Shore Sports Insider 2026 Week 9 Softball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Softball Week 9 Top 10 Rankings

*Samantha Mayer contributed to this post*

 

1. St. John Vianney (25-0) Last Week: 1 – St. John Vianney’s perfect season continued with an impressive 5-1 victory over No. 2 Donovan Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament final. Monmouth commit Madison McDougall delivered a dominant all-around performance both at the plate and in the circle. McDougall blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend the Lancers’ lead to four runs after previously driving in another run earlier in the game to make it 3-1. In the circle, she struck out 11 batters, bringing her career total to 992 as she closes in on becoming just the 27th player in New Jersey history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.

SJV earned the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Non-Public A tournament and received a first-round bye. The Lancers will face the winner of the Immaculata/Our Lady of Mercy matchup in the quarterfinals. Before postseason play resumes, SJV scheduled a tune-up game Tuesday against DePaul (17-7).

 

 2. Donovan Catholic (25-2) Last Week: 2 –

After a dominant 13-3 victory over Marlboro in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, Donovan Catholic fell to No. 1 St. John Vianney, 5-1, in the championship game. Senior Caroline Kopp continued her outstanding postseason run by delivering an RBI triple in the top of the third inning to give the Griffins an early 1-0 lead. Kopp also drove in three runs during Donovan’s semifinal victory, including the game-ending run.

Despite the loss, Donovan Catholic earned the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Non-Public A tournament after surpassing SJV in the power point standings on the final day of seeding. The Griffins received a first-round bye and will host the winner of the St. Rose/Paul VI matchup, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

3. Marlboro (16-7) Last Week: 3 – After falling to No. 2 Donovan Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, Marlboro bounced back with a victory over Toms River South in a tune-up game ahead of the Central Jersey Group 4 tournament. Senior Ziva McQuade led the offensive effort by driving in three runs, while junior Isabella Wuelfing dominated in the circle with 12 strikeouts over seven innings.

Marlboro will begin its pursuit of a Central Jersey Group 4 championship on Tuesday when the Mustangs host North Brunswick. The program is seeking its third sectional title in the last four seasons. Senior Emily Gaudio, who helped lead Marlboro to a Group 4 championship as a freshman pitcher, will look to close out her career with a second state title.

 

4. Middletown South (15-7) Last Week: 4 – Middletown South opened the week with a 13-0 loss to No. 1 St. John Vianney in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals before bouncing back with an 8-1 victory over Edison in a tune-up game ahead of the Central Jersey Group 3 tournament. The Eagles used three pitchers in the win, combining for nine strikeouts, while sophomore Quinnlynn Heaney crossed the plate three times to lead the offense.

As the No. 3 seed in Central Jersey Group 3, Middletown South will host No. 14 Moorestown on Tuesday in the opening round. The Eagles will look to make another deep postseason run after last season ended in heartbreaking fashion when Colts Neck scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning of the sectional semifinals. Central Jersey Group 3 once again features one of the state’s toughest brackets, highlighted by top-seeded Steinert, No. 2 Northern Burlington, No. 3 Middletown South, and No. 4 Colts Neck.

 

5. Red Bank Catholic (13-10) Last Week: 5 – Red Bank Catholic picked up a pair of non-conference victories last week as the Caseys continued preparations for the South Jersey Non-Public A tournament. Grace Lombardi and Jayden Kane each drove in three runs in an 11-1 win over Gov. Livingston, while RBC closed out the week with a 4-0 victory against Paramus Catholic. Sophomore MacKenna Savage starred in the circle, striking out 12 batters to surpass the 300-career strikeout milestone.

RBC will face Morris Catholic on Tuesday in a final tune-up before opening postseason play in the South Jersey Non-Public A tournament. The Caseys earned the No. 3 seed and received a first-round bye. They are set to host No. 6 Union Catholic in the second round, with a potential third-round showdown against St. John Vianney looming.

 

6. Colts Neck (11-9) Last Week: 6 – Colts Neck has battled through an up-and-down season while dealing with injuries, but after last year’s deep runs in both the Shore Conference Tournament and sectional tournament, the Cougars possess the experience needed to make another postseason push. Colts Neck picked up a 7-2 victory over Toms River East in a tune-up game last week, with Gabby and Adrianna Bryce each recording two hits while combining to score three runs.

The Cougars earned the No. 4 seed in the Central Jersey Group 3 tournament after reaching the sectional final last season before falling to top-seeded Steinert. Colts Neck will host No. 13 Westampton Tech in the opening round, and if senior pitcher Angela Sasso is healthy, the Cougars increase their chances of being in position for a potential semifinal rematch with Steinert.

 

7. Southern (13-9) Last Week: 7 – Southern earned a dramatic 4-3 extra-inning victory over Pinelands in its lone game of the week as the Rams geared up for the South Jersey Group 4 tournament. After surrendering two unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning, Southern responded by scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Junior Brooke Sutter delivered another strong performance in the circle, striking out six batters while allowing just one earned run.

The Rams secured the No. 4 seed in the South Jersey Group 4 tournament and will host No. 13 Lenape on Tuesday in the opening round. With a win, Southern would advance to face the winner of the Rancocas Valley/Millville matchup. Led by standout players Emily Zellman and Abigail Krill, Southern has demonstrated throughout the season that it possesses the pitching and offensive firepower needed to make a deep sectional run.

 

8. Barnegat (19-2) Last Week: 8 – Barnegat has not played since May 16 against Donovan Catholic after Thursday’s game was postponed due to rain. As a result, the Bengals will enter the South Jersey Group 2 tournament having gone 10 days between games.

The Bengals earned the No. 2 seed and will host Overbrook on Tuesday in the opening round. With a victory, Barnegat would host the winner of the Medford Tech/Sterling matchup in the quarterfinals. Behind ace Gianna Gomez, Barnegat enters the postseason as one of the favorites in the section. Gomez leads the state in strikeouts and ranks second in ERA within the Shore Conference. The Bengals possess the offensive firepower needed for a deep postseason run, but timely hitting in the later rounds will be critical to their championship hopes.

 

9. Holmdel (15-5) Last Week: 9 – Holmdel suffered a 6-3 extra-inning loss to Central in its lone game of the week as the Hornets prepared for the Central Jersey Group 2 tournament. After the teams were tied 1-1 through eight innings, each side plated a run in the ninth before Central broke through with four runs in the top of the 10th inning to secure the victory.

The Hornets have been one of the Shore Conference’s toughest teams to figure out this season. Holmdel owns impressive victories over Raritan twice and Middletown South, but also suffered losses to unranked Howell, Point Pleasant Beach, Freehold Township, and Central, making the Hornets one of the more unpredictable teams entering the postseason.

Holmdel earned the No. 6 seed in Central Jersey Group 2 and will host No. 11 Bordentown in the opening round. With a win, the Hornets would advance to face the winner of the Delran/Manasquan matchup. Senior Julia Henderson, who has established herself as one of the Shore Conference’s top pitchers over the past two seasons, gives Holmdel the type of frontline arm capable of leading the program on a deep postseason run.

 

10. Raritan (19-7) Last Week: 10 – Raritan went 2-0 last week as the Rockets built momentum heading into the Central Jersey Group 2 tournament. Raritan opened the week with an 8-5 victory over South Brunswick behind a strong performance from sophomore Lila Houlihan, who drove in two runs with a double. Payton Fleming also contributed with two hits while striking out six batters in the win. The Rockets closed out the regular season with a 7-2 victory over Colonia as Houlihan struck out five batters and did not allow an earned run. Madison Regiec led the offense with three hits and two RBIs.

Raritan earned the No. 5 seed in Central Jersey Group 2 and will host No. 12 Ocean in the opening round. The matchup features plenty of offensive firepower, with both teams capable of producing runs in bunches. The winner will advance to face the winner of the Delaware Valley/Point Boro matchup.