Power Point Analysis: Metuchen leads Central Jersey Group 1, with Middlesex not far behind

We are three weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state tournament in baseball, and Central Jersey Sports Radio is wrapping up its first look at the standings, with a breakdown of how we think area teams will fare by looking at Central Jersey Group 1.

For an explanation on the baseball power point formula, check out Thursday’s story on the Group 4 playoff analysis by clicking here. Current analysis is based on standings on NJ.com through games played on Saturday, April 25.

Central Jersey Group 1: There are three CJSR-area teams in the top five here, with Metuchen (8-2) leading the pack with an 18.935 power point average. They’re nearly 1.3 points ahead of Point Pleasant Beach (11-1, 17.662), while Middlesex checks in at No. 3, with an 8-4 record (16.94). All three teams probably have a shot at a top seed, but the Bulldogs certainly have the inside track. Consider their margin over the Garnet Gulls, and there’s not much more they could do at 11-1 to gain points, but we’ll be following the next few weeks closely.

Manville (6-5, 13.622) checks in at No. 5, but they should still have a crack at the top four, which would guarantee at least home field advantage into the second round of the playoffs, the sectional quarterfinals. They’re just 0.728 points behind fourth-place Delaware Valley (6-5, 14.35). Further down at No. 8 is Piscataway Magnet (5-6, 12.627), but it’s too early to tell where they’ll land other than to say that with a number of teams bunched tightly in the middle of that pack, they could end up on either side of that 8/9 line. Somerset Tech (5-4, 10.843) is in 10th, with Dunellen (9-3, 10.703) right behind at No. 11. Shouldn’t the Destroyers be in front? Well, Tech has a big win over 11-victory East Brunswick Magnet. Dunellen has a pair of games with them this week, on Monday and Wednesday. Our guess is both teams end up in the bottom eight, but stay tuned; there’s lots more baseball to be played!

Further down the standings, South Amboy (3-8, 9.815) is in 13th place, and looking like a solid bottom eight team, but they may have to win a few more games to lock up a spot, which isn’t set in stone yet. Perth Amboy Magnet (2-7, 7.158) can start to make some inroads with a few wins, but they sit in 17th. Same for 18th place Highland Park (2-8, 6.582) and No. 19 Bound Brook (1-8, 5.632). They’ve got a shot, but would have to turn things around.