Unflappable and unsatisfied:

Pitcher Carter Schmitz launched his glove into the air on its own Artemis mission, then chest bumped catcher Connor Waters before the two fell to the ground in sheer elation.

Right-fielder Cooper Schmidt had just caught the final out of the sectional final, sealing a 6-2 win over Lake Country Lutheran at Horicon on June 9.

The Rockets qualified for state, completing part of their mission.

They were ecstatic, but that faded.

“In the moment it was happy. That was one of the goals we crossed off,” junior Ira Hilbelink said. “Now we’ve got to leave that behind and just win it all.”

“We were just really excited. Almost like a relief. We’ve been working so hard to get to that point,” Schmitz said. “We know we’re not done and we still have some goals to cross off.”

Coach Tom Race knows his team’s mentality.

“There’s a lot of people and they’re saying such super nice things and I’m grateful for that,” he said. “None of these kids want to make it. They want to win it.”

To do that, they had to win two games on June 9.

The first featured a marquee pitching matchup of hard throwers. Hilbelink came in with a 7-1 record and an earned-run average less than 1.5. Living Word Lutheran’s Gavin Weissenburger came in 10-1 with an ERA less than 2.

The Rockets jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning and four in the second.

Weissburger was lifted after four innings. He allowed five hits, six runs (three earned) and five walks while striking out two.

Hilbelink cruised, whiffing two of the first three batters and 14 for the game. He allowed three hits and two walks in seven innings of an 8-0 victory.

“I was feeling great,” Hilbelink said.

The early lead made things easier.

“It boosted my confidence. Being a pitcher, stepping on the mound knowing you’ve got your guys on offense to pick you up,” he said.

“I had the bases loaded at one point but I knew we were going to score the runs after.”

Race said Hilbelink was on point.

“He was dialed in,” he said.

On offense, Race said his team took advantage of early opportunities.

“I thought their pitcher came out nervous,” he said. “We like to put on a lot of pressure with base running. He didn’t have a lot of control — three or four passed balls — and the guys made him pay for every one of those.”

Schmitz said Hilbelink’s hot start was key.

“Ira definitely set the tone, striking out two guys in the first inning. We just fed off of that,” he said. “Anytime you can get up on a team in the first inning in a big game like that, it kind of defeats them.”

Austin Knapp had two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored. Seth Race and Carter Schmitz each had a hit and an RBI. Hilbelink had a hit, a walk and three runs scored. Connor Waters had two hits.

Knapp has been the team’s hottest hitter of late and leads the Rockets in RBIs with 41.

“The key to my hitting had been staying confident in my ability to hit the ball and trusting all the swings I take in the cage and the offseason,” he said. “I put in a lot of extra work outside of practice for hitting, and it has really paid off.”

In the field, the Rockets didn’t commit an error. The Timberwolves made one.

A different kind of strike

After the game, Lake Country Lutheran played Cambridge. The winner took on the Rockets later that afternoon.

Two of the players’ parents, Mike Hilbelink and Heather Posthuma, suggested the team go somewhere to eat. A bowling alley was chosen. The Cedar Grove Belgium Athletic Association paid for lunch and bowling.

The players got to enjoy air conditioning and sip on water and Gatorade before returning to the field.

“It was perfect. We got to watch the end of the game, which the boys wanted to do. But they hadn’t sat in the heat for four hours,” Race said.

“We learned that. Last year after semifinals we stuck around and watched. We didn’t like that.”

Schmitz took the mound for the sectional title game — he didn’t bowl during the break to keep his arm from getting tired — and didn’t allow a run until the seventh inning.

The Rockets rolled, 6-2.

Schmitz went the distance, allowing nine hits, two runs and two walks while striking out two.

Race is thrilled to have two aces.

“You’ve got Ira, who’s the best pitcher in the state,” he said. “Carter’s a gamer. You know that Carter’s a No. 1 pitcher and he’s going to compete whether he has his best stuff or not.”

Junior Connor Waters catches for both.

“They just are on all the time,” he said. “There’s never a bad moment from them. If they do get down, they always find a way to bounce back and play well.”

Waters had three hits, including two doubles, and four RBIs. Josh Anzia had a double and an RBI. Griffin Knight had two hits and three runs scored. Knapp had a double.

When Schmidt caught that fly ball to end the game, Waters said it was “probably one of the best feelings ever.”

“When the final out that was made,” Knapp said, “it was just a big feeling of relief and realizing we really did it.”

Hilbelink had to decide what to do.

“Oh my gosh, it was awesome. I was contemplating dropping to my knees or just going to run and hang out with all the boys,” he said.

Griffin Knight said, “It was amazing. Finally got there after all these sectional finals.

“Carter really pitched great. He pitched to contact. We just made plays in the field. They were struggling.”

Lake Country Lutheran made four errors to the Rockets’ one. Hilbelink threw a runner out at the plate from center.

Race noted the development of the team, especially the bottom of the batting order with Posthuma at 8 and Schmidt at 9.

“In the beginning it was shaky and we didn’t know how that was going to look,” he said. “Every week it was better, better, better. Now, holy cow. They played out of their minds.”

The Rockets won despite missing Jonah Banton. The all-conference senior at first base injured his hand late in the season and has missed the playoffs. He was hoping to return.

Winning the sectional, however, was just one step in the Rockets’ mission.

“That’s not what our goal was at the beginning of the season,” Race said.

See coverage of the state semifinal on this week’s Belgium page in section B.