Only a week into the season, critical early games could heavily influence SCT seeding

The Skyland Conference Delaware Division has a reputation of being one of the toughest in the state, and the way things have gone so far, some very early matchups could have a profound influence on the seeding of the Somerset County Tournament.

Seeding day will be here before you know it: on Monday, May 5th, with the first round opening up two days later.

But just in the Skyland Delaware alone, there are two huge series this week being played on back-to-back days. Weather and field conditions forced Tuesday games to be played Wednesday.

Right off the bat, Immaculata and Ridge will be doing battle Wednesday and Thursday, with the opener of that series in Flemington on Wednesday, then in Basking Ridge the following day. The Red Devils were initially scheduled to host Tuesday.

The Spartans and Ridge are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 this week in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Both are 3-0 overall, with ‘Lata ascending to the top spot after sweeping defending division and SCT champ Bridgewater-Raritan last week, 2-1 in 13 innings on Opening Day, then 5-0 a couple of days later. Ridge rose three places after sweeping North Hunterdon, 8-2 and 3-2, Tuesday and Thursday last week.

Immaculata may have its best team in years, just as they move up from the Raritan Division, which means they get to play and make their case on the field against teams likely to compete for a top-seed, rather than, say, argue for what they might have done if they played the likes of the Panthers and Red Devils.

If the Spartans can pull off a sweep this week, there’s still a lot of baseball to be played, but they’d likely have the inside track to the top seed if they continue that level of play. On the other hand, a couple of wins for Ridge puts them squarely in the mix there, too.

Despite the 0-2 start, Bridgewater-Raritan can inject itself back into that conversation pretty quickly with at least a split against a Hillsborough team that has started the year hot at 3-1, 1-1 in the Delaware after earning a split themselves with Hunterdon Central, another tough foe, just not in play for the Somerset County Tournament. For the Raiders, it’s a chance for them to make their mark in their first games of the year against a county opponent.

While the Panthers have been bugged by some early-season nagging injuries, a couple of losses here surely wouldn’t derail the season, though it might make it tough to get that No. 1 seed in the SCT. But don’t forget that Rutgers Prep won the tournament as a 12-seed in 2023, having started the season just 1-6.

Also unbeaten early in the season is Gill St. Bernard’s, the only Somerset squad besides Ridge and Immaculata without a loss yet. They swept two games from Pingry last week, 5-2 and 7-0, sandwiched in between a 12-0 rout of Morris Catholic and a 9-4 win over Montclair-Kimberley. Three of the four games were on the road; the Pingry win on Thursday was at home.

Meanwhile, back in the Delaware, Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan will meet next week, and Hillsborough will play the Red Devils on April 22 and 23. Immaculata and the Raiders will meet April 29 and May 1.

Yes, even after this week, there’s a lot of baseball yet to be played.