Shore Sports Insider 2026 Week 7 Softball Top 10
Shore Sports Insider Softball Week 7 Top 10 Rankings
*Samantha Mayer contributed to this post*
1. St. John Vianney (19-0) Last Week 1: – St. John Vianney opened the week with a statement victory over No. 3 Marlboro to complete a perfect 10-0 run through the American Division. The Lancers followed that performance with a lopsided non-conference victory over St. Joseph by the Sea (NY) before defeating St. Rose 15-3 to close out another dominant week.
Junior Brynn Utter continued her outstanding season by hitting four doubles and driving in six runs during the week. Utter is now batting .493 with six home runs on the season, providing another major weapon in the middle of the Lancers lineup.
Monmouth commit Madison McDougall has been nothing short of exceptional this year. At the plate, McDougall is batting .619 with 11 home runs, the highest total in the Shore Conference. In the circle, she has been equally dominant, compiling 187 strikeouts along with a microscopic 0.28 ERA.
St. John Vianney earned the No. 1 seed for the Shore Conference Tournament, which begins Tuesday. The Lancers received a first-round bye and will host the winner of the (17) Freehold Boro vs. (16) Manalapan matchup on Thursday.
Brynn Utter hit a home run against Middletown North on 4/7/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
2. Donovan Catholic (20-0) Last Week: 2 – Donovan Catholic became the first Shore Conference team to reach the 20-win mark this season after defeating No. 3 Marlboro on Saturday. Earlier in the week, the Griffins earned a dramatic victory over No. 5 Red Bank Catholic, winning on a walk-off single by Mia Kelliher in one of Donovan’s most challenging games of the year.
Auburn commit Isabella Maria continued her strong season by driving in nine runs across four games last week, increasing her season total to 24 RBI. Senior Caroline Kopp has also remained a major contributor both at the plate and in the circle. Against Marlboro, Kopp hit her third home run of the season and drove in two runs. She also earned the win with two innings of relief against Red Bank Catholic.
After completing a perfect 10-0 run through the Freedom Division, Donovan Catholic secured the No. 2 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Griffins will host the winner of the (15) Shore vs. (18) Jackson matchup on Thursday.
Caroline Kopp hit a walk off single for Donovan against Robbinsville in the Shore vs CVC Challenge at Adventure Crossing. 4/18/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
3. Marlboro (12-6) Last Week: 3 – Marlboro faced one of the toughest schedules in the Shore Conference this past week, finishing 1-3 against a challenging slate of opponents. The Mustangs suffered losses to the conference’s top two teams and also dropped a tightly contested 3-1 matchup against Mount St. Dominic, the No. 3-ranked team in New Jersey. Mount St. Dominic broke a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run home run.
Marlboro’s lone victory came in dominant fashion, as the Mustangs defeated Princeton 15-3 in the middle of the week.
Junior Isabella Wuelfing continued to swing a hot bat, hitting three home runs during the week to increase her season total to five while maintaining an impressive .473 batting average.
Despite the difficult week, Marlboro earned the No. 3 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Mustangs will host the winner of the (14) Freehold Township vs. (19) Matawan matchup on Thursday.
Isabella Wuelfing scored all three runs for Marlboro against Steinert in the Shore vs CVC Challenge at Adventure Crossing. 4/18/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
4. Red Bank Catholic (10-8) Last Week: 5 – Red Bank Catholic extended its winning streak to three games this past week, highlighted by an impressive 10-1 victory over No. 10 Raritan. On Friday, the Caseys nearly handed No. 2 Donovan Catholic its first loss of the season before the Griffins rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to escape with the win.
Junior Grace Lombardi showcased her power at the plate, hitting a home run against Raritan and adding another against Donovan Catholic during a strong week offensively.
Before beginning Shore Conference Tournament play, RBC will face another major test against Mount St. Dominic, the No. 3-ranked team in New Jersey.
The Caseys earned the No. 5 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and will host the winner of the (12) Central vs. (21) Ocean matchup on Thursday.
Grace Lombardi scored the game winning run against Allentown in the Shore vs CVC Challenge at Adventure Crossing. 4/18/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
5. Colts Neck (8-8) Last Week: 6 – Colts Neck appears to be playing its best softball at the perfect time. The Cougars opened the week with a statement victory over No. 4 Middletown South before adding non-divisional wins against Howell and Wall. Colts Neck has now won five of its last six games, a stretch that also includes a victory over No. 10 Raritan.
Senior Angela Sasso delivered a tremendous week at the plate, driving in seven runs while collecting six hits, including four doubles and a home run. Her biggest moment came against Middletown South, when she blasted a walk-off two-run home run that scored Gabby Bryce and secured the victory for the Cougars.
Colts Neck earned the No. 9 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and will host No. 25 Toms River North in the opening round on Tuesday.
Angela Sasso finished with 8 strikeouts against Middletown North. 4/4/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
6. Middletown South (12-6) Last Week: 4 – Middletown South suffered two losses last week against teams featured in the SSI rankings, but both games showcased just how competitive the Eagles remain heading into postseason play. Middletown South fell to No. 6 Colts Neck 4-3 after carrying a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before later dropping a tightly contested 2-1 decision to No. 9 Holmdel.
Junior Riley Smith continued her dominant season in the circle, striking out 13 batters against Colts Neck and adding another 12 strikeouts against Holmdel to finish the week. Smith has now recorded double-digit strikeouts in nine games this season. Against Holmdel, she allowed just two hits in another strong pitching performance.
Offensively, junior Celia Collings delivered a huge week for the Eagles. Collings went 8-for-9 against Howell and Cranford, highlighted by hitting for the cycle and driving in six runs against Howell before adding two more RBI against Cranford.
Middletown South earned the No. 4 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Eagles will host the winner of the (13) Middletown North vs. (20) Pinelands matchup on Thursday.
7. Southern (10-6) Last Week: Not Ranked – Southern returns to the rankings for the first time since Week 1 after putting together an impressive stretch of softball. The Rams have won nine of their last 11 games, a run highlighted by capturing the Ocean County Tournament championship with a victory over Toms River East on Wednesday. During that stretch, Southern also handed No. 7 Barnegat its first loss of the season.
Junior Brooke Sutter played a major role in the Rams’ tournament success, throwing a shutout against Barnegat to send Southern to the championship game before recording six strikeouts in the title victory over Toms River East.
Senior Kendra Perrini also delivered in key moments, going 2-for-3 in both tournament games while driving in two runs in the championship matchup.
Southern earned the No. 9 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and will host No. 24 St. Rose in the opening round on Tuesday.
Brooke Sutter finished with 6 strikeouts to earn the win in the OCT Championship against TRE at Adventure Crossing. 5/6/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
8. Barnegat (17-1) Last Week: 7 – Barnegat responded well after suffering its first loss of the season, bouncing back with three victories last week, including an impressive 4-0 win over No. 10 Raritan.
Sophomore Brooke Rizzo continued to produce at the plate, going 5-for-9 with two doubles and five runs scored during the week. In the circle, junior Gianna Gomez once again showcased why she is one of the state’s most dominant pitchers. Gomez recorded 42 strikeouts across three games and now leads New Jersey with 256 strikeouts this season.
Against Raritan, Gomez delivered one of her best performances of the year, striking out 16 batters while throwing a no-hitter in the shutout victory.
Barnegat earned the No. 7 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Bengals will host the winner of the (10) Raritan vs. (23) Toms River South matchup on Thursday.
Brooke Rizzo drove in the tying run on a sac-fly against Pinelands in the second-round of the OCT. 4/18/26 Photo by Samantha Mayer
9. Holmdel (14-3) Last Week: 9 – Holmdel appeared to be on the verge of falling out of the rankings after suffering back-to-back losses to Point Beach and Freehold Township, but the Hornets quickly responded with a statement 2-1 victory over No. 4 Middletown South to move right back into contention.
After being limited to just one run against Freehold Township earlier in the week, Holmdel’s offense bounced back in a big way with 12 runs against Ocean in a non-divisional matchup. The Hornets also finished the regular season as co-champions of the Colonial Division alongside Raritan, both posting 8-2 division records.
Junior Natalie Clifford delivered another strong week offensively, recording seven hits and driving in six runs. She also collected one of Holmdel’s two hits against Middletown South and scored one of the team’s two runs in the victory.
Senior pitcher Julia Henderson continued to lead the way in the circle, striking out five batters against Middletown South and adding 14 strikeouts in the win over Ocean.
Holmdel earned the No. 6 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Hornets will play the winner of (11) Toms River East and (22) Howell.
10. Raritan (14-6) Last Week: 10 – Raritan faced a demanding five-game schedule last week and finished 3-2, with its two losses coming against No. 5 Red Bank Catholic and No. 7 Barnegat. Despite those setbacks, the Rockets delivered in the games that mattered most and earned a share of the Colonial Division championship.
After receiving help from Freehold Township, which defeated Holmdel earlier in the week, Raritan kept its division title hopes alive with a 12-6 victory over Matawan. The Rockets then capped off the week with a crucial 3-1 win over Wall on Saturday to officially secure co-champion honors alongside Holmdel.
Sophomore Katelyn Ruta played a major role in the division-clinching victory, striking out 11 batters while allowing just three hits against Wall. Junior Holly Bellofatto also delivered a huge offensive week, driving in nine runs overall, including four against Matawan and three against Manasquan. Bellofatto added an RBI double against Wall that extended Raritan’s lead to 3-1 and helped seal the victory.
Raritan earned the No. 10 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and will host No. 23 Toms River South on Tuesday. A victory would set up a rematch with No. 7 Barnegat in the second round on Thursday.
Dropped Out:
Toms River East
Bubble:
Freehold Township
Toms River East
Middletown North
