Eleven teams we think could bring home a sectional title as NJSIAA state tourney begins

The county baseball tournaments are in the rear view mirror, and it’s time for one last event: the NJSIAA state playoffs.

Three teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio listening area earned top seeds in their respective sections – Ridge in North 2, Group 4; Colonia in North 2, Group 3; and Middlesex in Central 1 – but they’re not the only ones who have a serious shot at a title.

The state tournament was made for upsets, so we’re not counting anyone from the GMC or Somerset County out. After all, you’ve got to be in it to win it.

But some will have a much tougher road, like South River or Spotswood in Central Group 2. They would have to get by the state’s No. 1 team in Governor Livingston (22-0) in the second round and semifinals, respectively, just to reach the sectional finals, and the conventional wisdom is the Highlanders are primed to win it all. But you never know.

So, here’s our look at eleven teams we think could bring home some hardware this Spring:

Central Jersey Group 4: Hunterdon Central earned the top seed here, playing in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, one of the toughest in the state, which also includes the likes of Ridge – No. 13 in New Jersey – and Immaculata, which beat Ridge in the Somerset County Tournament final. Despite a heartbreaking loss to St. Joseph in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Game on a walk-off grand slam by JP Zayle, third-seed Edison has solid pitching and a good draw stacked with teams they’ve already played, and Old Bridge – also on their side of the bracket. The Eagles get 14-seed Sayreville in the opening round, a team they beat on May 8th, 4-0. If they win, their second round opponent would be 11-seed Franklin or six-seed East Brunswick, which they split with this year. Then, most likely second-seed Old Bridge in the second round, which they also split with, and could come out of that side of the bracket as well. They could also get seven-seed Monroe, another Red Division team Edison split with this year. The top-seeded Red Devils are 16-6, and very good, but not unbeatable. Remember, Old Bridge got knocked out in the GMC quarterfinals in 2023 and wound up going on a run to win this section, then made it to the Group 4 final, so an early loss in the balanced GMCT, where everyone beats each other up, doesn’t eliminate a shot at a state title.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: We think the top two seeds here have a really good chance to win it: Ridge and Woodbridge. In fact, these two played an epic sectional semifinal in 2022 that went 13 innings, which the Barrons won, 5-4. The Red Devils are the only team from the CJSR coverage area – for the moment – ranked in the state Top 20, checking in at No. 13 in last week’s latest NJ.com rankings (with Immaculata “under consideration, but before they beat Ridge in the SCT final). They should get past 16-seed Plainfield, but then could face a scary nine-seed in Bridgewater-Raritan, which they split with this season. The Barrons got knocked out early of the GMC Tournament – despite being the top-seed – but this year’s event was topsy-turvy: not a single top-four seed made even the semifinals. So, throw that idea out the window. This is a new season for the Barrons, who open with 15-seed Piscataway.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Just as we’ve talked about already, Colonia is a deserving No. 1 seed in this section, and ignore their 3-1 first-round GMCT loss to Middlesex. A potential semifinal matchup with 4-seed North Hunterdon could be a real test, but with two big starters in Colin Kroner (0.58 ERA) and Cory Pascarella (0.54 ERA), the Patriots should be in every game, they just need to score. On the other side of the bracket is three-seed South Plainfield, which had beaten Woodbridge twice in the regular season, but still ended up second in the division by one game. The Tigers lost to Middlesex in the GMC quarterfinals, but we like their chances here, too.

Central Jersey Group 1: Middlesex is always a contender here, and this year, they have the top-seed, opening with 16-seed Keyport. Of the area teams, they are the best in this section, and there’s a chance they could meet Pt. Pleasant Beach yet again if they advance to the finals, which would be at home, at Mountainview Park. There’s a lot of history between these birds – yes, the Blue Jays and the Garnet Gulls. Middlesex has been eliminated by them each of the last three years, in the 2024 semis, and in the 2023 and 2022 title games. But that also followed the Jays winning three straight titles over them in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and Middlesex also ousted Point Beach in the semis in 2017. We’ve got our eye on the sparrow – er, Blue Jays – in this one!

Non-Public South A: This is a stacked section, even if only one team is ranked in the state Top 20, and it’s not even the No. 1 seed, Christian Brothers. (It’s two-seed Red Bank Catholic at No. 15.) But we’d have to think Immaculata and St. Joseph-Metuchen have a shot. The Spartans beat Ridge last week to win the Somerset County Tournament, and have been a resilient bunch all year, an experienced group with a couple of remaining players who contributed to their Non-Public North B win over Gill St. Bernard’s in 2022; Jayden Capindica and Jayson Labrador both hit over .300 and knocked in a combined 35 runs as freshmen. And what else can you say about St. Joseph? They won four GMC Tournament games in walk-off fashion, two by one-nothing scores in extra innings, and the last two courtesy JP Zayle. Can they keep the magic going? This is not the same team that finished fourth in the GMC Red Division – or maybe it is and the division is that good? We’ll find out soon enough.

Non-Public North B: While it’s only a ten-team field, this is a section where both Rutgers Prep and St. Thomas Aquinas made the finals last year, with the Trojans coming out on top. And we think either could get back there again. With a first round bye, they will play each other in the second round, the quarterfinals, with the winner most likely facing top-seed Montclair-Kimberley, which is 16-5, and lost 9-4 earlier this year to Gill St. Bernard’s a seven-seed in this section. So, essentially, whoever wins this matchup between the Argonauts and St. Thomas is a win away from a title game.