Immaculata warms up before its 2025 opener against Bridgewater-Raritan at Diamond Nation. The Spartans take over the No. 1 spot this week for the first time. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Head coach Max Newill’s team has been beset by the early season injury bug, and Immaculata took advantage in the season-opening season between the Spartans and Bridgewater-Raritan. ‘Lata’s two wins against the Panthers have earned them the No. 1 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten after the first week play in high school baseball in the Garden State.
So early in the season, volatility was the name of the game in Week One.
Immaculata (3-0) is atop the rankings for the first time in Central Jersey Sports Radio history, which dates back to the 2022 season. They beat Bridgewater on Opening Day for both teams at Diamond Nation in Flemington, 2-1 in 13 innings, which also ties for the longest game innings-wise, and is the longest game time-wise ever broadcast by CJSR, clocking in at four hours and 14 minutes long. (You can hear the entire game here.) The Spartans came back with a 5-0 win in the rematch on Thursday in Bridgewater, then won a Saturday non-conference game at West Essex, 9-2. Immaculata moved up three places this week.
Also moving up four spots to No. 2 is Ridge (3-0). The Red Devils swept North Hunterdon 8-2 and 3-2 Tuesday and Thursday, then beat Montgomery 11-2 on the road Saturday afternoon. Sharing first place in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with Immaculata, the two will meet this week, with the winner likely getting the top spot next week. Tuesday they play in Flemington; they’re in Basking Ridge on Thursday.
Up to third is GMC Red Division front-runner Woodbridge (3-0). The Barrons swept a Monday-Thursday series with St. Joseph of Metuchen – winning 8-7 on the road, then 9-4 at home – and son a Saturday game at South Brunswick, 6-1.
Down one place to third, it’s South Plainfield (2-1). The Tigers swept Edison with a 14-4 home win on Opening Day Tuesday, then a 9-4 win on the road on Thursday, before falling 14-7 to St. Joseph-Metuchen on Friday afternoon.
Bridgewater-Raritan drops four places to fifth after getting swept in their only two games last week by Immaculata, 2-1 in 13 innings on Tuesday, and 5-0 at home on Thursday.
Old Bridge (2-2) falls four sports to sixth. The Knights beat East Brunswick 12-2 Tuesday in their opener, then topped Spotswood on the road, 7-3, on Wednesday before falling at EB Thursday, 3-1. They then lost at home to Edison Saturday evening, 10-6 in eight innings. They’ll visit Edison Monday at 4 pm in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Click here to listen.
Up one spot to seventh is Colonia (3-0) which leads the GMC White Division after a Monday-Thursday sweep of Perth Amboy – 13-3 at home, then 9-2 on the road – and an 8-3 home win over Sayreville on Friday.
Monroe (2-1) drops two spots to eighth after the first week of the season. It was a Tuesday-Thursday sweep of South Brunswick to start, with a 7-5 road win, then a 13-3 home win. But the Falcons dropped their Friday division contest at East Brunswick, falling 9-2 to the Bears.
Spotswood (2-1) holds in ninth after splitting a pair of wins with a Red Division crossover loss to Old Bridge 7-3. The Chargers opened early, on Saturday, March 29th, and came away with a 16-5 five-inning win over South Amboy. This past Saturday, they also won a five-inning game, 10-0 over Perth Amboy at The Swamp.
And in tenth, Hillsborough (3-1) joins the rankings for the first time this season. The Raiders won their opening game at Mendham, 9-8, then split with Delaware Division foe Hunterdon Central, falling 4-3 in Flemington Tuesday, but coming back to win 2-1 at home on Thursday. They closed out the week with a non-conference road win, 3-1, at Steinert.
Carteret (1-2) dropped out after a split with JP Stevens and a loss to North Plainfield.
Below is the complete Week One Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:
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