Shore Sports Insider 2026 Final Softball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Softball Final Top 10 Rankings

*Samantha Mayer contributed to this post*

 

 

1. St. John Vianney (30-0) Last Week: 1 – St. John Vianney finished its perfect season with a lopsided 10-0 win over the No. 2 team in New Jersey, Mount St. Dominic, in the Non-Public A final. That marked the Lancers’ third win over Mount St. Dominic in four years for the state title. The Lancers won their 10th state title, 14th sectional title, the Shore Conference Tournament, and the American Division.

The Lancers graduate only two seniors, but they are two of the best players in the state who have made an impact since stepping on the field four years ago. Monmouth commit Madison McDougall had a season for the ages and capped it off with the Gatorade Player of the Year award. She finished her career with 1,047 strikeouts, becoming the 27th player in New Jersey’s history to accomplish the milestone. She set career-highs on the mound in ERA (0.30) and strikeouts (312). As good as she was on the mound, she might have been better at the plate this season. McDougall finished with career-highs in batting average (.626), home runs (17), doubles (23), RBI’s (72) and runs scored (23).

Florida International commit Gabby Gonzalez had the same impact as McDougall when she arrived at SJV four years ago. Gonzalez was one of the best fielding shortstops in the Shore Conference, and her bat was equally as good. She batted over .500 and hit double-digit home runs for three out of the four seasons. She graduated with a .484 batting average, 164 hits, 36 home runs and 142 RBI’s. The Lancers have big shoes to fill with McDougall and Gonzalez graduating.

The big question will be who will be in the circle for the Lancers next season. Emily Kissner pitched 12 innings last season and struck out 16 batters. As far as hitting, SJV returns one of the most dangerous offenses, one to nine. Brynn Utter and Mia Favato will take over the leadership roles next season, and both batted over .400 last season. Olivia Lombardi had a big season behind the plate and hit eight home runs. Freshmen Maddie Richter, Olivia Haslacher and Payton McDougall all had big seasons at the bottom of the lineup, which helped the top of the order have such high RBI totals. Sophomore Lexie Csontos started the season and ended the season strong at the plate, and will look to carry that over next season.

 

2. Donovan Catholic (27-3) Last Week: 2 – Donovan was the second-best team from the start to the end of the season. Their two losses to No. 1 SJV came in the SCT championship and the South Jersey Non-Public A championship. Their only other loss came at the hands of the Group 3 champions, Steinert. The Griffins won the Freedom Division with a 10-0 record.

Like the previous two years, Donovan will graduate talented seniors. Center fielder and the school’s all-time hits leader Bella Maria, will be playing at Auburn next season. She graduates with 181 hits, a .476 batting average, 16 home runs, 16 triples, and 72 stolen bases. Catcher Jaelynn Nunez transferred from Toms River East as a junior and immediately made an impact with her power. She hit 17 home runs and had 60 RBI’s in two seasons at Donovan. Caroline Kopp provided valuable innings on the mound and played solid shortstop when she was not pitching. She had a career-high .409 batting average and had some of the biggest hits in the season for the Griffins. In the SCT quarterfinal round, Kopp broke a 1-1 tie against Barnegat in the bottom of the 6th inning to give Donovan a 3-1 win.

Despite the talent that is graduating, Donovan returns a lot of hitting and is their ace. Gylian Hixenbaugh won 17 games and struck out 161 batters with a 1.86 ERA last season. Maryland commit Isabella Cino will be one of the senior leaders and will add to her 26 career home runs and .433 batting average.

Donovan had two freshmen in the starting lineup who gained valuable experience. Third baseman Riley Laing finished with a .260 batting average, and Kourtney Murphy hit .317. Murphy pitched 21 ⅔ innings as a freshman and finished with 28 strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA.

 

3. Marlboro (20-8) Last Week: 3 – Marlboro ended the season by winning its third Central Jersey Group 4 title in four years, but came up short in the state semifinals in heartbreaking fashion, failing to return to the Group 4 championship. Marlboro shut out Hillsborough 4-0 to win the CJG4 title, but lost to Kingsway in extra innings, 3-2.

Marlboro only graduates one starter, but it is an important one. Charleston Southern commit Emily Gaudio graduates as a 3-time sectional champion and a state champion. She finished with career-highs in batting average (.506), RBI’s (31), and doubles (16). What Marlboro will miss the most is her pitching. She graduated with 533 strikeouts and earned the victory in all three sectional title wins over the last four years.

Isabella Wuelfing will be one of Marlboro’s options next season on the mound. Wuelfing pitched 37 ⅓ innings last season. Wuelfing had career-highs in batting average (.506), home runs (6), stolen bases (9), and runs scored (40). First baseman Ashlee Chen made huge strides with the bat in her second season as a starter, raising her batting average from .244 to .341. Catcher Reese Grinberg had a stellar postseason and will be one of the leaders next season for the Mustangs.

 

4. Barnegat (24-3) Last Week: 8 – Barnegat had a historic season, winning its first-ever sectional title and reaching the Group 2 championship for the first time in program history. The Bengals beat Gloucester, which was ranked No. 9 in the state, 2-1 to win the South Jersey Group 2 title. They followed that with a 4-2 win over Johnson (ranked 17th in NJ) in the Group 2 semifinal. Unfortunately, Barnegat ran out of steam and fell to Ramsey in the state title game.

Barnegat had a mixture of seniors and underclassmen who made this run. The Bengals will need to replace four starters who had a major impact in turning this program into a state title contender. Catcher Jadeyn Bodziak had a career-high .362 batting average and had several big hits during the playoff run. In the sectional final, she had one of the two runs batted in, and in the Group semifinal, she had two doubles and scored the first run of the game.

Barnegat has to replace two outfielders with Eva Watts and Brianna Dato graduating. Both players were four-year starters and covered a lot of ground in the outfield. Shortstop Riley Schmidt ended her high school career with a home run in the state final game and finished her career with a .375 batting average. Sophomore Brooke Rizzo will most likely take over at shortstop for the Bengals.

Gianna Gomez will enter her senior year with 684 strikeouts and will be aiming for the 1,000 milestone. Gomez made drastic improvements with her control, lowering her walk base on balls from 115 in her sophomore year to 32 this year. She had a 0.64 ERA, her best season so far in her career, which kept Barnegat in every game.

Freshman Makaila Wickham provided Barnegat with power in her rookie season, hitting four home runs, including a 2-run blast in extra innings to help beat A.L. Johnson 4-2 and send Barnegat into the state final.

 

5. Middletown South (18-8) Last Week: 4 – Middletown South proved they belonged in the American Division right from the start of the season. They started the season 8-2, with their only two losses coming against SJV. The Eagles reached the SCT semifinals by beating Red Bank Catholic for the third time this season. Middletown South reached the Central Jersey Group 3 final, but fell to eventual state champion Steinert 1-0.

The good news for the Eagles and the scary news for the Shore Conference is that they did not have one senior on this year’s roster. Middletown South returns six seniors, three juniors, and five freshmen next season.

Riley Smith had career-bests in ERA (1.32), strikeouts (228) and innings pitched (148 ⅓) in her junior season. She has been one of the best pitchers in the Shore Conference over the last three seasons, but is also dangerous at the plate. Smith ended the season batting over .300 for the third straight season.

The Eagles had plenty of big hits, but Nora Sarcone had a knack for getting the big hit when it mattered the most. She had an inside-the-park home run against Notre Dame to win the game, and the very next game hit a home run to start a 7th inning rally against RBC and scored the game-winning run in the 8th.

Juniors Celia Collings and Mia Collins, along with sophomores Jordyn Crowell and Quinnlynn Heaney, all batted over .300 for Middletown South last year.

 

6. Red Bank Catholic (15-11) Last Week: 5 – RBC went through a rebuild this season with only four starters returning, and only two of them were seniors. The Caseys lost in the quarterfinals of the SCT to Middletown South and in the sectional semifinals to SJV.

RBC graduates catcher Jayden Kane and center fielder Torri Case. Kane finished her senior year with a .435 batting average and five home runs. Grace Grimaldi will be projected to take over behind the plate next season for RBC. Case played an important role in RBC’s SCT title run last season, setting a career-high .355 batting average.

Sophomore Mackenna Savage took over full-time pitching duties with the graduation of Lily Hagan and did not disappoint. She finished the season with 286 strikeouts and a 1.43 ERA. At the plate, she hit .370 and led the team with nine home runs.

RBC returns its entire infield lead by shortstop Grace Lombardi. The Penn State commit has 103 hits in her first three seasons and a .407 career batting average.

 

7. Colts Neck (13-10) Last Week: 6 – Colts Neck was dealt a blow to start the season when senior Angela Sasso missed time on the mound due to injury. The Cougars started the season 3-7 but turned it around, going 10-3 over the last 13 games. Colts Neck reached the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinal, but fell to Steinert for the second straight season.

Colts Neck has four seniors to replace in the starting lineup, starting with their ace, Sasso. Sasso finishes her high school career with 708 strikeouts and a .408 batting average at the plate. The Cougars will need to replace three infield positions, starting with shortstop Gabriella Bryce. Bryce improved her batting average all four years and finished with a .465 average her senior year. The Cougars will miss her speed and her fielding ability next season. Third baseman Julia Watkins hit a career-high .338 and had six doubles her senior year.

Sophomores Adrianna Bryce and Jillian Heyser, who both play in the outfield, shared innings when Sasso missed time on the mound and will be in the mix next season. Bryce improved at the plate in her second season and will be an important part of the Cougar lineup next season.

 

8. Southern (14-10) Last Week: 7 – Southern started the season off slowly with several new faces in the starting lineup. They hit their stride and handed Barnegat their first loss of the season on their way to the Ocean County Tournament title. Unfortunately, the Rams did not have a deep run in South Jersey Group 4, losing to Rancocas Valley in the quarterfinals.

Similar to last season, Southern graduates a couple of important pieces. Center fielder and 4-year starter Emily Zellman graduates with a career .431 batting average. She ends her career with 143 hits and 119 runs scored as a leadoff hitter. Catcher Kendra Perrini batted a career-high .365 last season and finished with a .327 career average. Perrini played a huge part in the OCT final, driving in two runs in a 5-2 victory.

The Rams return plenty of talent and can make a run to repeat as Ocean County champs. Abigail Krill has been one of the best hitters in the Shore Conference since she stepped on the field three years ago. She has a career .425 batting average, 102 hits and 75 runs scored. Juniors Brooke Sutter and Samantha Jillson did a great job taking over for Emily Evans and split time on the mound. Sutter finished with a 2.83 ERA and earned the victory in the OCT final. 

The Rams return plenty of talent and can make a run to repeat as Ocean County champs. Abigail Krill has been one of the best hitters in the Shore Conference since she stepped on the field three years ago. She has a career .425 batting average, 102 hits, and 75 runs scored. Juniors Brooke Sutter and Samantha Jillson did a great job taking over for Emily Evans and split time on the mound. Sutter finished with a 2.83 ERA and earned the victory in the OCT final.

 

9. Raritan (21-8) Last Week: 9 – Raritan ended the season with a heartbreaking loss to Allentown in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinal round. After taking a 3-2 lead at the top of the 6th inning, Allentown came back with two runs in the bottom of the 7th to win the game.

The Rockets finished the season as co-champs with Holmdel in the Colonial Division with an 8-2 record. Raritan returns the majority of its team and graduates only one starter, catcher Isabella Garcia, which should make them one of the favorites in CJG2 next season.

Raritan returns all three starting pitchers, which will be an advantage as it moves up to Class A North (American Division). Returning senior Payton Fleming and juniors Lila Houlihan and Katelyn Ruta will give Coach Marc Rosner options as they will face the best Shore Conference teams twice each during the regular season.

Raritan has four returning players who hit over .400 this season, with shortstop Holly Bellofatto leading the team with a .489 average, 7 home runs, and 42 RBI. Returning senior Madison Regiec finished with a .470 average, and Houlihan batted .418 with four home runs to provide a very tough middle of the order for opposing pitchers.

 

 

10. Holmdel (15-6) Last Week: Not Ranked – Holmdel started the season winning its first eight games and began with an 11-1 record. Unfortunately, they ended the season on a three-game losing streak and lost in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 2 sectional. The Hornets went 8-2 in the Colonial Division and finished as co-champs with Raritan, whom they beat in both games.

Holmdel has three seniors to replace, including All-Shore pitcher Julia Henderson. Henderson finished with 494 strikeouts, with 343 of them coming in her last two seasons. This season, she set career-bests with a 1.55 ERA and 183 strikeouts. She also finished her career with a .404 batting average. Center fielder Delaney Savage finished with a career-high .314 batting average, and Emma Vanario graduated with a .350 career batting average.

Catcher Natalie Clifford will be the only senior next year. She set career-highs this season in batting average (.365), RBI’s (22), doubles (7) and home runs (3). Holmdel had three sophomores and two freshmen who were in the starting lineup this past season. Freshman shortstop Amanda Tuccillo led the team with a .486 batting average and 25 runs scored. Holmdel will move up in divisions, and the experience the underclassmen gained this season will play a big role next season.