High School Baseball: Shore Conference Top 10, 5/28/13

Red Bank Catholic and Jackson Memorial have gone back and forth over the last few weeks in the battle for No. 1 in the Shore Conference and Jackson Memorial now has a decided advantage as the only one of the two to still be playing this year.
The Jaguars will still have some contenders taking shots at them over the last week-and-a-half of the season, but they control their own destiny for the final No. 1 ranking.

The rest of the top 10 remains the same for now, but the knocking at the door is getting louder from teams like Brick Memorial, Marlboro, Central Regional and Monmouth Regional, all of which are in the middle of underdog runs in the NJSIAA Tournament. If one or all of those four keep it up, there could still be a dramatic change to the top 10 before all is said and done.

1. Jackson Memorial (23-3, 14-0) Last Week: 2

The Jaguars cleared a huge roadblock by beating Steinert in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinals on Sunday and will now have to clear another when they face Brick Memorial ace Brian Cottrell on Wednesday. Jackson Memorial is the only seed above No. 9 left in the CJ IV bracket.

2. Red Bank Catholic (23-4, 14-0) Last Week: 1

The Caseys suffered another bitter end to a season, this time losing to Jackson Liberty in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and then to Paul VI in the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A first round, both games by one run at home. Despite the losses, the Monmouth County Tournament champions were an improved team this season and the body of work still reflects a top team in the Shore Conference.

3. Toms River North (18-7, 8-6) Last Week: 3

The Mariners fell to Eastern in the South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals, but they still have a chance to take home a second championship by winning the Shore Conference Tournament. If Toms River North can beat Jackson Memorial for a second time in a late-round tournament game, it will have a compelling case to move up the ranks, especially if Jackson Memorial gets knocked out of the state tournament.

4. Christian Brothers Academy (19-5, 12-2) Last Week: 5

The Colts knew they were going to need to swing the bats in order to make a run in the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket and they ran into Camden Catholic’s Colan Miller, who pitched a one-hit shutout to eliminate the Colts. CBA still has a chance to win the Shore Conference Tournament, starting with a Wednesday showdown with Jackson Liberty, which is fresh off an upset of RBC. Winning the SCT could bump the Colts up to No. 3 and would give them a case for the No. 1 ranking if all else falls into place.

5. Wall (21-5, 10-2) Last Week: 4

This season has already been a success for the junior-heavy Crimson Knights, but last year’s Wall team learned that being a senior-laden team does not guarantee more opportunities to win championships. This group has a chance to do some serious damage in the Group III bracket if it can get through Hamilton West on Wednesday.

6. Toms River South (18-9, 9-5) Last Week: 6

The Indians were the No. 7-ranked team in the preseason top 10 on tradition alone and that tradition delivered once again in 2013. Yes, Toms River South strives for championships and this team did not win one, but whispers about a down season were not warranted as this Indians team beat Toms River North twice, beat a very good Washington Township team in the state tournament and did it all with a very young core of players. It did not hurt that they had one of the top players in the Shore Conference in junior Russell Messler, who hit better than .500 with seven home runs, seven doubles and more than 20 stolen bases.

7. Jackson Liberty (17-8, 12-2) Last Week: 8

The Lions picked up one of the best wins of any team in the conference when they beat RBC on the road last Wednesday, and with another win in the SCT over CBA this Wednesday, the Lions would have to shoot up the rankings. Head-to-head losses to Toms River South in the Ocean County Tournament and Toms River North in the regular season could complicate matters, but the Lions have done well against Monmouth County and that might be enough to shake up the top 10 in Jackson Liberty’s favor later in the week.

8. St. Rose (19-5, 14-0) Last Week: 10

The Purple Roses are the favorite to reach the Non-Public B final and if they get there, it would be hard to rank them lower than No. 8, especially after drubbing Toms River East in what amounted to a pick-up game for the Raiders. St. Rose’s pitching stacks up with the best in the conference, which should serve the Roses well over the next 11 days.

9. Middletown South (14-11, 9-5) Last Week: 9

The Eagles have taken almost all of their games down to the wire this season and after coming out on top in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III first round against Freehold, they were on the wrong side of a game-ending hit in a bottom-of-the-seventh loss to Hamilton West. The pitching appeared good enough for Middletown South to make a run, but the Eagles played one too many close games. Despite only a decent won-loss record, Middletown South played a very tough schedule and picked up some impressive wins along the way.

10. Toms River East (13-10, 8-6) Last Week: 7

Like Middletown South, Toms River East played a very difficult schedule and delivered very strong results. An 8-6 mark in Class A South with a win each over Toms River North and Toms River South, as well as a win over Jackson Liberty, highlight a strong resume. Brick Memorial could take this spot by beating Jackson Memorial and getting to the final four of Group IV, but that will actually have to happen for the Raiders to lose their spot.

On the Bubble

Brick Memorial (14-12, 7-7) – The Central Group IV bracket could not have broken any better for the Mustangs, who will get to throw ace Brian Cottrell against the best team left in the section, Jackson Memorial.

Central (13-10, 8-6) – If Central can find a way to get by Ocean City on Wednesday, the Golden Eagles will get to throw junior ace Andrew DiPiazza in the sectional final.

Marlboro (13-11, 6-8) – The Mustangs will need to win the section to have a shot at the top 10, but they are a battle-tested bunch that has a great shot to pull it off, especially if Brick Memorial beats Jackson Memorial and uses up Brian Cottrell in the process.

Monmouth (15-9, 8-6) – As great as Tom Broyles has been on the mound, Brian Quinn’s performance in a win over top-seeded Bordentown was more telling with respect to the Falcons’ chances to win the Group II tournament.