The Shore Conference Tournament will be seeded on Monday night, and while Monday’s games could have an impact on the seeding, the cutoff to qualify for the tournament is Sunday. With no games on the schedule for Mother’s Day (and let’s face it, there should not be, unless mom really wants to suit up and play the outfield), the field is set at 26 with the top six teams earning byes.

Baseball is a sport that is designed for parity because of the importance of the starting pitcher, but even with the understanding that good teams sometimes lose, there have been a wide range of results this year. Of the top five teams in this projection, two of them were knocked out of their county tournament in their first game.

There are number of factors that go into seeding the baseball SCT, more so than any other SCT, which is why the seeding is probably a little more subjective and less tied to the head-to-head match-ups and common opponents. With that in mind, here is a look each team in the field with a general idea of what the bracket could look like when everything is finalized on Monday night.

Mario Ferraioli is part of a one-two punch that has helped put Colts Neck at the forefront of the debate for the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. (Photo by Matt Manley)
Mario Ferraioli is part of a one-two punch that has helped put Colts Neck at the forefront of the debate for the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. (Photo by Matt Manley)
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1. Colts Neck (18-2, 14-0)

Division Wins: Long Branch (2), Matawan (2), Neptune (2), Ocean (2), Red Bank (2), Red Bank Catholic (2), Wall (2)
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: At Middletown South, at St. Rose, Freehold, at Freehold Township
Non-Division Losses: Brick Memorial, Middletown South (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The Cougars have been the most consistent team over the course of the entire season and their two losses have come with a pitcher other than Mario Ferraioli or Chris Murphy on the mound.

2. Christian Brothers Academy (15-5, 10-4)

Division Wins: Freehold Township (2), Howell (2), Marlboro (2), Middletown North (2), Manalapan, Middletown South
Division Losses: Freehold (2), at Manalapan, at Middletown South
Non-Division Wins: Springfield (Pa.), New Rochelle (N.Y.), Kenston (Oh.), Mater Dei Prep (MCT), Monmouth (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: St. Peter’s Prep
Why They’re Here: While the Colts have had some issues winning without Luca Dalatri on the mound again this year, they have been slightly more consistent all around and they still have a hammer at the top of the rotation who has been about as close to an automatic win as it gets.

3. Toms River North (14-3, 12-2)

Division Wins: Brick (2), Brick Memorial (2), Lacey (2), Southern (2), Toms River South (2), at Jackson Memorial, at Toms River East
Division Losses: Jackson Memorial, Toms River East
Non-Division Wins: Central, Southern (OCT Forfeit)
Non-Division Losses: At Washington Twp.
Why They’re Here: The Mariners have gone through a bit of a rough patch recently thanks, in part, to a couple of key injuries. On the bright side for Toms River North, Jeff Ciervo (hamstring) returned to take batting practice and is close to returning to game action.

4. Jackson Memorial (15-5, 9-4)

Division Wins: Brick Memorial (2), Toms River East (2), Brick, Lacey, at Southern, at Toms River North, at Toms River South
Division Losses: At Brick, at Lacey, Toms River North, Toms River South
Non-Division Wins: Jackson Liberty, at Howell, Manchester (OCT), Brick (OCT), Bayonne, Toms River South (OCT)
Non-Division Losses: Freehold Township
Before the Cutoff: Vs. Bayonne, vs. Toms River South (OCT)
Why They’re Here: Outside of one bad inning in a loss to Brick in a crazy game at a tough park in which to win, Jackson Memorial has been as good as any team in the Shore Conference. For a reason why, look no further than the pitching: Brandon Janofsky has been spectacular in 19 scoreless innings and it has taken the pressure off of the rest of their solid pitching staff.

5. Wall (15-5, 9-4)

Division Wins: Long Branch (2), Neptune (2), Red Bank (2), Matawan, at Ocean, at Red Bank Catholic
Division Losses: Colts Neck (2), at Matawan, Red Bank Catholic
Non-Division Wins: At Jackson Liberty, Old Bridge, Rumson-Fair Haven (MCT), Marlboro (MCT Forfeit), at Freehold Township (MCT), Middletown South (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: At St. Rose
Why They’re Here: A convincing win over Middletown South is enough to propel the Crimson Knights into the top five. They have a questionable loss to Matawan on the résumé, but that was so early and Wall has been so good recently, that it’s not going to cost them much.

6. Middletown South (16-6, 10-4)

Division Wins: Freehold (2), Manalapan (2), Middletown South (2), CBA, Freehold Township, at Howell, Marlboro
Division Losses: At CBA, at Freehold Township, Howell, at Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: Manasquan (MCT), at Lacey, at Colts Neck (MCT), at Donovan Catholic, at St. John Vianney, at St. John Vianney (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: Colts Neck, at Wall (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The longest winning streak in the Shore Conference this season (14) came to a screeching halt in an ugly loss to Wall on Saturday, but the body of work is still worthy of top-seed consideration. It’s also worth noting that even though Saturday’s losing pitcher Zac deRocco has been great for the Eagles this year, Austin Markmann and Johnny Zega have been the top two pitchers by ERA. They are still a strong top-four possibility.

7. Manalapan (16-6, 8-6)

Division Wins: Freehold Township (2), Middletown North (2), CBA, at Freehold, Howell, Marlboro
Division Losses: Middletown South (2), at CBA, Freehold, at Howell, at Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: Grand St. Campus (N.Y.), Fayetteville-Perry (Oh.), West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Long Branch (MCT), at Brick, at Howell (MCT), Bayonne, at Red Bank Catholic (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: None
Why They’re Here: Manalapan is 12-2 over its last 14 games, a mark few teams can rival. The Braves have done it mostly with a relentless offensive attack, but Tyler Stafflinger has emerged as a reliable big-game pitcher, while the rest of the staff is also beginning to round into form.

8. Red Bank Catholic (15-5, 11-3)

Division Wins: Long Branch (2), Matawan (2), Neptune (2), Ocean (2), Red Bank (2), at Wall
Division Losses: Colts Neck (2), Wall
Non-Division Wins: A.L. Johnson, at Toms River South, Monmouth, St. Rose (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: Pope John, Manalapan (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The resounding win over Toms River South shows that Red Bank Catholic has a pretty high ceiling. The Caseys missed a couple good opportunities to solidify a top-five spot in close losses to Wall, Colts Neck and Manalapan, but those bitter pills could make RBC that much tougher to deal with over the next several weeks.

9. Toms River South (13-6, 10-4)

Division Wins: Brick Memorial (2), Lacey (2), Southern (2), Toms River East (2), Brick, at Jackson Memorial
Division Losses: Toms River North (2), at Brick, Jackson Memorial
Non-Division Wins: Ferris, Lacey (OCT), Donovan Catholic (OCT)
Non-Division Losses: Red Bank Catholic, at Jackson Memorial (OCT)
Why They’re Here: The Indians have a solid body of work, a strong win over Jackson Memorial early in the year and now have found a go-to pitcher in Ray Liguori. A close loss to Brick last week was really the closest thing to a slip-up Toms River South has experienced all year, and that came against a very formidable Green Dragons team.

10. Barnegat (14-6, 10-4)

Division Wins: Jackson Liberty (2), Lakewood (2), Donovan Catholic (2), Point Boro (2), Manchester, Pinelands
Division Losses: Central (2), at Manchester, at Pinelands
Non-Division Wins: At Somerville, Pinelands (OCT), Southern (OCT), Brick Memorial (OCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Gloucester Catholic, at St. John Vianney
Why They’re Here: The overall body of work won’t blow you away, but Barnegat is an outright division champion that is going to play for an Ocean County championship on Thursday. The Bengals also have a proven big-game pitcher in John Corbett and another one quickly emerging in Seamus Brazil, so it’s hard to leave that profile out of the top 10, even if there are some blemishes to nitpick.

11. Marlboro (9-8, 7-7)

Division Wins: Middletown North (2), At Freehold, at Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan, Middletown South
Division Losses: CBA (2), Freehold, Freehold Township, at Howell, at Manalapan, at Middletown South
Non-Division Wins: At St. Rose, Hudson Catholic
Non-Division Losses: Wall (MCT Forfeit)
Why They’re Here: The Mustangs have been struggling lately, but they were the Shore’s hottest team for about a two-week stretch in April. The forfeit loss to Wall really seemed to take the wind out of their sails, but Marlboro is now in the field and the Mustangs showed last year that their pitching can be dangerous in a tournament setting.

12. Howell (9-9, 7-7)

Division Wins: Freehold Township (2), Freehold, Manalapan, Marlboro, Middletown North, Middletown South
Division Losses: CBA (2), at Freehold, at Manalapan, at Marlboro, at Middletown North, at Middletown South
Non-Division Wins: Holmdel, Shore
Non-Division Losses: Manalapan (MCT), Jackson Memorial
Why They’re Here: The Rebels don’t have the non-divisional body of work that Freehold Township does, but two head-to-head wins are enough to give Howell the nod. A negative run differential and a heavy reliance on its formidable offense might be concerns going forward, but Howell has played some very good teams tough. Next week should be no different.

13. Freehold Township (12-12, 5-9)

Division Wins: Middletown North (2), Freehold, at Marlboro, Middletown South
Division Losses: CBA (2), Howell (2), Manalapan (2), at Freehold, Marlboro, at Middletown South
Non-Division Wins: At South Plainfield, at Jackson Memorial, at Central, Holmdel (MCT), at Ocean (MCT), Chatham, at Lacey
Non-Division Losses: Brick Memorial, Wall (MCT), Colts Neck
Why They’re Here: With wins over Jackson Memorial, Middletown South and South Plainfield, the Patriots have proven that their best is dangerous. The young roster has come on strong of late, enough to mitigate a sub-par divisional record.

14. Mater Dei Prep (14-5, 13-1)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), Point Beach (2), Ranney (2), St. Rose
Division Losses: At St. Rose
Non-Division Wins: Shore (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: Central, at Southern, at CBA (MCT), at Pinelands
Why They’re Here: Thanks to an MCT win over Shore ace James Kelly and some very good work by St. Rose outside of the division, Mater Dei is firmly in the portion of the field that will enjoy a first-round home game. It will be interesting to see if the committee agrees given the division in which they reside.

15. St. Rose (15-5, 12-2)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), Ranney (2), Mater Dei Prep, at Point Beach
Division Losses: At Mater Dei, Point Beach
Non-Division Wins: Wall, Manasquan, at Raritan
Non-Division Losses: Marlboro, Colts Neck, at Red Bank Catholic (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The Purple Roses picked off Wall right before the Crimson Knights were about to get hot and they also have wins over two other tournament teams (Manasquan and Raritan) outside of B Central. A division title might have earned St. Rose a top 10 seed, but the Roses will settle for a very good shot at a home game.

16. St. John Vianney (11-6, 8-4)

Division Wins: Holmdel (2), Monmouth (2), Raritan (2), at Rumson-Fair Haven, Shore
Division Losses: Manasquan (2), Rumson-Fair Haven, at Shore
Non-Division Wins: At Red Bank, Barnegat, Middletown North (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: Middletown South, Middletown South (MCT)
Why They’re Here: It probably looks a little strange to see the defending Non-Public A champs come in behind a Mater Dei Prep team that has not done much in the postseason in recent years, but Shore ace James Kelly beat the Lancers and lost to Mater Dei, while St. Rose beat a Manasquan team that beat Vianney twice. A win over Barnegat will be a boost for the Lancers, who could make a case to be a few spots higher.

17. Brick (11-9, 7-7)

Division Wins: Toms River East (2), at Brick Memorial, Jackson Memorial, Lacey, Southern, Toms River South
Division Losses: Toms River North (2), Brick Memorial, at Jackson Memorial, at Southern, at Toms River South
Non-Division Wins: Point Boro, Manchester, Academy Charter, Point Beach (MCT)
Non-Division Losses: Manalapan, at Jackson Memorial (OCT)
Why They’re Here: Brick is 9-1 on its home field with only a loss to Toms River North and wins over Jackson Memorial and Toms River South. On the flipside, of course, the Green Dragons are just 2-8 away from their friendly confines and the paradox of the good home team is at work: Teams that are a lot better at home tend not to be rewarded with postseason home games.

18. Ocean (14-7, 7-6)

Division Wins: Long Branch (2), Neptune (2), Red Bank (2), at Matawan
Division Losses: Colts Neck (2), Red Bank Catholic (2), Matawan, Wall
Non-Division Wins: Monmouth, Cape May Tech, St. Francis DeSales (Oh.), at Niles McKinley (Oh.), at Chardon (Oh.), Freehold, Rumson-Fair Haven
Non-Division Losses: Freehold Township (MCT)
Why They’re Here: Freehold’s win on Saturday means that Ocean now has a win over a team in the field, which it would not have had the Colonials missed the cut. Although it’s only one win against the field, Freehold has some major wins on its résumé that also boost a team like Ocean.

19. Freehold (11-11, 6-8)

Division Wins: CBA (2), Freehold Township, Howell, at Manalapan, at Marlboro
Division Losses: Middletown North (2), Middletown South (2), at Freehold Township, at Howell, Manalapan, Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: At Long Branch, Shore, Red Bank (MCT), at New Egypt, Immaculata
Non-Division Losses: At Colts Neck, at Ocean, at Monmouth (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The Colonials have been one of the more volatile teams in the field, which makes them a scary draw early on. They have two wins over first-place CBA, but also two losses to last-place Middletown North. There is more good than bad, which is why Freehold is now in the field.

20. Manasquan (9-7, 7-5)

Division Wins: Holmdel (2), St. John Vianney (2), Monmouth, Rumson-Fair Haven, Shore
Division Losses: Raritan (2), at Monmouth, at Rumson-Fair Haven, at Shore
Non-Division Wins: Monroe, at St. Joseph-Metuchen
Non-Division Losses: At Middletown South (MCT), at St. Rose
Before the Cutoff: At Monmouth, at St. Joseph-Metuchen
Why They’re Here: Manasquan had two chances to wrap up a division title and lost both games to Rumson and Monmouth – two teams not in the tournament – by a combined one run. The Warriors have quality wins over two Greater Middlesex teams, two wins over St. John Vianney and some scary pitching that make them worth considering for a home game despite a wildly inconsistent season.

21. Pinelands (11-8, 9-5)

Division Wins: Lakewood (2), Manchester (2), Barnegat, Central, at Donovan Catholic, Jackson Liberty, Point Boro
Division Losses: At Barnegat, at Central, Donovan Catholic, at Jackson Liberty, at Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: At Matawan, Mater Dei Prep
Non-Division Losses: Williamstown, at Lacey, at Barnegat (OCT)
Why They’re Here: The Wildcats have bookended some midseason struggles with a good start and a strong push into the postseason, led by senior left-hander Dave DeFeo on the mound and at the plate. The Wildcats offense has come to life recently and wins over Barnegat, Jackson Liberty and Mater Dei make Pinelands worth taking a hard look at for a top-20 seed and possibly higher.

22. Jackson Liberty (10-9, 9-5)

Division Wins: Central (2), Lakewood (2), Donovan Catholic (2), Manchester, Pinelands, at Point Boro
Division Losses: Barnegat (2), at Manchester, at Pinelands, Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: Toms River East (OCT)
Non-Division Losses: Wall, at Jackson Memorial, Brick Memorial (OCT), at Toms River East
Why They’re Here: The Lions have more losses to teams outside the field (four) than wins against teams in the field (three) and none of the three wins came against any team from the projected top 20. Jackson Liberty has a quality ace in Howard Taylor and played both Wall and Jackson Memorial very tough.

23. Shore (10-9, 6-6)

Division Wins: Holmdel (2), Manasquan, at Raritan, at Rumson-Fair Haven, St. John Vianney
Division Losses: Monmouth (2), at Manasquan, Raritan, Rumson-Fair Haven, at St. John Vianney
Non-Division Wins: Matawan, Long Branch, Manchester, at Point Boro
Non-Division Losses: At Freehold, at Mater Dei Prep (MCT), at Howell
Why They’re Here: Wins over St. John Vianney and Manasquan are enough to at least broach the topic of Shore as a top-20 seed, especially considering they have a legitimate No. 1 pitcher in Monmouth University recruit James Kelly. A lukewarm collection of non-division wins probably keep Shore out of the top 20, but the defending Group I champs will be dangerous at any seed.

24. Point Pleasant Beach (12-5, 11-3)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), Ranney (2), at St. Rose
Division Losses: Mater Dei (2), St. Rose
Non-Division Wins: At Donovan Catholic
Non-Division Losses: At Brick (OCT), Spotswood
Why They’re Here: A head-to-head win over Donovan Catholic and a win over St. Rose is enough to keep Point Beach out of the last spot and possibly get the Garnet Gulls as high as the low twenties.

25. Raritan (10-7, 6-6)

Division Wins: Manasquan (2), Holmdel, at Monmouth, at Rumson-Fair Haven, at Shore
Division Losses: St. John Vianney (2), at Holmdel, Monmouth, Rumson-Fair Haven, Shore
Non-Division Wins: Academy Charter (2), Lakewood, Neptune
Non-Division Losses: St. Rose (MCT)
Why They’re Here: The Rockets have two solid wins over Manasquan, but not much else. Non-division wins over Academy Charter (twice), Neptune and Lakewood won’t win hearts and minds in the seeding room, but the good news is that the young Rockets will come up in the room – which is a major step forward after a rebuilding 2014.

26. Donovan Catholic (13-10, 7-6)

Division Wins: Lakewood (2), Manchester (2), at Central, at Pinelands, at Point Boro
Division Losses: Barnegat (2), Jackson Liberty (2), Pinelands, Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: St. Charles (Oh.), Paideia (Ga.), at Middletown North, Holmdel, Central (OCT), at Southern
Non-Division Losses: Marian Catholic (Ill.), Middletown South, at Toms River South (OCT), Point Beach
Why They’re Here: A win over Pinelands is the only win Donovan Catholic has against the SCT field, but they have also been competitive against the likes of Barnegat and Toms River South. Ultimately, the lack of quality wins will probably doom them to one of the last two seeds, but the Griffins have been tested enough to be a factor in the first round.

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