Shore Sports Insider Week 6 Baseball Top 10, May 14

Shore Sports Insider Week 6 Baseball Top 10

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The halfway point of May is days away and there is not much left to settle when it comes to championships within the Shore Conference. Division champions have been crowned in six of the seven divisions, Toms River East is the Ocean County Tournament champion for a second straight year, Christian Brothers Academy and Red Bank Catholic will be playing the Monmouth County Tournament final on a day deemed convenient for both, and the Shore Conference Tournament is down to eight teams.

By the time the next set of rankings drops, a Shore Conference Tournament champion should be crowned (weather permitting) and the NJSIAA Tournament brackets will be set. With that said, a lot can change in the final rounds of the SCT and the NJSIAA Tournament is typically littered with surprises. The rankings are getting closer to their final shape, but they are far from settled.

 

1. Christian Brothers Academy (17-2, 10-2) Last Week: 1

CBA’s bats have cooled off over the last week, with the Colts scoring 13 runs over their last four games after lighting up the scoreboard for five weeks. Even with the scoring downturn, things are going well for CBA. Dylan Iwanyk missed the first three weeks of the season with a hamstring injury and just pitched a one-hit shutout for his second straight complete game, giving the Colts another high-end pitcher on a staff that wasn’t exactly dying for another one.

2. Toms River East (14-5, 6-4) Last Week: 4

Over his last two starts, Dan Nafziger has thrown his hat into the ring as a potential Shore Conference Pitcher of the Year for 2025. While neither were shutouts, he held deep, dangerous lineups from Brick Memorial and Rumson-Fair Haven to just one run apiece in complete-game efforts in which he walked none and struck out a combined 17. With Nafziger on his game, Toms River East looks like a legitimate threat to add to its Ocean County Tournament championship – either in the final three rounds of the Shore Conference Tournament, the Group III Tournament next month, or perhaps both.

3. Red Bank Catholic (14-5, 7-5) Last Week: 2

A loss to Marlboro last week knocks RBC from the No. 2 spot in the rankings, but despite that loss, the Caseys are feeling as good as they have all year about their chances to win a championship. With the return of catcher Aiden Funk, the lineup is completely healthy for the first time this season, which started with current designated hitter Luke Lonczak recovering from a torn ACL. RBC has Luke Meyers ready for its next SCT game, whenever that may be, and Ryan Prior can come back and pitch as soon as Thursday as well after a short-but-effective outing on Monday vs. Brick.

4. Brick Memorial (15-5, 8-2) Last Week: 3

The Mustangs entered the week with all their pitching lined up to make a deep run in the SCT and got started by fighting off a scrappy effort from Monmouth Regional to earn one last home game in the tournament. Brick Memorial will play a fellow division champion in the quarterfinals with a spot in the semis on the line, as well as positioning in the top 10. Colts Neck has been on the periphery of the top-five throughout the season and Brick Memorial would like to solidify its spot with a win.

5. Ranney (11-5, 8-4) Last Week: 6

Just like Brick Memorial would like to further secure its spot in the top five by beating Colts Neck, Ranney was out to do the same Monday vs. Point Pleasant Beach. The Panthers came through by slugging six home runs and beating the Garnet Gulls, 10-6, to earn a rubber match with Red Bank Catholic. If Ranney can win that rubber match and reach the SCT semifinals, a move up the rankings would be in the cards.

6. Colts Neck (12-6, 8-3) Last Week: 5

There is a fine line between a good week and a bad week and that line for Colts Neck was a great game-ending play by leftfielder Miles Schneider and catcher John Glusko that nabbed the potential tying run at the plate in an 8-7 win over Central in the SCT round of 16 Monday. With that win, Colts Neck moves on to the SCT quarterfinals at Brick Memorial after a week that included a 7-0 loss to Ocean and an 11-5 loss to RBC in the Monmouth County Tournament semifinal. Even had Monday not gone Colts Neck’s way, the Cougars reached a significant goal last week by clinching the outright Class B North division championship.

7. Point Pleasant Beach (15-6, 10-1) Last Week: 8

The Garnet Gulls could not figure out how to keep Ranney in the ballpark while playing at the Panthers’ cozy confines in the SCT round of 16 Monday and that was the difference in a 10-6 loss that included six Ranney homers and two by Point Beach. Despite Monday’s loss, the last week was good to the Garnet Gulls: they wrapped up the outright Class B South championship by splitting their series with Manasquan. That marks the third second straight outright division title and given that this one came after Point Beach moved out of Class B Central and into a tougher division, it is a major statement for the program.

8. Ocean (14-6-1, 5-5-1) Last Week: Not ranked

The Spartans are back in the top 10 after a huge road win over Manasquan in the SCT round of 16, which runs Ocean’s division outside of Class B North divisional play to 9-1. The lone loss was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Red Bank Catholic and Ocean will have another shot to beat a non-public power against CBA in the SCT quarterfinal round.

9. Manasquan (11-6, 8-3) Last Week: 7

A win over Point Beach last week pushes the Warriors back into the top 10, but their bid for a spot in the final eight in the Shore Conference Tournament came up short with a tough, 3-2 loss to Ocean on Monday. With the Class B North division race going to Point Beach and the SCT run over, Manasquan will turn its attention to preparing for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II playoffs, in which the Warriors will be a threat thanks to their strong pitching staff and athletic lineup.

10. Rumson-Fair Haven (13-8-1, 7-4-1) Last Week: Not ranked

The Bulldogs crack the Top 10 for the first time after nearly knocking off Toms River East for a second time in five days. Ultimately, Toms River East beat the Bulldogs behind another masterful performance by ace Dan Nafziger, but Rumson has showcased a deep, exciting pitching staff over the last several weeks with the addition of sophomore Hunter Beattie and the emergence of freshman Brady Williams to go with the already-established arms.

 

Dropped Out

Jackson Memorial (10-7, 7-3) Last Week: 9 – With an early end to the Class A South division schedule and a first-round exit from the Ocean County Tournament, Jackson Memorial has not played many games in the last two weeks, but the Jaguars’ bats woke up late in a 13-3 win over Freehold Township.

Raritan (14-7, 10-2) Last Week: 10 – A 2-0 loss to Barnegat was not going to be enough to knock Raritan from the top 10 on its own, but the loss to Freehold Township in the first round of the SCT was for the time being. The Rockets will look to regroup in time to nail down a spot in the loaded Central Group II field and make a run.

 

The Next 10

Brick (12-7, 8-1) – The Green Dragons steamrolled Toms River South and Middletown South in wins, but could not contain Toms River South in the second game between the two teams and, as a result, are still waiting on clinching their first division title in 14 years.

Wall (8-9, 5-5) – It has been a tough four days for Wall: The Crimson Knights got a difficult SCT first-round draw in Monmouth with Collin Denton on the mound, then had an important power-point game vs. Point Beach rained out on Tuesday.

Toms River South (13-7, 9-3) – The Indians’ hopes of a Class C South title took a hit with an 8-0 loss to Brick on Wednesday of last week, but they recovered to beat Brick on Friday, hammer Howell on Saturday in the SCT first round and gave CBA a battle on Monday.

Middletown South (9-9, 7-5) – After nothing went right Saturday against Brick in the SCT first round, the Eagles bounced back with a rivalry win over Middletown North to salvage a split of the season series.

Monmouth (9-10, 6-6) – With a first-round win over Wall Saturday in the SCT, Monmouth stayed in the hunt for a spot in the Central Jersey Group II bracket, which looks like it will come down to Wall, Monmouth and Holmdel for the final two spots in the field.

Howell (12-9, 6-5) – The Rebels beat Jackson Memorial in a regular-season game to end the middle of their week last week, but the weekend was not as kind against an Ocean County opponent, with Toms River South beating the Rebels, 11-0, in the SCT first round.

Central (13-8, 5-6) – The Golden Eagles were inches away from tying Colts Neck in the top of the seventh inning Monday in the SCT round of 16, which would have given the Golden Eagles to keep their dream of playing a semifinal game on their home field. Instead, it was a heartbreaking loss to a top 10 team that now has Central looking to regroup for the South Jersey Group IV playoffs.

Middletown North (8-10, 4-8) – Wins over RBC and Middletown South keep Middletown North relevant in the Top 10 conversation, but to have any real case, the Lions will have to make a run to a third NJSIAA sectional title in four years.

Holmdel (14-6, 10-2) – As a division champion for the first time in 23 years and a 12 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, it has been a special season for the Hornets on the diamond. Now, they want to make sure they have a shot to play in the state tournament by securing a spot in Central Group II.

Southern (7-10, 3-6) – With a 12-2 win over Barnegat, Southern grabs the final mention on this week’s list. It was a get-right game for a team that had lost four in a row, but still has wins over Toms River East, Jackson Memorial, Wall and Central.