Hilbelink hits new heights

Tom Race said he was the best player he saw all season.

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School baseball coach wasn’t alone.

The Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association chose junior Ira Hilbelink as the Division 3 Player of the Year.

Hilbelink, a pitcher and shortstop who led the Rockets to the Division 3 championship, hit .557 for the season with 36 RBIs, six home runs, seven triples, nine doubles, 57 runs scored and 24 walks. In 88 at-bats, he struck out just twice.

Hilbelink’s on-base percentage was .655. His slugging percentage was 1.023 and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) was 1.678. He led the team in steals with 29.

Race said Hilbelink wasn’t just the best player he saw in every game his team played this season.

“He’s the best player that I’ve seen playing high school baseball,” he said.

Beyond Hilbelink’s skill, work ethic and quiet confidence, Race said it’s his humility that stands out.

Race scheduled tough nonconference opponents, such as defending Division 2 champion New Berlin Eisenhower and those from high-quality programs from larger schools like Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Kewaskum and Whitefish Bay, to challenge his team outside of Big East Conference South play. He had Hilbelink pitch in those games rather than in conference play, where the Rockets went 11-1 and outscored their opponents, 183-35.

That decision, Race said, put the Big East South Player of the Year honor in jeopardy for Hilbelink.

“He said, ‘I don’t care about that. I just want to go to state and win state,’” Race said. “He’s a total team player. I think somebody that good who is nothing but the team, that’s what sets him apart.”

Hilbelink repeated as conference Player of the Year anyway — the fourth consecutive year a Rocket won the award — and he still earned Big East South honorable mention for pitching. For the season, he went 8-1 with an ERA of 1.65 and struck out 96 batters while walking 25 in 55 innings. His fastball reaches 86 mph, and batters hit .166 off of him.

When he wasn’t pitching, Hilbelink was playing shortstop. His fielding percentage between the two was .935 with four errors, three double plays, 47 putouts and 11 assists.

At the state tournament, Hilbelink showed the best players come through in the biggest moments.

In the 13-4 semifinal win over Marathon, Hilbelink had three triples, a double, four RBIs and an intentional walk, tying the state record across all divisions for triples in a game and possibly setting a record for total bases in a game.

“If we were playing at home, all four of those balls would have been out,” Race said of Hilbelink’s four bombs.

On the mound, he allowed five hits, four runs (three earned) and four walks while striking out six and hitting a batter in 5-1/3 innings.

In the 13-9 title game win over Dodgeville, Hilbelink had an RBI double, RBI sacrifice fly, intentional walk and a groundout on a close call.

Hilbelink, standing about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds, has committed to play for the University of Minnesota, — whether he gets picked in the Major League Baseball draft next summer remains to be seen — but first he has his senior year of high school left.

“He’ll hit the weights all year. Wait until he plays the game next year at 210,” Race said.

Hilbelink was one of eight Rockets to earn all-conference honors, and one of three to be recognized at two positions.

Senior Carter Schmitz was named to the first team as a pitcher and unanimously as an infielder, one season after earning honorable mention on the mound.

He hit .314 for the season with six doubles, 16 walks and 12 strikeouts. His OPS was .818. He stole 16 bases.

As pitcher, he went 8-0 with one save  and had an ERA of 2.05. He struck out 45 and walked 18 in 51-1/3 innings.

In the state title game, Schmitz allowed nine runs (seven earned) in five innings, 11 hits, walking three and striking out two.

Race said Schmitz may have been the second-best pitcher in Division 3 behind his teammate. His fastball reached 80 mph and “he really had to pick his spots. No matter if he had his best stuff, he was going to compete.”

He also played shortstop when he wasn’t pitching. His fielding percentage was .812 with six double plays, 12 errors, 38 putouts and 14 assists.

“I think he was the best shortstop in the conference and maybe the state,” Race said.

Schmitz’s intangibles may have been as good or better than his play.

“The biggest thing about Carter is his leadership ability. He’s been a team captain since sophomore year,” Race said. “His leadership ability was special.”

Schmitz also was like a coach on the field.

“On bunt coverages, I make all the calls. Somewhere between sophomore and senior year he made all the calls,” Race said. “I’m meticulous with it but I trust him.”

Schmitz will play quarterback and possibly basketball at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon next year.

Junior Josh Anzia was named to the first team as an infielder. Anzia moved from right field to first base when first baseman Jonah Banton injured his hand and excelled in both spots, especially at the plate.

Anzia hit .471 with 30 RBIs, seven doubles and a triple, walking 12 times and striking out seven. His on-base percentage was .576 and OPS was 1.124. He stole 14 bases.

He was named the Rockets’ most improved player.

“Last year to this year he just took a huge step for hitting,” Race said. “During the season, he and Ira were the hottest bats in the state.”

Anzia had a .941 fielding percentage, with six double plays, two errors, 29 putouts and three assists.

Knapp leads second-team selections

Junior Austin Knapp was named to the second team as a pitcher and infielder.

His batting stats were about as good or better than Hilbelink. Knapp hit .432 with a team-leading 46 RBIs. He had nine doubles, two triples and two homers, walking 11 times and striking out nine. His slugging percentage was .632 and OPS was 1.118.

Race said Knapp could have been a first team selection. Down the stretch, Race didn’t worry if teams walked Hilbelink at No. 3 because Knapp came up next.

“He was the hottest hitter in the state,” Race said.

Knapp went 3-2 pitching with a 2.73 ERA. He struck out 32 and walked 14 in 25-2/3 innings. Knapp closed the door twice at state, relieving Hilbelink in the semifinal and Schmitz in title game.

“He just pitched really, really well. His curveball had a lot of movement,” Race said.

No matter who was on the mound, they were throwing to Connor Waters. The junior threw out six runners (22.5%) and had just 14 passed balls in 178-2/3 innings with a .979 fielding percentage one year after earning second-team honors in the outfield.

Waters hit .398 with 29 RBIs, five dou8bles and three triples, drawing 17 walks while striking out nine times. His on-base percentage was .500 and OPS was 1.023.

Waters and senior Seth Race kept swapping between hitting second and sixth in the lineup before Waters solidified the No. 2 spot.

“He was attacking the ball,” coach Race said. “I think we got it right. I think Connor was the No. 2 hitter.”

Seth, the coach’s son, held down third base and also got a second-team nod for the second straight season. He hit .351 with 20 RBIs, two doubles and four triples, walking 18 times and striking out 14. His on-base percentage was .460 and OPS was .917.

He broke the state title game open with a three-run triple in the first inning that gave the Rockets a lead they never relinquished. Race knocked an outside fastball over the right-fielder’s head.

“It’s easy to pop it up,” his father said. “We worked on that pitch. I think that was the pivotal hit in the state game.”

Seth had an .895 fielding percentage with 42 putouts, nine assists and six errors.

“There wasn’t anybody in the state that was better at third base,” his father said, highlighting his backhanded stabs. “I don’t see people making plays like that. He made a dozen plays in big moments.”

Seth and Waters were both named the team’s defensive players of the year.

Seth, who got second in the 175-pound bracket of the Division 3 state wrestling tournament this year, will wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Banton, despite getting injured late in the season, was named to the second team again, after earning the same honor last year at catcher. The senior first baseman hit .327 with 21 RBIs, four doubles, a triple and a home run. His on-base percentage was .558 and OPS was 1.068.

He had a .980 fielding percentage, making one error all season while logging three double plays, 47 putouts and two assists.

“If you turned your back and you listened to him take batting practice, you wouldn’t be able to tell him and Ira apart,” Race said.

Banton, who will play baseball for Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill., earned the team’s hustle award.

“He out worked everyone on the team. When he was hurt, he took batting practice one-handed because he wanted to get in there so bad.”

Banton came back to be designated hitter at state and logged a base hit.

Rockets get one honorable mention

Center fielder, shortstop, pitcher and leadoff hitter Griffin Knight earned honorable mention as an outfielder. The junior hit .383 with 24 RBIs, seven doubles and a triple, walking 10 times and striking out six. His on-base-percentage was .434 and OPS was .913. He was second on the team with 22 steals.

Knight had an .865 fielding percentage with 41 putouts, including the final catch to end the state title game, four putouts, seven errors and one double play.

Last year, he was named to the first team as an outfielder and the second team as a pitcher.

“That one’s tough for me. I think he’s the best center fielder in the state. He didn’t get the recognition he deserved. That kid played fantastic this year,” Race said.

All-conference players are chosen according to league play, and since the Rockets dominated most of the Big East Race tweaked his lineup during blowouts.

“I don’t play to pad stats. I’m pulling guys and moving guys around,” he said.

Knight went 3-1 pitching with an ERA of 4.96, striking out 24 and walking 16 in 29-23 innings.

Knight had a walkoff RBI grounder against Random Lake, beating the throw to first and preventing a double play that would have won the game for the Rams.

“If he gets on base, it’s very realistic he’s going to be on third. There were no catchers who could stop him,” Race said.

Not many teams could stop the Rockets. They went 23-5 and split the season series in two thrillers with Random Lake, the fellow Big East South champ at 11-1. The teams combined for 15 of the 18 first and second-team selections.

Three Rockets earned academic North East District all-academic honors. Anzia, Banton and Schmitz had at least a 3.8 grade-point average.

The Rockets lose three starting seniors in Schmitz, Race and Banton, but the top five hitters in their lineup return.