Rutgers Prep and Somerville stand for the National Anthem before Game One of the Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, NJ, on May 9, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Off to a 6-1 start to the 2023 baseball season – and with wins over Ridge and Hunterdon Central, both state-ranked at one point – Bridgewater-Raritan was awarded the top seed in the 2023 Somerset County Tournament by the county’s coaches.
Defending champion Ridge (5-2) was awarded the No. 2 seed.
The two teams were the first two on the board, with all 13 teams present at the time – Somerville’s game in Flemington went long – agreeing on the picks.
For the Panthers, who have a very strong team, they will be gunning for their first SCT title since 1996, when they beat Immaculata, the year before the Spartans began run of six straight SCT championships, and won ten of the next 12 from 1997 through 2008.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Bridgewater coach Max Newill about his team earning the No. 1 seed:
The third- and fourth-seeds went to Montgomery (3-2) and Somerville (4-2). The top four seeds all get byes ahead to the quarterfinals, which will be played on Tuesday, April 25th.
Live coverage on Central Jersey Sports Radio – presented by Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater – will begin with a quarterfinal game on April 25th, followed by a semifinal doubleheader at 1 and 4 pm on April 27th, and the championship game on May 9th at 7 pm.
The semifinals and finals once again will be held at TD Bank Ballpark, the home of the New York Yankees’ AA affiliate Somerset Patriots. All other games will be hosted by the higher seeds.
Seeds five through eight went to Franklin (4-3), Pingry (3-3), Hillsborough (3-5), and Bound Brook (4-2). Those four teams get byes to the second round – to be played this Friday – along with ninth-seed Immaculata (1-4) and tenth-seed Bernards (2-3). In the second round, Bernards will visit Hillsborough, while Immaculata travels to Bound Brook.
The opening round games take place on Wednesday this week. Those games include 13th-seed Watchung Hills (1-5) at 12th-seed Rutgers Prep (1-6), with the winner playing at Franklin in the second round; 14th-seed Gill St. Bernard’s (2-5) will play at 11-seed Manville (5-1), with the winner visiting Pingry in the second round.
Below is the complete 2023 Somerset County Tournament baseball bracket:
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