2026 Baseball NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 4

Until recent years, the NJSIAA Group IV field could be characterized not only by its depth of quality teams, but also by a handful of dominant regular-season teams at the top of its four sections. There was always the possibility of one of the favorites falling early in the gauntlet, but there were always favorites to overcome.

Group IV is still packed with quality teams, but searching across the four sections, only 25-2 Passaic Tech in North Jersey Section 2 fits the description as a powerhouse team that looks the part of a favorite. Throughout the rest of the field, the rest of the top seeds look vulnerable: Old Bridge (18-8) and Edison (19-7) in Central Jersey; Kingsway (19-5) and Eastern (18-8) in South Jersey; and Ridge (15-9) and Bayonne (19-8) in North 2. Bayonne is among the teams with 19 wins, but the Bees are 0-3 vs. three Shore Conference opponents (Point Pleasant Beach, Manalapan and Marlboro).

All that is to say that after a similarly-wide-open Group IV Tournament in 2025, the 2026 field has the same feel to it, at least in Central and South Jersey. Perhaps Passaic Tech proves to be the powerhouse by winning it all, but its potential opponent in the state final will come from one of two brackets that are both up for grabs.

 

Central Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 6 Manalapan, No. 7 Jackson, No. 8 Freehold Township, No. 11 Marlboro
Top Seed: Old Bridge
Defending Champion: No. 10 Hillsborough

The Favorite: No. 2 Edison. The top three seeds all have a fairly equal claim to the title of “favorite,” so much as such a thing exists. Old Bridge is on a nine-game winning streak its only loss in the last 13 games is to South Jersey Non-Public A No. 1 seed Immaculata, but the loss prior to that one was to first-round opponent and No. 16 seed East Brunswick. No. 3 Hunterdon Central, meanwhile, is as battle-tested as any team in the section, but does not have a clear-cut No. 1 starting pitcher and will have to deal with one of those in round one, when the Red Devils host No. 14 Princeton and Elon commit Chase Hammerschlag.

That leaves Edison, which has another of the section’s top aces in Monmouth commit Connor Murphy and enough quality options to have a chance in the rounds in which Murphy cannot pitch. The offense is overlooked, but has been dependable for the Eagles for most of the season, but a few quiet hitting days at the plate in big games will give opponents reason to be confident.

The Dark Horse: No. 13 Sayreville. There are no shortage of double-digit seeds with the potential for a deed run, but what makes Sayreville stand out is that the Bombers have a solid No. 1 starter in Logan Kaufman, plus a decent draw. No. 4 Hightstown stands in the way in round one and is Kaufman can come through for the Bombers, they could be facing a No. 5 Monroe team that also has the Greater Middlesex Conference final on Saturday, which could impact how much pitching is available to the Falcons. Sayreville closed out its regular season by playing Old Bridge tough in a 9-8 loss.

Elsewhere, Marlboro also has a draw that should excite the Mustangs. Marlboro has struggled to score for much of the year but has settled in as one of the Shore’s deeper pitching staffs, with a team ERA of 2.79 and four pitchers (Sujay Sesha, Alex Georges, Ethan Mechi and Kaydn Salfarlie) with at least 15 innings and an ERA under 3.00. That group doesn’t include potential round one starter Mark Risi, who has a 3.33 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with 57 strikeouts.

Aforementioned Princeton is another sleeper to consider thanks to Hammerschlag, who is capable of shutting down Hunterdon Central in round one. Should Marlboro upset Manalapan and Hammeschlag deliver an upset for the Little Tigers, a Princeton-Marlboro quarterfinal would be in the cards, with Marlboro figuring to hold an edge thanks to that deep pitching staff.

Of course, East Brunswick is the ultimate sleeper out of the No. 16 spot having already knocked off Old Bridge this season. With Jackson Redmond likely to pitch on Wednesday for Freehold Township vs. No. 9 South Brunswick, East Brunswick could be looking at a Redmond-less Patriots team in the quarterfinals should the Bears knock off Old Bridge again.

Bracket Breakdown: Last year’s Central Jersey Group IV section had no powerhouse teams and in the end, it was a No. 10 seed that caught fire and took the trophy. A similar results is in play this year, with the top seeds all showing vulnerabilities during the course of the season. The Shore does not have a team among the top seeds, but Manalapan, Jackson, Freehold Township and Marlboro have all had their moments during the season that suggest a deep run could be in the cards.

Manalapan has a similar profile to that of Hunterdon Central, with a balanced roster that has been through battles in a tough Class A North division. Junior Jagger Golden will be the Braves’ go-to arm and the staff is deep enough to cover innings when Golden is not eligible.

Jackson got bounced in round one of the Ocean County Tournament and failed to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament, so the Jaguars are looking to overcompensate with a big state playoff run. The source of the SCT snub was a schedule that beat down the Jaguars, but also may have prepared them for this time of the calendar, as recent wins over Toms River South, Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore Regional suggest.

Freehold Township stands out among the Shore teams because of the presence of Redmond, who enters the tournament on a run of six straight complete games, during which he has not walked a batter and struck out 63. Although the Patriots’ last game without Redmond on the mound turned ugly, they have had some success without him pitching and would just need to find a way past the quarterfinals to give the Seton-Hall-bound ace a chance to pitch his team to a sectional final. A semifinal between Freehold Township and Monroe could potentially pit Redmond against Georgia commit Andre Love, who has a big arm but has also started four games in which Monroe’s opponent has scored eight runs or more.

Prediction: Jackson over Old Bridge. It is not easy for a team to wear the losses that Jackson wore during the season and make it to late May playing like a confident team, but the Jaguars have survived the grind and are playing their best at the right time. It was only two years ago that Jackson Memorial won the Central Group IV title and was a bounce or two away from beating Eastern, which held off the Jaguars to reach the Group IV final. Jaguars senior left-hander Matt Colaneri was a key part of that run on the mound and will have a say in how far this year’s version of Jackson – which has a combination of players from last year’s Jackson Memorial and Jackson Liberty teams – can go in the postseason.

Round-by-Round Picks
First Round
(1) Old Bridge over (16) East Brunswick
(8) Freehold Twp. over (9) South Brunswick
(5) Monroe over (12) Montgomery
(13) Sayreville over (4) Hightstown
(3) Hunterdon Central over (14) Princeton
(6) Manalapan at (11) Marlboro
(7) Jackson over (10) Hillsborough
(2) Edison over (15) Franklin

Quarterfinals
(1) Old Bridge over (8) Freehold Twp.
(5) Monroe over (13) Sayreville
(6) Manalapan over (3) Hunterdon Central
(7) Jackson over (2) Edison

Semifinals
(1) Old Bridge over (5) Monroe
(7) Jackson over (6) Manalapan

Championship
(7) Jackson over (1) Old Bridge

 

 

South Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 7 Howell, No. 13 Southern, No. 15 Toms River North, No. 16 Central
Top Seed: Kingsway.
Defending Champion: No. 14 Cherokee

The Favorite: Kingsway. The Dragons had lost three of four on the morning the NJSIAA Tournament brackets were announced and they went on to tune up for their first-round game vs. Central with wins over Shawnee and No. 10 Pennsauken. Kingsway boasts a well-rounded pitching staff and a lineup built around senior Kyle Shields, which the Dragons hope will be enough to power them to their first sectional title since winning South Jersey Group II in 1992.

No. 2 Eastern has been no stranger to NJSIAA Tournament success, having reached the overall Group IV final two years ago. The pitching on paper is not as strong as Kingsway’s, but the Vikings are annually a fundamentally sound outfit that this year has a big power bat in Matt Gryskiewicz leading the lineup.

A strong case can be made for No. 3 Gloucester Catholic as the favorite thanks to the Cheetah’s one-two, left-right punch of Rhode Island commit Andrew Valay and Zack Hahn on the mound. The offense does not have robust numbers but the two co-aces have combined for 138 strikeouts in 93 innings with an aggregate ERA of 0.98. It should also be mentioned that the two pitchers have allowed a combined 40 unearned runs, so there are ways to score on Gloucester Tech, even with the team’s two impressive pitchers on the mound.

The Dark Horse: No. 11 Cherry Hill East. The Cougars’ month of May began with a 17-5 loss to Bishop Eustace and since that loss, Cherry Hill has gone 9-1 with wins over six teams in the South Jersey IV section: No. 2 Eastern, No. 4 Rancocas Valley (twice), No. 9 Lenape, No. 12 Washington Township and No. 14 Cherokee. They also have a Virginia Tech commit at the top of the rotation in junior right-hander Mike Fekete to complement the hot-hitting lineup.

The bottom four seeds are all in play as sleepers, starting with a Central Regional squad that has allowed only 60 runs in 21 games this season and has won six in a row heading into the tournament. Southern, meanwhile, has been inconsistent throughout the year and has not had a steady pitching staff, but the Rams upset Point Pleasant Beach in the Ocean County Tournament and should not be overlooked. Toms River North has also shown life late in the season with wins over Toms River East and Point Beach, as well as a 2-1 loss to Brick Memorial.

Cherokee sticks out as a dangerous No. 14 seed, but it seems disingenuous to consider the defending champion and a perennial championship contender a dark horse, especially when said team enters on a four-game winning streak that includes 10-run wins over the No. 2 team in South Jersey Group III (Cherry Hill West) and the No. 2 team in South Group IV (Eastern).

Bracket Breakdown: As usual, there is a diversity of rosters in the South Jersey Group IV, with teams built around balanced lineups, big hitters, top-end pitchers, well-rounded rotations, and sound defense. Howell fits well in the section because the Rebels have been able to win in a variety of ways this season, both leaning on a high-scoring lineup with a blend of contact and power, as well as riding a deep pitching staff led by established senior ace Jackson Vetrano and emergent junior John Bertan. Howell’s road will be challenging, starting with No. 10 Pennsauken and Franklin & Pierce commit Kelwin Batista on the mound with his 107 strikeouts and 1.19 ERA in 58 innings. The good news for Howell? The Indians are 2-7 over their last nine with three or fewer runs scored in eight of the games – including a 1-0 loss in a no-hitter by Batista.

Even more than in Central Jersey, the South Jersey Group IV double-digit seeds look particularly dangerous. Cherry Hill East is a hot team, Cherokee has a habit of thriving at this time of year, Pennsauken has an electric arm to deploy and No. 12 Washington Township has two wins over Gloucester Tech as part of a solid résumé.

Prediction: Kingsway over Cherry Hill East. The bracket may have broken right for Kingsway this season, there are land mines all over the South Jersey section, so the Dragons are not much safer than any of the other championship hopefuls. Howell got a very tough draw, with the best arms and most decorated programs in the section standing between the Rebels and a potential sectional-title run.

Round-by-Round Picks
First Round
(1) Kingsway over (16) Central
(9) Lenape over (8) Williamstown
(12) Washington Twp. over (5) Egg Harbor
(4) Rancocas Valley over (13) Southern
(14) Cherokee over (3) Gloucester Tech
(11) Cherry Hill East over (6) Vineland
(7) Howell over (10) Pennsauken
(2) Eastern over (15) Toms River North

Quarterfinals
(1) Kingsway over (9) Lenape
(12) Washington Twp. over (4) Rancocas Valley
(11) Cherry Hill East over (14) Cherokee
(2) Eastern over (7) Howell

Semifinals
(1) Kingsway over (12) Washington Twp.
(11) Cherry Hill East over (2) Eastern

Championship
(1) Kingsway over (11) Cherry Hill East