High School Baseball : Shore Conference Top 10

Up until this week, Class A North was the division with the most parity by a wide margin, but after the last seven days of baseball, Class A South is beginning to look just as crazy. The main difference between the two divisions at this point is that Jackson Memorial is the clear front-runner in A South, while Christian Brothers Academy has a tenuous hold on Class A North at the moment. For purposes of ranking the Shore Conference field, however, each division is equally chaotic.

With Toms River North’s win over Wall on Friday, it is becoming even clearer that the divide between the large-school divisions and the small-school divisions is as wide as it has been in some time. A team like Wall is absolutely on the level of most of the Class A South and A North programs, but no team in Class B North is even coming close to beating the Crimson Knights, let alone actually doing it. Right now, Red Bank Catholic and Wall are still the only clear top 10 teams outside of A South and A North, with St. Rose and Jackson Liberty getting closer.

1. Red Bank Catholic (9-1, 8-0) Last Week: 1

The Caseys survived a week of heart-stoppers to remain unbeaten within the Shore Conference. The pitching stormed out of the gate for RBC but cooled off a little this past week. The standard set over the first two weeks, however, was awfully high and it was unlikely to continue anyway. If the bats begin to come around like they have, the pitching is fine how it is.

2. Jackson Memorial (8-1, 8-0) Last Week: 2

The Jaguars needed someone to step up and make teams pay for putting Matt Thaiss – or better yet, Matt Thaiss’ courtesy runner – on base and junior first baseman Matt Guarino has done just that. Guarino delivered yet another big hit in a win over Brick Memorial Monday and now leads Jackson Memorial in RBI with 11.

3. Middletown South (5-3, 5-3) Last Week: 8

Here is where things get tricky. The east thing to do would be to rank CBA – the first-place team and the one with far-and-away the best run-differential in Class A North – as the top team among those in its division but based on the quality of wins, it has to be Middletown South. The Eagles beat both the Colts and Howell head-to-head and also have a win over Marlboro. A division-best 2.4 runs-per-game-allowed does not hurt either.

4. Howell (5-3, 5-3) Last Week: 5

Again, look past the standings and the dominant numbers and you see a Howell team with a slightly stronger body of work than CBA . In addition to beating the Colts, the Rebels have wins over Colts Neck and Marlboro the second time through and lost to Middletown North when Chris Stark was on the mound. CBA did not have to face Stark, a University of Maine recruit.

5. Christian Brothers Academy (6-3, 6-2) Last Week: 6

CBA is the No. 3 team in A North for now, but the trends suggest the Colts will be back in the Shore’s No. 3 spot soon enough.  This past week, CBA steamrolled Marlboro and Manalapan before topping Colts Neck for a second time this year.

6. Toms River South (7-3, 5-3) Last Week: Not ranked

The Indians storm back into the top 10 on the strength of the last win anybody had against Toms River North, which came on April 15. Toms River South followed that win up with a 5-0 shutout of Brick Memorial, a loss to No. 2 Jackson Memorial and a rout of Toms River East on Monday night. The Indians were not set up to play their best baseball out of the gate, but after a few weeks, they are now a threat.

7. Toms River North (7-3, 5-3) Last Week: Not ranked

The Mariners are taking on the look of a team that should be very hard to beat the rest of the way. Toms River North’s pitching staff – led by starters Karl Blum, Ron Marinaccio and Steve Slagmolen – has been as good as advertised and now the bats are starting to come around. The result is a current four-game winning streak, which included a come-from-behind victory over previously unbeaten Wall.

8. Wall (8-1, 6-0) Last Week: 3

The Crimson Knights were bound to drop  in the rankings once they suffered their first defeat, which finally came at the hands of Toms River North on Friday. With that said, it was a toss-up game that the Crimson Knights had under control in the third inning, so perhaps this was just a hiccup. A win over Brick Memorial is keeping the Crimson Knights in the picture.

9. Colts Neck (5-4, 4-4) Last Week: 7

Two of Colts Neck’s losses are close defeats at the hands of CBA and the other two are typical losses in a deep Class A North. The Cougars are still one of the 10 best teams in the conference to this point and they will have a great chance to prove themselves against Marboro on Monday.

10. Brick Memorial (5-5, 4-4) Last Week: 9

The Mustangs hold onto a top 10 spot after getting the win over crosstown rival Brick on Saturday. Ace Brian Cottrell has, in some ways, been better than he was during an All-Shore season last year. He is missing more bats and he has not lost a decision yet (3-0).

Dropped Out

Brick (5-3, 4-3) Last Week: 4 – The margins of defeat were a little discouraging after a tough loss to Jackson Memorial early in the week.

Marlboro (6-4, 4-4) Last Week: 10 – The Mustangs must have wondered what all the fuss was about Howell after beating the Rebels 10-1 on opening day, but like everyone else, they saw a different Howell team the second time around in an 8-4 loss.

On the Bubble

St. Rose (10-0, 9-0) Last Week: Not ranked – With another perfect week, the Roses will be extremely hard to keep out of the top 10.

Jackson Liberty (6-2, 5-1) Last Week: Not ranked – The Lions will likely face Central ace Andrew DiPiazza this week and have a crucial B South game for first place against Monsignor Donovan on Tuesday, which will be a good chance to impress their way back into the top 10.

St. John Vianney (7-2, 6-2) Last Week: Not ranked – The Lancers needed to throw a pitching staff together due to injury and it has worked out. It also helps to have Evan Pietronico and Anthony Santoro swinging hot bats.