2026 Baseball NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 2

In the first season after the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID pandemic, Rumson-Fair Haven and Governor Livingston were the top two seeds in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Tournament and appeared on course to meet in the sectional final. Instead, both teams suffered stunning semifinal defeats — Rumson to fourth-seeded Voorhees and Governor Livingston to No. 11 seed Raritan.

Since then, the Bulldogs and Highlanders have gone on to become the premiere programs in the section, with Rumson winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Governor Livingston entering this year’s tournament on the heels of back-to-back sectional titles.

Once again, Rumson and Governor Livingston are the top two seeds and while it would be fitting that the best two teams of the last four years meet in the final to decide which team will win its third championship of the last five years, it would also be somewhat poetic to watch a replay of 2021, when the depth of the Group II bracket sank the championship hopes of both.

Over the past four seasons, a top seed has managed to win the Central Group II title, but a wild, upside-down, upset-filled tournament has been bubbling under the surface for quite some time now. Governor Livingston has survived numerous close calls, particularly from high-number seeds from the Shore (Holmdel in 2024, Point Pleasant Boro in 2025) and even got picked off by a No. 15 seed Manasquan in 2023. There are once again a long list of dangerous teams in Central Jersey Group II, so while Rumson and Governor Livingston are the two favorites, recent history suggests it’s too early to pencil in the top two seeds for a championship meeting in Rumson on June 5.

With Rumson and Governor Livingston carrying the torch, Central Jersey has taken over as the more powerful of the two southern sections of Group II. A year ago, Monmouth Regional failed to qualify for the Central Group II Tournament and would have been the No. 6 seed in South Jersey. The power-point imbalance is similar this season: South Jersey No. 3 Cedar Creek would be the No. 11 seed in Central Jersey and Monmouth Regional — once again the first team outside the Central Jersey bracket — would have been the No. 11 seed in South Jersey. No. 1 Haddonfield, however, slots in between Rumson and Governor Livingston in power points, so even through the South Jersey section is weaker from top-to-bottom, its champion could be a tough out in the state semifinal round.

Central Jersey Group II

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 1 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 4 Wall, No. 7 Point Pleasant Boro, No. 10 Manasquan, No. 12 Raritan, No. 13 Ocean, No. 16 Holmdel
Top Seed: Rumson-Fair Haven
Defending Champion: No. 2 Governor Livingston

The Favorite: Governor Livingston. They are not entering the tournament undefeated like they did in 2025, but the Highlanders are the reigning Group II champions and have again been a dominant team in 2026. Their four losses are all by a margin of one run and all to quality teams: two to Arthur L. Johnson and one each to Gloucester Catholic and Cranford. Governor Livingston has been without top pitcher Keith Mann since April and that has been a challenge, but last year’s championship run during the tournament happened despite an injury to another top starter in Matty Diskin. With a relentless lineup led by Mississippi State commit Zach Geertsma and Lehigh-bound catcher Mike Basile, Governor Livingston keeps the pressure on, even if the opponent is putting runs on the board as well.

The defending champs have already lost a tournament game to a team in the Central Jersey Group II section and as a matter of fact, that team has beaten the Highlanders twice. No. 3 A.L. Johnson has two wins over Governor Livingston in two tries this season, including a 3-2 triumph in the Union County Tournament championship game. The Crusaders have three solid options on the mound in Nick Donofrio, Brody Gulbin and Vin Cilento to go with a dynamic offense led by Donofrio, outfielder Raphael DeRocha and shortstop Luiyi Martinez.

The Central Group II title will run through Rumson this spring, with the Bulldogs earning the top seed in the section. Rumson has to overcome a demoralizing 12-0 loss to CBA in the Shore Conference Tournament final in which it committed eight errors, but returning to its home field, where the Bulldogs put up some gaudy offensive stats (17 of the team’s 25 home runs), should help.

The common thread through all three top seeds is their respective roads are littered with land mines. The Central Jersey section has become notorious for featuring quality teams up and down the section, which is what made Governor Livingston’s march to the title last year all the more impressive. Even in going 32-0, the Highlanders had to survive scares from a 16th-seeded Point Boro squad in the first round and from Raritan in the semifinals, with Governor Livingston winning both games in its final at-bat. The section is not much easier this year, so it is possible some of those upset bids land this year.

The Dark Horse: No. 11 Robbinsville. The Ravens won 16 games during the regular season and have Pittsburgh commit Tyler Bunnell leading the pitching staff, so this is not the typical profile of a No. 11 seed. Robbinsville also got a friendly first-round draw in No. 6 South River, which feasted on the Greater Middlesex Conference’s Blue division and present the Ravens with a potential opportunity to save Bunnell for a potential quarterfinal game at Johnson. Josh Yoo is another veteran arm for Robbinsville and freshman Colin Makkay has come on strong on the mound late in the year as well. One reason for concern is Bunnell’s workload, which includes nine starts of 95 pitches or more and six over 100 pitches. Over his final four starts, Bunnell is 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA, although he is still racking up the strikeouts with 37 in 25 innings.

The potential sleeper teams don’t stop with Robbinsville. Raritan has a similar opportunity to that of Robbinsville, with Boston College commit Will Meehan to unleash on either No. 5 Delran in round one or to hold for a potential semifinal vs. Wall. Sophomore Dylan Hernandez has been very effective on the mound for the Rockets, so they can feel confident with either pitcher on the mound in round one. No. 14 Bordentown also has an ace in Andrew Forster who has struck out 113 batters in 64 1/3 innings while walking only nine, which could make for an uneasy first round for Johnson.

Holmdel, meanwhile, has two Division I arms in Seton Hall commit Jack Vallillo and NJIT commit Dylan Zammit. The Hornets lost nine straight games at one point this season but pulled into the final spot in the field thanks to a win over Somerset County Tournament champion Watchung Hills in which Vallillo struck out 12 in a complete-game win. The Hornets have struggled to score and will face Rumson right-hand sophomore ace Brady Williams on Wednesday, but Vallillo gives the Hornets a legitimate shot to pull off the 16-over-1 upset.

Finally, there is Manasquan in the No. 10 spot in the field. The Warriors are more of an x-factor than a dark horse thanks to the uncertain status of Lafayette-bound left-hander Chase Kaplan. Manasquan has a chance to beat anyone with Kaplan on the mound, but he has not played since May 11 due to a hamstring strain and his status on Wednesday remains questionable. He is also one of Manasquan’s top hitters, so his absence leaves a significant void for the Warriors if he cannot go. If Manasquan can pull off a win without him, the chances of him pitching at full strength in each subsequent round increase dramatically.

The other Shore Conference team with a double-digit seed is Ocean, which won five in a row before dropping a 2-1 game to Central in its final game of the regular season. The offense has improved over the course of the season, but the Spartans lack the top-end pitching that many of the other underdogs have to throw in round one, which Ocean will spend at Wall.

Bracket Breakdown: We have covered the favorites and the many potential spoilers with a double-digit seed and that still does not account for all the teams that could win this section. Wall, Point Boro, No. 8 Allentown and No. 9 Spotswood all have the pieces to put together a championship run, starting with the Crimson Knights as the No. 4 seed. Led by left-hander Nick Plevier, the pitching has been steady throughout the year for Wall and the offense has enough talent – including standout sophomores Jackson Soos and Luke Dana – to break out during the postseason.

Point Boro was on the verge of shocking the state last May, when the Panthers led Governor Livingston for most of their first-round game before the Highlanders avoided the 16-vs.-1 upset with a walk-off victory. That loss has been fresh in the minds of the Point Boro players all season long and after some ups and downs along the way, the Panthers will finally have their shot at redemption, starting with an opening round game vs. Class B South division rival Manasquan. The Panthers don’t have the most dominant pitching in the section, but they can run out a quality pitcher for every inning of this tournament.

Allentown has a similar roster to the one Point Boro has, plus the Redbirds are steeped in state tournament pedigree under coach Brian Nice. They own early-season wins over Ramapo and Lawrence and enter the tournament 12-2 over their last 14 games. They will tangle with No. 9 Spotswood in round one and the team that prevails will present a major challenge to No. 1 Rumson, and that is if the Bulldogs survive Holmdel in round one.

Prediction: Allentown over Point Boro. This bracket has a chance to go off the rails, not because the top teams are weak, but because they are just vulnerable enough that a deep bracket could be too much to overcome. The section is not quite as loaded as it was last year, but there are still dangerous teams all over the place. Allentown might be catching Rumson at the right time should the teams meet in the quarterfinals, but the Redbirds are no lock to beat Spotswood. Ditto for Point Boro against Governor Livingston, as Point Boro has to survive a visit from Manasquan before getting a chance to take down the defending champions. With a win over Brick Memorial in the Shore Conference Tournament, Point Boro proved it is ready for the big time, so expect a strong showing from the Panthers. Then again, they will not be sneaking up on anyone this year and Governor Livingston has also been waiting all year for a chance to defend its title.

Round-by-Round Picks
First Round
(1) Rumson-Fair Haven over (16) Holmdel
(8) Allentown over (9) Spotswood
(12) Raritan over (5) Delran
(4) Wall over (13) Ocean
(3) A.L. Johnson over (14) Bordentown
(11) Robbinsville over (6) South River
(7) Point Boro over (10) Manasquan
(2) Governor Livingston over (15) Cinnaminson

Quarterfinals
(8) Allentown over (1) Rumson-Fair Haven
(4) Wall over (12) Raritan
(11) Robbinsville over (3) A.L. Johnson
(7) Point Boro over (2) Governor Livingston

Semifinals
(8) Allentown over (4) Wall
(7) Point Boro over (11) Robbinsville

Championship
(8) Allentown over (7) Point Boro

 

South Jersey Group II

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 7 Barnegat, No. 9 Manchester
Top Seed: Haddonfield
Defending Champion: Haddonfield

The Favorite: Haddonfield. As the defending champion and the No. 1 seed, it is hard to argue against the Bulldogs as the favorite to repeat in South Jersey. Haddonfield dropped its final two games of the regular season but has a chance to reset and make a run between a solid one-two pitching punch of Will Solak and James Rowe.

No. 2 Haddon Heights already won its first-round game on Tuesday and is annually in the championship mix, with its last sectional title coming in 2022, with current Tampa Bay Rays prospect Caden Bodine leading the way.

No. 3 Cedar Creek is out for redemption after losing as a No. 3 seed to 14th-seeded Manchester in the 2025 first round. The Pirates pitching is not overwhelming, but they have a centerpiece player in Rutgers commit and junior outfielder J.J. Watkins.

The Dark Horse: No. 13 Gloucester. There is not a lot that jumps out when reviewing the makeup of the first-round road teams in South Jersey Group II, but Gloucester has some elements that catch the eye. The Lions will be facing No. 4 Sterling for the third time and although they went 0-2 vs. the Silver Knights, one of those was a 1-0 loss. That 1-0 loss to Sterling was the first of four straight losses by one run for Gloucester, which goes into the tournament having won six out of its last eight.

Bracket Breakdown: The most plausible outcome in South Jersey Group II is that four of the top five seeds to work their way to the semifinals, but that is not how it played out a year ago. Collingswood made the run to the finals as a No. 6 seed by crushing its first three opponents and Manchester knocked off No. 3 Cedar Creek as a No. 14 seed.

Manchester could again play the spoiler role as the No. 9 seed, with the Hawks heading to No. 9 Middle Township in round one with a chance to earn a shot at top-seeded Haddonfield in round two. The Hawks enter play Wednesday on a five-game losing streak, but also have a win over Shore Conference Tournament semifinalist Freehold Township in May.

At the No. 7 seed, Barnegat has a chance to be dangerous. The Bengals have a quality No. 1 option on the mound in Nick Malinowski and a solid top of the order that can put runs on the board against a team like Haddon Heights – Barnegat’s potential second-round opponent. If Barnegat can navigate No. 10 Salem Tech in round one while keeping Malinowski eligible, the Bengals have a shot to pull the upset and go on a run.

Prediction: Haddonfield over Cedar Creek. Could first-round lightning strike Cedar Creek twice? Or, have the Pirates learned from last year’s stumble out of the gate and are now poised for a title run? The draw is more favorable for Cedar Creek, so that should open the door for the latter, while Haddonfield plays its way through what should be a manageable side of the bracket. While Gloucester is a potentially pesky first-round opponent, Sterling could make a run at Haddonfield if they can dodge a first-round upset. Ultimately, this bracket appears to be Haddonfield’s to lose.

Round-by-Round Picks
First Round
(1) Haddonfield over (16) Collingswood
(9) Manchester over (8) Middle Twp.
(5) Seneca over (12) Lower Cape May
(13) Gloucester over (4) Sterling
(3) Cedar Creek over (14) Pleasantville
(6) West Deptford over (11) Medford Tech
(7) Barnegat over (10) Salem Tech
(2) Haddon Heights over (15) Mastery Camden

Quarterfinals
(1) Haddonfield over (9) Manchester
(13) Gloucester over (5) Seneca
(3) Cedar Creek over (6) West Deptford
(7) Barnegat over (2) Haddon Heights

Semifinals
(1) Haddonfield over (13) Gloucester
(3) Cedar Creek over (7) Barnegat

Championship
(1) Haddonfield over (3) Cedar Creek