2026 WIAA State Baseball Tournament recap

AppletonSportsPage.com

APPLETON – Four champions were crowned Thursday as the 2026 WIAA State Baseball Tournament concluded at Fox Cities Stadium.

Three of the four new state champions captured their respective program’s first, while Kaukauna, the Division 1 champion, earned its second in program history and first since 1953.

DIVISION 4
Marshfield Columbus Catholic (24-6), making its second state appearance, earned its first title with an 8-4 win over Potosi/Cassville (20-8).

Tyler Hargraves had a three-run triple in the third inning to give the Dons the lead they would not relinquish.

Eight different Columbus players had hits and Ryan Bernick picked up the pitching win, allowing two runs over five innings of relief.

DIVISION 3
Cedar Grove-Belgium (23-5) scored four times in each of the first three innings and held off a late rally to defeat Dodgeville (25-3) 13-9 to take the D-3 title in its first-ever trip to state.

Dodgeville turned a 12-2 deficit into a tight game, but was unable to score in the final inning.

All nine starters for Cedar Grove-Belgium had at least one hit, with Seth Race knocking in three runs, and Ira Hilbelink and Austin Knapp each driving in two in the win.

DIVISION 2
Pewaukee (30-2) pulled ahead late and finished off a 5-4 win over Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic (25-7).

Pewaukee scored twice in the fifth and added a run in the sixth to open up a three-run lead. St. Joseph Catholic scored twice in the top of the seventh on a two-out homer by Zach Rizzo before pitcher Max Metz got the final out to give the Pirates their first state baseball title.

Jack Tabbert had two hits and two RBI to Pewaukee.

DIVISION 1
Kaukauna (24-7), making its first state appearance since 1954, picked up a state championship with an 11-5 win over Madison Memorial (22-8).

Trailing 4-1 in the third, the Ghosts plated five runs and tacked on five more over the next three innings to pull away.

Parker Schuh allowed one run over three innings of relief to earn the save for starter Bennett Geitner.

Kaden Kress went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI, and Bron Schaefer and Brayden Jenkins each drove in two for Kaukauna.

Here is a look at the complete tournament scoreboard:

2026 WIAA State Baseball Tournament
June 15-18, at Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton
Monday, June 15
Division 1 Quarterfinals
No. 4 Madison Memorial (21-7) 5, No. 5 Fond du Lac (21-9) 4
No. 1 Muskego (25-4) 7, No. 8 Milwaukee Marquette (16-14) 5
No. 3 Kaukauna (20-7) 4, No. 6 River Falls (18-10) 1
No. 7 Glendale Nicolet (19-11) 3, No. 2 Milton (24-6) 2
Tuesday, June 16
Division 4 Semifinals
No. 2 Potosi/Cassville (20-7) 2, No. 3 Reedsville (19-7) 1 (11 inn.)
No. 1 Marshfield Columbus Catholic (23-6) 3, No. 4 Loyal (16-9) 1
Division 3 Semifinals
No. 3 Cedar Grove-Belgium (22-5) 13, No. 2 Marathon (26-5) 4
No. 4 Dodgeville (25-2) 6, No. 1 St. Croix Falls (27-2) 5
Wednesday, June 17
Division 2 Semifinals
No. 2 Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic (25-6) 5, No. 3 Waupun (24-6) 3
No. 1 Pewaukee (29-2) 2, No. 4 Somerset (20-10) 1
Division 1 Semifinal
No. 3 Kaukauna (21-7) 7, No. 7 Glendale Nicolet (19-12) 1 (at Appleton North High School)
Thursday, June 18
Division 1 Semifinal
No. 4 Madison Memorial (22-7) 11, No. 1 Muskego (25-5) 8 (at Appleton North High School)
Championship Games
Division 4: No. 1 Marshfield Columbus Catholic (24-6) 8, No. 2 Potosi/Cassville (20-8) 4
Division 3: No. 3 Cedar Grove-Belgium (23-5) 13, No. 4 Dodgeville (25-3) 9
Division 2: No. 1 Pewaukee (30-2) 5, No. 2 Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic (25-7) 4
Division 1: No. 3 Kaukauna (22-7) 11, No. 4 Madison Memorial (22-8) 5