High School Baseball – Shore Conference Top 10, 5/14/13

The Shore Conference Tournament was seeded on Monday night, which means those top 10 seeds are currently the most relevant top 10 list out there right now because it is the only one that has any bearing on the games being played.

For the most part, our rankings will look like those with a few minor moves one way or another for a few teams. All in all, both agree that the top six is clear cut and that St. Rose has done enough to warrant a spot in the top 10 despite a weaker strength of schedule than the rest of the top 10 teams.

1. Jackson Memorial (19-1, 14-0)

Red Bank Catholic finally blinked first by losing to Red Bank on Thursday night, but Jackson Memorial was probably due to move into the top spot regardless of whether or not RBC lost. Not only is Jackson 19-1 with 16 straight wins, but the Jaguars have a 3-0 record against two different teams in the top 10 (Toms River South, Toms River East) and can make it three by beating Toms River North on Tuesday in the Ocean County Tournament Final.

2. Red Bank Catholic (19-2, 14-0)

The Caseys responded to a loss to Red Bank on Thursday by sweeping back-to-back games against Middletown South, the first of which was a Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinal. While it seemed more like RBC gave one away against their crosstown rival last Thursday, Red Bank has won five in a row and is playing great baseball right now.

3. Christian Brothers Academy (14-3, 11-2)

Senior right-hander John McCarren (ankle) is on crutches for another two weeks, but that has not yet deterred the Colts, who are on a winning streak (11 games) second only to Jackson Memorial in the Shore Conference. The pitching staff is good enough one-through-three to hold the fort with McCarren out, but nobody beyond senior Matt Pidich, senior Joe Dudek and freshman Luca Dalatri has had to throw many significant innings.

4. Toms River South (14-7, 9-5)

The Indians had been a stellar defensive team all season long before committing six errors in a 9-4 loss to Jackson Memorial in Monday’s Ocean County Tournament semifinal. The Shore Conference Tournament has not been kind to Toms River South in either of the last two seasons as Monmouth Regional has knocked them off in each of the past two tournaments. Sure enough, Toms River South will play the winner of Monsignor Donovan and Monmouth in its first SCT game, likely on Saturday.

5. Toms River North (13-5, 8-5)

The Mariners will get at least one more shot against Jackson Memorial after pulling out a thrilling 1-0 win over Monsignor Donovan in Monday night’s OCT semifinal. Jackson Memorial’s hard-hitting lineup has forced many of its opponents into a high volume of errors, and that has been the story for Toms River North against it’s A South rival. Catching the ball in Tuesday night’s OCT final will be especially imperative.

6. Wall (15-3, 10-2)

The Crimson Knights have had some postseason trouble over the past couple of seasons, and a loss to Neptune last week appeared to be a precursor to another slide this year. To Wall’s credit, it has since bounced back with wins over Freehold and Marlboro to reach the MCT semifinals, where the Knights await the winner of CBA and Howell. With such a young core, Wall can solidify a top 10 spot by beating CBA and winning some games in the Shore Conference Tournament.

7. Middletown South (11-8, 9-5)

The Eagles have played a tough schedule this season and their latest two-game skid comes at the hands of Red Bank Catholic. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with dropping a couple of games to the No. 2 team in the Shore Conference, but there has to be some concern for Middletown South regarding the number of runs it has given up. The Eagles have allowed six runs or more just four times this season and three of those have come in the last three games against Howell and RBC twice.

8. Toms River East (11-7, 8-6)

Few teams have a more impressive list of losses than the Raiders and with the way they have played lately, the list of wins is starting to catch up. The Raiders have two close losses at Jackson Memorial and have beaten every other team they have played at least once. East lost projected No. 1 pitcher Brandon Bloodgood (knee) prior to opening day, but have pieced together a nice rotation thanks in large part to senior Paul Schifilliti, who has emerged as one of the top pitchers in Class A South.

9. St. Rose (15-3, 13-0)

The Purple Roses did not have much punch to their top-10 resume heading into the Shore Conference Tournament seeding meeting, but a quality win over St. John Vianney coupled with non-division wins by Keansburg (over Neptune) and Henry Hudson (over Matawan) beefed up St. Roses case for a spot in the top 10, both in the SCT and on this list.

10. Jackson Liberty (14-7, 12-2)

The Lions have to be frustrated by all of the close losses to quality opponents, but if they could just get over the hump in one tight game this week, they could be in for a major run. Jackson Liberty has the pitching staff to be a dangerous team in any tournament and if the hits become timelier, this could be the year the Lions make a run at a championship. They are certainly due for some better luck.

Dropped Out

Howell (10-8, 9-5) Last Week: 10 – The Rebels have lost four of six heading into the SCT, but a good showing in the MCT quarterfinals against CBA would turn things around very quickly.

On the Bubble

Monsignor Donovan (15-7, 8-5) – The Griffins had Toms River North sweating late in the OCT semifinals on Monday, but Mariners starter Karl Blum (one hit, 14 strikeouts) was just too good for Monsignor Donovan.

St. John Vianney (13-6, 9-5) – The loss to St. Rose may have cost Vianney a top-10 spot, but the Lancers showed their toughness with a win over Manalapan on Friday to reach the MCT semifinals.

Brick (11-8, 7-7) – The Green Dragons became the first A South team to lose to Lacey this year, but that should not be big deal. Lacey has lost a lot of close games and the Brick may have been caught looking ahead to the SCT.

Freehold (11-8, 6-6) – Matawan is three games ahead of the Colonials in the B North standing, but Freehold has the far better resume.

Marlboro (10-9, 6-7) – The Mustangs have had the pitching all year, but a 2-0 loss to Wall in the MCT showed a great game on the mound can only get a team so far. They will still be dangerous in the SCT with a little bit of offense.