim Oskola, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Oskola, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
