Atlantic Physical Therapy Baseball 2026 Week 4 Top 10
Shore Sports Insider Week 4 Baseball Top 10
Sponsored by Atlantic Physical Therapy
Some weeks in Shore Conference baseball are chaotic enough for rankings upheaval but the most chaotic weeks – like the week we just experienced – are so chaotic that the rankings don’t actually change that much. The storm of upsets and crazy finishes rearranged the patio furniture, but it is all still on the property: the Top 10 teams from last week remain Top 10 teams this week, albeit with a slightly different order.
1. Christian Brothers Academy (5-4, 4-0) Last Week: 1
It’s only a two-week sample, but CBA’s in-Shore pattern appears to be a close call followed by a comfortable win. In their first week in New Jersey, the Colts held on for a 6-5 win over Manalapan, then handled Howell, 11-0. Last week, it was a five-run seventh inning to beat Middletown South, 8-7, then a 17-4 rout of the Eagles in the second game of the series. This week, the Colts will get very familiar with Ranney – CBA’s opponent for two Class A North divisional games in addition to a Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinal clash on Saturday.
2. Wall (7-1, 6-1) Last Week: 3
After surviving two close calls with Southern, not only did Wall assert its stop in the top three of the rankings with a 3-0 win over Toms River East, but Southern took down Brick Memorial on the road, which made the two wins over the Rams look even better for Wall. The pitching has been solid and when it comes to the offense, Wall has leaned on different standouts each game. Wall will finish up its set with Toms River East this week, then face off against three quality opponents: Point Pleasant Beach, Manasquan and Howell.
Wall senior Dan Hennessy. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
3. Red Bank Catholic (6-2, 5-1) Last Week: 4
After enduring a 17-2 loss to Manalapan the prior week, Red Bank Catholic turned to its top pitchers to author a three-game winning streak – first with Joe Mauro leading the way vs. Jackson, then Anthony Scaglione battling for a win at Ranney’s hitters’ haven, then Glen Popes spinning a gem at home to complete the sweep of Ranney. The week closed with a loss to Monroe and while it was not the sharpest outing for sophomore Sam French, it was his first start of the year after working through a preseason injury. Adding French – who started as a freshman – will make the Caseys’ pitching even deeper and if the lineup can find a groove, perhaps starting this week vs. Howell and Manalapan, they look the part of championship contender again.
4. Rumson-Fair Haven (8-2, 5-1) Last Week: 5
A loss to Middletown North that came three days after a bottom-of-the-seventh loss at Caldwell had the Bulldogs primed for a drop in the standings. Instead, they rallied from a 6-4 deficit on the road to beat Colts Neck, 11-6, then swept the Cougars with a sixth-inning rally, 6-4. Rumson closed the week by taking care of St. Rose, 12-6, to reach the Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinals and now hold the cards in the Class B North division race as the Bulldogs prepare to take on Monmouth and Marlboro this week.
5. Toms River East (4-5, 4-3) Last Week: 6
The Raiders have been nothing if not streaking, starting the season 1-2, then rattling off three runs, followed by three straight losses to Jackson, Wall and St. Joseph Metuchen last week. Thanks to two wins over Point Beach, however, Toms River East actually moves up a spot in the rankings and the Class A South championship is still on the table if the Raiders can avenge last week’s loss to Wall and win a couple of games against Southern to close out the division schedule. Toms River East also has, at the moment, a strong argument to be the No. 1 seed in the Ocean County Tournament, which begins later this week.
6. Point Pleasant Beach (5-2, 4-2) Last Week: 10
The Garnet Gulls won two wild games vs. Brick Memorial to start last week, first scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh to stun the Mustangs, 11-10, then outlasting them in a 14-12 slugfest. After giving up 22 runs in two games and somehow coming out on top in both, the Garnet Gulls went to the other extreme to beat Brick to close the week. Senior Tommy Conroy took a no-hitter in the seventh inning and settled on a two-hitter with no walks and nine strikeouts in a 9-0 Point Beach win. The Garnet Gulls start two huge series vs. Wall and Jackson this week, with an eye on winning the Class A South championship as a Group I school.
Point Beach senior Danny Lubach. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
7. Brick Memorial (5-5, 2-5) Last Week: 2
The numbers for Brick Memorial last week are staggering. Coming off a thrilling win at DePaul Catholic on April 11, the Mustangs scored 29 runs in their next three games and somehow came out 0-3. Allowing 34 runs in three games will have that effect, but it was not just the number of runs allowed that frustrated the Mustangs, but when the runs were allowed. Brick Memorial surrendered 12 runs across the three seventh innings, and surrendered the lead in the last inning in two of the losses. The offense is still as good as it gets in the Shore Conference, but the Mustangs find themselves with pitching questions to answer heading into games vs. Southern and Jackson this week, followed by the Ocean County Tournament.
8. Manalapan (6-5, 2-3) Last Week: 9
The Braves ascended into the Top 10 last week after following up a close loss to Red Bank Catholic with a 17-2 rout of the Caseys. This past week, Manalapan did the opposite: the Braves endured a 14-4 beating at the hands of Howell, then rebounded by clipping the Rebels on a walk-off hit by Rich Cammaratta to cap a 1-0 pitchers duel vs. the rival Rebels. After closing out the week with a comfortable win over Manasquan in the Monmouth County Tournament, Manalapan will face a desperate Middletown South team in Class A North divisional play, followed by an MCT rubber match at RBC on Saturday.
9. Colts Neck (7-3, 5-2) Last Week: 7
The Cougars were one of two undefeated teams remaining in the Shore Conference through play Wednesday. Three days later, they were searching for answers after dropping three straight games, two of which came at the hands of Rumson-Fair Haven in a key Class B North series. The most surprising of the three losses was Friday’s 8-5 defeat to Marlboro – the No. 13 seed in the Monmouth County Tournament that scored six runs in the seventh to stun No. 4 Colts Neck. Even with the two losses to Rumson, Colts Neck can still win the division by running the table – starting this week with Ocean and Colts Neck following a non-division test vs. Point Boro – and getting help from one of Rumson’s opponents.
Colts Neck senior Joe Pignatelli. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
10. Toms River South (6-2, 6-1) Last Week: 8
The season began with two lopsided wins over rival Toms River North and ever since, the Indians have been going down to the wire in just about every game, including last week vs. another Toms River rival in Donovan Catholic. Toms River South survived extra innings in game one, then prevailed in a back-and-forth game two, 11-7, before closing the week with a loss at Manasquan. To avoid the sweep vs. the Warriors on Monday, Toms River South will have to beat Lafayette commit Chase Kaplan, who has a 0.74 ERA an 36 strikeouts in 19 innings so far this season. A win over Kaplan and the Warriors would be good ammo for the Indians to argue for the No. 1 seed in the Ocean County Tournament, while a loss would make the Class B South race interesting again.
The Next 10
Howell (6-3, 2-3) – The Rebels capped another solid week with a walk-off win in nine innings over St. John Vianney to earn a Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinal shot vs. No. 2 Wall.
Jackson (4-6, 3-3) – A stacked schedule is partially to blame for the sub-.500 record and the Jaguars appear to be turning a corner after back-to-back wins over Toms River East and Livingston.
Ranney (3-6, 2-4) – The Panthers have had trouble stringing two good starts on the mount together, but they did that to end last week in a 2-1 loss at RBC, followed by an 8-3 win over Middletown South in the MCT first round.
Middletown South (2-6, 1-5) – The Eagles knew they had to contend with a schedule that forced them to play Hunterdon Central then two games each vs. Red Bank Catholic, CBA and Ranney. It turned out to be seven games vs. RBC, CBA and Ranney thanks to an MCT seeding that gave the Eagles a third game vs. Ranney, which they lost to drop to 2-6.
Point Pleasant Boro (6-3, 6-3) – The Panthers have yet to play a game outside the Class B South division and to this point, they have won the games they have been expected to win while losing the two games vs. Toms River South and the one vs. Kaplan and Manasquan.
Manasquan (5-5, 4-3) – Beating Toms River South in a game started by Kellan Quinn is a huge result for the Warriors, who will now give Kaplan the ball Monday with a chance to sweep the current Class B South division-leading Indians.
St. John Vianney (7-3, 6-1) – After rattling off seven straight wins, the Lancers have dropped two straight and both games have seen SJV lose the kind of close, toss-up games that it had been winning during the winning surge.
Marlboro (6-3, 5-3) – The Mustangs reached their zenith by rallying to beat Colts Neck with their sixth straight win, then watched that streak end Saturday in a loss to Matawan that could hurt the Mustangs in the Class C North division race.
St. Rose (6-2, 6-1) – After splitting a competitive series vs. Lacey last week, the Purple Roses are all-in to win the Class C South championship. They can clinch at least a share by running the table vs. Pinelands and Manchester this week.
Lacey (8-2, 5-2) – The Lions have a better out-of-division résumé than does St. Rose, but a loss to Pinelands is currently the difference between Lacey’s current second-place standing in Class C South and a tie for first place with the Purple Roses.
