Cedar Grove-Belgium’s Ira Hilbelink had the kind of performance at the WIAA Division 3 state tournament that will be remembered for a long time.
He broke the D3 state record for most triples in a game with three against Marathon.
In 24 games previously he only had four, so he almost doubled his season total in one game.
The 2026 Lakeshore Elite Baseball Player of the Year, Hilbelink was doing those kinds of things all season long for the Rockets.
Hilbelink was a big reason Cedar Grove-Belgium not only made its first state appearance since 1984 but why the Rockets ended the season as state champions for the first time ever.
He had 36 RBIs while batting close to .600 with six home runs and 53 runs scored.
Then as a pitcher he had a sub 2.00 earned run average with 82 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched.
There’s little doubt why he drew so much interest from NCAA Division I programs before verbally committing to Minnesota.
And just a junior, he has a whole other season left to prove just why he’s the best baseball player in Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties and one of the best in the entire state.
LAKESHORE ELITE BASEBALL TEAM 2026
Pitcher: Brett Rybarczyk, sr., Sheboygan North; Ira Hilbelink, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium (Player of the Year); Colton Schaefer, sr., Kiel;
Infielder: Gabe Eichmann, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln; Aaron Stephany, sr., Kiel; Carter Schmitz, sr., Cedar Grove-Belgium; Decker Kleppin, jr., Random Lake
Catcher: Caden Milbrath, sr., Kiel;
Outfielder: Griffin Donahue, jr., Random Lake; Logan Michaels, sr., Random Lake; Josiah Martin, jr., Manitowoc Lutheran
Utility/DH: Chase Verbanac, sr., Random Lake
Honorable mention: Ethan Rau, jr., Plymouth; Austin Knapp, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium; Parker Ziebell, jr., New Holstein; Austin Ebert, sr., Valders; Victor Anzia, sr., Roncalli; Logan Guzman, sr., Kiel; Ethan Schmitz, sr., New Holstein; Aidan Schmahl, jr., Sheboygan Falls; Colton Doherty, sr., New Holstein; Hayden Dewane, sr., Roncalli; Josh Anzia, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium; Jonah Banton, sr., Cedar Grove-Belgium; Seth Race, sr, Cedar Grove-Belgium; Connor Waters, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium; Nolan Kading, jr., Kohler/Christian; Lucas LeMahieu, sr., Oostburg; Reed Traas, jr., Random Lake; Cole Wagner, jr., Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah; Wesley Hecker, sr., Manitowoc Lutheran; Isaiah Hochmuth, jr., Manitowoc Lutheran; Jack Schwahn, sr., Reedsville; Nathan Christensen, sr., Reedsville; Trayden Rebedew, sr., Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah; Ethan Fromm, sr., Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah; Quinn Sand, jr., Mishicot; Logan Haupt, sr., Manitowoc Lutheran; Charles Meulemans, so., Reedsville; Ben Prochnow, sr., Reedsville; Ryan Stephen, sr., Sheboygan South; Owen Pflum, sr., Sheboygan South; Will Krebsbach, sr., Plymouth; Charlie Monkoski, jr., Plymouth; Nick Braun, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln; Bennett Johnson, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Who made the 2026 Lakeshore Elite baseball team and was POY?
Reporting by Tom Dombeck, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Dombeck, Sheboygan Press | USA TODAY Network
