Atlantic Physical Therapy Baseball 2026 Week 5 Top 10
Shore Sports Insider Week 5 Baseball Top 10
Sponsored by Atlantic Physical Therapy
As unpredictable as the 2026 season has been and as unstable as the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 has been, we were two runs away last week from utter chaos. Had Manalapan found a way to beat Red Bank Catholic for a second time instead of the Caseys pulling out a 1-0 win in 10 innings over the Braves on Saturday, the discussion for No. 1 would have been a much different one.
Additionally, had Monmouth Regional pulled off an upset of Rumson-Fair Haven in what turned out to be a 6-5 survival for the Bulldogs, it is quite possible the No. 1 team this week would have come down to a team ranked No. 8 last week vs. a team that was not ranked at all.
As it is, the No. 1 ranking this week is a fairly easy call, but that does not mean there is a large gap between No. 1 and the field.
Red Bank Catholic senior Charlie Stumberger. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
1. Red Bank Catholic (9-2, 7-1) Last Week: 3
For the first time this season, someone has supplanted CBA as the No. 1 team in the Top 10 and it is the team that will play the Colts twice this week. RBC’s lone loss to a Shore Conference team was a 17-2 rout at the hands of Manalapan, but that came without any of the Caseys’ top four arms on the mound and they beat Manalapan the other two times they met. A sweep over Ranney is looking even better after the Panthers beat CBA twice last week. The new No. 1 ranking for RBC will immediately be put to the test this week, when the Caseys take on CBA twice, host Rumson-Fair Haven on Friday in a regular-season game and Howell Saturday in the Monmouth County Tournament semifinals.
2. Rumson-Fair Haven (11-2, 8-1) Last Week: 4
The Rumson-vs.-Monmouth series was a first-vs.-last-place matchup in Class B North but the games did not necessarily reflect that kind of disparity. The Bulldogs needed two six-run innings to pull away late for a 17-8 win in game one, then scored two in the top of the seventh to deny the Falcons the upset in a 6-5 win. A 4-0 shutout of Raritan closed out the week with some quality pitching and the Bulldogs will try to keep it rolling with a second game vs. Raritan, the Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinals vs. Marlboro and a Friday showdown with No. 1 RBC.
3. Ranney (5-6, 4-4) Last Week: Not ranked
From unranked to No. 3, Ranney showed its win over Middletown South following a competitive series vs. Red Bank Catholic was a sign the Panthers had indeed turned the corner. This past week, Ranney took down former No. 1 CBA twice, including a 3-1 win over Colts ace and Michigan commit Dylan Iwanyk on Thursday in Tinton Falls. A third meeting between CBA and Ranney – the Monmouth County quarterfinal – was postponed Saturday due to the weather, so Ranney will now have at least three more challenging games this week: two vs. Manalapan and Thursday at CBA. If the Panthers can beat the Colts for a third time, they will get a fourth challenging game in the form of a Saturday MCT semifinal.
Ranney junior Ricky Lopez. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
4. Christian Brothers Academy (6-6, 4-2) Last Week: 1
In addition to basically swapping spots with Red Bank Catholic in the rankings, the Colts’ division-championship odds took a hit with two losses to Ranney last week. They can regain their edge in the division race by sweeping RBC this week, but that will not be an easy feat for either team given how many big games both are looking at this week. In CBA’s case, the Colts will have RBC twice, followed by Ranney on Thursday and, if they can beat Ranney after two losses last week, a Saturday game vs. either Rumson or Marlboro in the MCT semifinals.
5. Manalapan (8-6, 4-3) Last Week: 8
Although the week ended with a heartbreaking loss, Manalapan’s consolation prize is a three-spot bump in the Top 10. The Braves handled Middletown South in two games last week and had RBC on the ropes for 9 1/2 innings before the Caseys walked off with a win Saturday in the MCT quarterfinals. Manalapan will have to dust itself off quickly and deal with a surging Ranney squad this week and if the Braves can sweep the series, there is a chance at a three-team race for the Class A North title.
6. Point Pleasant Beach (7-3, 5-3) Last Week: 6
With Wall losing to Howell in the Monmouth County Tournament, the Class A South cluster drops to the second half of the rankings, with Point Beach leading the way after the Garnet Gulls outlasted Wall in extra-innings to end the week. Two wins over Brick Memorial balance out two losses to Toms River East and if Point Beach can open the week with a win over Jackson on Monday, the Garnet Gulls will be playing for an outright Class A South championship Thursday against Wall. With an Ocean County Tournament quarterfinal vs. Southern on Tuesday, however, Point Beach is set to have its pitching put to the test in what might be the biggest week of its season.
7. Brick Memorial (8-5, 4-5) Last Week: 7
The Mustangs are out of the running for the Class A South championship because of one nightmare week in which they scored 29 runs and somehow went 0-3 in two losses vs. Point Beach and one vs. Southern. Since then, Brick Memorial has gone 3-0 with wins over Southern, Jackson and Brick and the 107 runs the Mustangs have scored are third in the conference and first among the 12 teams in the two A divisions. Throw in a plus-40 run-differential and a win over an 11-2 DePaul – whose only other loss is to Don Bosco – and Brick Memorial still passes the smell test as one of the Shore’s best. The Mustangs will need to tidy up the résumé over the next couple of weeks to get back into the No. 1 conversation prior to the Shore Conference Tournament but it can be done.
8. Howell (7-5, 2-5) Last Week: Not ranked
The Rebels make their first appearance in the SSI Top 10 this season after taking down Wall, 11-5, in the Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. Howell also owns a late-March win over Ranney and 14-4 win over Manalapan. The Class A North championship is out of reach for the Rebels, so they can turn their full attention to power-point optimization and the Monmouth County Tournament – both of which suggest the Rebels will have ace Jackson Vetrano ready for a Saturday showdown with RBC in the MCT, which comes after a series with Middletown South this week.
9. Wall (8-4, 6-3) Last Week: 2
After entering last week with a 7-1 record, Wall came back to the pack last week by going 1-3, with losses to Toms River East, Point Beach and Howell and 15-1 drubbing of Manasquan mixed in. The seven-spot fall may be a bummer, but it will be temporary if the Crimson Knights can bounce back this week and with no Monmouth County Tournament game to plan for, they will have a chance to make sure as much pitching as necessary is ready for Thursday’s de facto Class A South championship game vs. Point Beach.
10. Toms River East (6-6, 5-4) Last Week: 5
An outright Class A South championship is no longer a possibility for Toms River East, but the Raiders could still pull off a co-championship with Point Beach, Wall and potentially Jackson if they can pay back Southern Monday after losing to the Rams last week. For Toms River East to have a chance at one of those championships shares, it will need Jackson to beat Point Beach on Monday, then for Point Beach to beat Wall on Thursday. Whatever happens in that Class A South race, Toms River East still holds the cards as the No. 1 seed in the Ocean County Tournament, which the Raiders are attempting to win for a third straight year and will resume Tuesday at home vs. rival Toms River North.
Dropped Out
Colts Neck (9-4, 7-2) Last Week: 9 – A loss to Point Boro is enough to knock the Cougars out of the Top 10 for now after Marlboro pushed them to the brink a week ago with their Monmouth County Tournament upset win.
Toms River South (8-3, 7-2) Last Week: 10 – The Indians are now ahead of Colts Neck in the Top 10 pecking order thanks to two wins over Point Boro, but Howell’s big wins knocked Toms River South out for the time being. A third match-up with Point Boro is Toms River South’s path to the Ocean County Tournament semifinal.
The Next 10
Point Pleasant Boro (9-3, 7-3) – An early sweep at the hands of Toms River South set Point Boro back, but the Panthers have renewed hope in the Class B South race and get a third crack at Toms River South Tuesday in the OCT quarterfinals.
Jackson (5-9, 4-4) – A lack of consistency and a rough schedule are a tough combo to overcome but Jackson has had its moments this year and still have a glimmer of hope for a piece of the Class A South championship.
Manasquan (7-6, 6-3) – A B South championship is still in play for Manasquan, which has beaten both Toms River South and Point Boro with Chase Kaplan on the mound.
Middletown North (6-5, 5-4) – Middletown North’s offense (seven runs per game) has been one of the surprises of the season and a win over Rumson is strong enough to boost the Lions into Top 10 consideration, with a big series vs. Colts Neck just over the horizon.
Marlboro (6-3, 5-3) – The Mustangs still have not played since a deflating loss to Matawan less than 24 hours after shocking Colts Neck in the MCT first round. A push for the C North title resumes this week vs. Holmdel and Shore, with a trip to Rumson for the MCT quarterfinals mixed in.
Southern (4-8, 2-7) – The Rams now own wins over Brick Memorial, Toms River East and Jackson and for the fifth straight year, they will compete in the Ocean County Tournament quarterfinals.
Shore (6-5, 6-2) – After a 0-4 start, Shore has won six of seven, including six straight division games to pull into the top spot in the Class C North standings.
Middletown South (2-8, 1-7) – All eight of Middletown South’s losses (two each vs. RBC, CBA, Manalapan and Ranney) are against teams ranked in the top five and the Eagles managed a win over Ranney, plus one over Hunterdon Central.
St. Rose (8-3, 8-1) – For the first time since 2018, St. Rose is an outright division champion and will now turn its attention to the Ted Jarmusz Bracket in the MCT, as well as the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments.
Lacey (10-3, 6-3) – The Lions have had solid pitching all season and will try to ride that to a run in the Ocean County Tournament, which continues Tuesday at Brick Memorial in the quarterfinals.
