Atlantic Physical Therapy Baseball 2026 Week 3 Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Week 3 Baseball Top 10

Sponsored by Atlantic Physical Therapy

Another week, another team from the preseason rankings drops out of the Shore Sports Insider Top 10. Last week, it was Toms River South replacing Point Pleasant Boro after Toms River South beat the Panthers during the first full week of the season. This week, it is an A-division team that ended its week with a pair of statement wins that climbs into the rankings while doing so at the expense of another team in its division.

As for the top of the rankings, the top two teams in the rankings continue to impress, but the rest of the top five gets a shake-up after four of the five teams from last week’s rankings suffered at least one loss.

 

1. Christian Brothers Academy (3-3, 2-0) Last Week: 1

In its first game vs. an N.J. opponent this season, CBA narrowly held off Manalapan, 6-5, and after the Braves just barely missed out on sweeping Red Bank Catholic, it’s not hard to figure why CBA had a fight on its hands. The Colts then beat Howell, 11-0, thanks to strong pitching from Danny DiTullio and despite not collecting an extra-base hit. They now head into this week ready to take on the Hun School and Middletown South.

2. Brick Memorial (5-2, 2-2) Last Week: 2

After splitting a series with Wall, Brick Memorial went up to DePaul Catholic and took down the No. 4 team in the state with a thrilling, 12-9 win in extra innings. The Mustangs won Saturday’s slugfest without using either Zach Pirnik or Brody Moore on the mound, and while DePaul gave most of the eight innings to depth pitchers, Dan Golembiewski hit a huge grand slam off Stetson commit Chris Marano, who came in to face the Mustangs’ most dangerous hitter. As great as this week was for Brick Memorial, the Mustangs find themselves in a slugfest for the A South title and have two more huge games this week vs. Point Beach.

3. Wall (3-1, 3-1) Last Week: 7

As it turns out, pitching is pretty important. That is what Wall has proven this year now that the Crimson Knights have a healthy and capable pitching staff, a far cry from last year, when the Crimson Knights were decimated. After sweeping Jackson to open the season, Wall dropped a game to Brick Memorial, then salvaged a split with the Mustangs thanks to a stellar pitching performance by Nick Plevier and another homer by John Catanio. With a 3-1 record and a series vs. Southern to open the week, the Crimson Knights will look to take over first place in a loaded Class A South race.

4. Red Bank Catholic (4-1, 3-1) Last Week: 3

Friday’s 17-2 loss to Manalapan was ugly, but a 4-1 start while still waiting on sophomore right-hander Sam French to build up following a preseason injury is a good sign for RBC. None of RBC’s top three pitchers so far – Anthony Scaglione, Glen Popes and Joe Mauro – took the mound in Friday’s loss, so it should be a game that RBC can get over rather easily and a 6-1 win over Jackson on Saturday suggests the Caseys did just that. Scaglione and Popes will get the ball this week in two games vs. rival Ranney, with the winner hoping to challenge CBA for the division title.

5. Rumson-Fair Haven (5-1, 3-0) Last Week: 6

Saturday’s stunning seventh-inning collapse at Caldwell is the first setback of the year for a Rumson team that has otherwise been dominant. That loss is particularly painful with Governor Livingston’s loss to Arthur L. Johnson because Rumson would have been 6-0 with a big power-point win over Caldwell and two games coming up vs. 6-0 Colts Neck as the Bulldogs try to chase down the No. 1 seed in a loaded Central Jersey Group II section that Governor Livingston won a year ago as the No. 1 seed. That Colts Neck series on Thursday and Saturday will be one of the match-ups of the year, so Rumson will try to put Saturday’s walk-off loss to rest and get back on track this week, starting with Middletown North on Tuesday.

6. Toms River East (3-2, 3-1) Last Week: 9

Opening day might be the most anticipated day of the year but Toms River East is proving it is just another day on the baseball calendar. After an ugly loss at Brick Memorial to open their season, the Raiders are 3-1 with two wins over Point Beach, one over Brick Memorial and their only loss coming to Rumson. The 17-3 win at Point Beach was the most impressive by the final scored, but the second games of Toms River East’s series vs. Point Beach and Brick Memorial showed the Raiders can win close games, even with some inexperience in the lineup. Jackson is a classic trap series, so the Raiders will try to stay on their toes vs. the Jaguars as they make a run at the Class A South title.

7. Colts Neck (6-0, 4-0) Last Week: 8

One of only three undefeated teams left in the Shore Conference, Colts Neck passed its first major test of the season by beating Raritan ace and Boston College commit Will Meehan on Wednesday. The Cougars have yet to play a Shore team with a winning record, hence the ranking outside the top five for a senior-laden team with a 6-0 record. That changes at the end of this week, when Colts Neck takes on Rumson in a series that figures to decide the Class B North championship, should one team be able to win both games.

8. Toms River South (4-1, 4-0) Last Week: 10

Despite suffering its first loss of the season on Friday, Toms River South moves up two spots in the rankings. Friday’s loss came on the road against an unbeaten Schalick squad and it was an 8-7 battle that could have gone either way. Before that, the Indians completed a huge divisional sweep of Point Boro to grab a stranglehold on first place in Class B South, plus Toms River South’s two lopsided wins over Toms River North look even better after the Mariners swept Manasquan to end the week. Toms River South will get its shot at Manasquan starting Friday, but will have to tangle with Donovan Catholic first.

9. Manalapan (4-4, 1-2) Last Week: Not ranked

The Braves surge into the rankings after more than holding their own last week vs. CBA and Red Bank Catholic. The first two games were frustrating ones for Manalapan, which lost, 6-5, at CBA and 3-2 at Red Bank Catholic, but then the Braves took out those frustrations on Red Bank Catholic on Friday. A 17-2 win over RBC was one of the louder statements made by a Shore team this season and an 11-1 win over Robbinsvillle a day later is further proof that Manalapan’s offensive struggles of a past couple of seasons appear to be a distant memory. Life in Class A North, however, is unforgiving and Manalapan will have to keep it up this week vs. Howell – another Class A North public-school team off to a good start.

10. Point Pleasant Beach (2-2, 2-2) Last Week: 4

The Garnet Gulls would like to forget about last week, when sloppy play in the field was the main culprit in two losses to Toms River East. Point Beach made a combined 10 errors in the two losses and while the five errors in a 17-3 loss were not the difference between winning and losing, the five errors in the 4-2 loss at Toms River East in game two very likely were. It does not get easier for Point Beach this week, when the Garnet Gulls play two vs. Brick Memorial, but it is also an opportunity for Point Beach to get back on track and make the Class A South standings even more crowded.

 

Dropped Out

Ranney (2-4, 2-2) Last Week: 5 – Ranney’s pitching has been boom-or-bust, with the Panthers allowing two runs in their two wins and 47 in their four losses. While dealing one of the conference’s toughest schedules, the Panthers would like to iron that out as soon as possible.

 

The Next 10

Middletown South (2-3, 1-3) – The Eagles are off to an encouraging start despite a brutal schedule to open the year (Hunterdon Central and two each vs. Red Bank Catholic, Ranney and CBA).

Howell (4-2, 1-2) – After bouncing back from an 11-0 loss to CBA by beating up on Southern, the Rebels are ready for a big series vs. Manalapan this week.

Point Pleasant Boro (4-2, 4-2) – Two losses to Toms River South put Point Boro behind the eight-ball in B South, but the Panthers are still in the mix thanks to a 4-0 record in their other four division games thanks to great pitching.

Toms River North (3-3, 3-3) – After three straight losses to open the season, Toms River North has pulled a complete 180 by beating Donovan Catholic, then sweeping Manasquan to end last week.

Manasquan (3-3, 2-2) – While the sweep at the hands of Toms River North was disappointing, it came without either of Manasquan’s top two pitchers on the mound. That will not be the case vs. Point Boro to open this week as the Warriors look to get back in the B South race.

St. John Vianney (6-1, 5-0) – After an 18-2 drubbing at the hands of Howell on opening day, the Lancers have reeled off six straight wins, during which they have allowed a total of 12 runs.

St. Rose (4-0, 4-0) – With a formidable one-two punch on the mound of Peter Nolan and James Alesso, the Purple Roses are off to a 4-0 start and in the driver’s seat in the Class B South race, with a big series vs. Lacey coming up this week.

Raritan (2-3, 2-3) – The Rockets could not keep up with Colts Neck last week, but there is a good chance a lot of teams will suffer the same fate vs. the Cougars. A rebound win over Monmouth snapped a three-game losing streak.

Lacey (5-1, 3-1) – Outside of an extra-inning hiccup at Pinelands, the Lions have been on fire this season thanks to a deep pitching staff, which they will ride into a huge series vs. St. Rose this week.

Holmdel (2-3, 2-2) – Two losses to St. John Vianney gives Holmdel a steep path to the Class C North title, but the Hornets still have the pitching to go on a run.