Category: Baseball Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough makes big jump in Week 10 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten as many teams shuffle after state tourney wins, losses

While the top two teams remained the same, Hillsborough made a big jump from the ten spot last week to No. 3 as the Raiders stunned previous No. 6 and second-seed Old Bridge with ten unanswered runs to win the Central Jersey Group 4 championship back on Thursday.

No. 1 still belongs to St. Joseph-Metuchen (16-7) – at least for now – even though the Falcons’ season ended with a 6-4 loss at top-seed Christian Brothers Academy in the Non-Public South A semifinals last Wednesday. And Immaculata (17-8) remains at No. 2, with their season ending the week prior with a loss to St. Joe’s in the sectional quarterfinals.

Hillsborough (14-10) moves up seven places from No. 10 after two wins in the state tournament, 10-0 over 12-seed Montgomery in Tuesday’s semifinals, and 13-6 in the CJ4 title game at Old Bridge Thursday. The Raiders have won six straight and are 8-3 since May first.

Down a spot to four is Ridge (20-7), after a 1-2 week. They lost a one-off against DePaul, 11-4, on Monday, before beating Elizabeth, 5-1, in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals Tuesday. But, they lost to Westfield, 9-6, in the sectional title game Thursday.

Up three places to No. 5 is South Plainfield (18-10). The Tigers topped Millburn at home, 8-1, in the North 2, Group 3 semis on Tuesday before hanging on to beat South Plainfield (18-10) – which dropped two spos to No. 7 – in the sectional final, 5-4. The Patriots were 1-1 last week, beating North Hunterdon 1-0 in the sectional semis to get to the title game against South Plainfield.

In between them at No. 6 is Middlesex (21-5). The Blue Jays outscored their opponents 17-1 in two state games last week, beating Shore in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, 10-1, on Tuesday, before reclaiming the title from three-time defending champ Point Pleasant Beach, 7-1, on Friday.

Down two spots to No. 8 is Old Bridge (18-11), which beat Edison, 4-3, in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals Tuesday, before losing to Hillsborough 13-6 in the title game Friday.

Edison (17-11) drops to ninth after losing its only game last week, 4-3 to Old Bridge in the Central JErsey Group 4 semifinals.

And falling one spot to tenth was Woodbridge (18-8), which lost its only game, 8-4 on Tuesday to Millburn in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals.

Here’s the complete Week 10 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joseph claims first No. 1 ranking in two years, dethroning Immaculata after state head-to-head

St. Joseph-Metuchen’s Non-Public South A playoff win over Immaculata has put the Falcons at No. 1 in the Week 9 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten, it’s first time back in the top spot since Week 8 of the 2022 season, in the May 23rd rankings.

St. Joseph (16-6) – the fourth seed in North A – won its only game last week, beating fifth-seed Immaculata 5-4 on Friday afternoon in Metuchen. Having a 5-3 lead going into the seventh, it was the firs time in seven games the Falcons didn’t win a game in their final at bat. They won the GMC Tournament on a walk-off grand slam against Edison by JP Zayle, going the entire tourney without ever having a lead, winning all four games in their final time at the plate. They’ll visit top-seed Christian Brothers Academy in the sectional semifinals Wednesday. The time has not yet been announced.

Immaculata (17-8) saw its season end with the loss to the Falcons, after they had won their opening round game against 12-seed Camden Catholic 13-2 on Tuesday.

Ridge (19-5) stays put at No. 3, with a 2-0 week. The tops-seeded Red Devils were 3-0 winners over 16-seed Plainfield in the North 2, Group 4 first round, then beat 9-seed Bridgewater-Raritan 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Thursday out at Diamond Nation in Flemington, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Ridge will host four-seed Elizabeth at 4 pm Wednesday in the semifinals.

Holding in fourth is Edison (17-10). The Eagles are the third-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, and scored a pair of 4-2 wins this week in the state playoffs, over 14-seed Sayreville in the first round, and over 11-seed Franklin in the quarterfinals. Edison is in the semifinals for the first time since 2016, and will seek its first trip to a title game since 2007 when the Eagles play at second-seed Old Bridge Tuesday at 5 pm, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Fred Cole Field.

Middlesex (19-5) checks in at No. 5, winning both state games this week in Central Jersey Group 1. The top-seeded Blue Jays were 10-0 winners over 16-seed Keyport in the opening round, then beat nine-seed South Hunterdon 8-1 in the quarterfinals. Next, they get fourth-seed Shore in the semis at home at Mountainview Park, Tuesday at 4 pm.

Old Bridge (17-10) re-enters the poll at No. 6. The Knights are the two-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, and walloped 15-seed North Brunswick 13-0 in the opening round before escaping with a 1-0 win over 10-seed Manalapan in the quarterfinals. They host third-seed Edison at 5 pm Tuesday in the semifinals on CJSR.

Holding at seven is Colonia (22-4), the top-seed in North 2, Group 3. The Patriots beat 16-seed Lincoln 16-0 on Tuesday in the opening round, then blanked 8th-seed Middletown North 5-0 in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Patriots host 4th-seed North Hunterdon Tuesday at 4 pm in the sectional semis.

South Plainfield (16-10) checks in again this week at No. 8, after two playoff wins in North 2 Group 3, the other side of the bracket from Colonia. The Tigers beat 14-seed Rahway 15-0 in the first round, then picked up a 5-2 win over 6-seed Cranford in the quarters on Thursday, in a “home” game they had to play at the Cougars’ home field due to poor field conditions at their own field. South is in the semis Tuesday at second-seed Millburn.

Woodbridge (18-7) moved up to No. 9 this week, as the Barrons – the two-seed in North 2, Group 4 – picked up a pair of wins in the state tournament this week: 11-1 over 15-seed Piscataway in the first round, then 2-1 over seven-seed Columbia on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Next, Woodbridge gets third-seed Westfield at home, 4 pm Thursday, in the semis.

And finally, Hillsborough (12-10) re-enters at No. 10, with the Raiders winning two road games in the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs this week. The ninth-seeded Raiders got a 6-2 win at eight-seed Freehold Twp. on Tuesday in the first round, then beat Skyland Delaware Division rival and top-seed Hunterdon Central 3-1 Friday afternoon in Flemington. Now, they get a home game in the semifinals, where they will host 12-seed Montgomery, which knocked off five-seed New Brunswick and four-seed Hightstown to get there.

Dropping out were No. 5 Rutgers Prep (13-10) and No. 9 Spotswood (15-10).

Below is the complete Week 9 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County champion Immaculata rises to No. 1, GMC champ St. Joe’s to No. 2 in Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

The completion of the two county tournaments in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area gives us new teams at No. 1 and No. 2 in the Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten.

Somerset County Tournament winner Immaculata (17-5) retakes the top spot from Ridge for the first time since Week 1, when they wrested the top spot away from Bridgewater-Raritan after an Opening Day win and opening week sweep over the Panthers. The Spartans were 4-0 this week, with a win over Franklin, 1-0, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals – on a no-hitter by Ryan Auten – and Wednesday in the title game, 3-0 over Ridge. They also won non-conference games Tuesday against North Brunswick, 7-3, and at West Morris on Saturday, 4-1, outscoring their four opponents 19-4 during the week.

READ MORE: Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater sends dozens off to college baseball and softball; trained three baseball champs in 2024, and New Jersey’s current No. 1 baseball team

Red hot St. Joseph-Metuchen (15-6) takes the second spot, going 2-0 in the week gone by and continuing to win games late. After beating Spotswood last Saturday in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament semifinals, 4-3 in walkoff fashion, Joe’s began the week with a 2-1 eight-inning win at Westfield, breaking a 1-1 tie in the top of the eighth. It was their eighth straight win, and fifth in a row in their last at bat. But the ultimate topper was Saturday, when they trailed 4-2 heading into their final at bat in the bottom of the seventh, got one run to cut it to 4-3, then won the GMC crown 7-3 on a walkoff grand slam by JP Zayle. The Falcons won all four of their GMCT games in walk-off fashion.

Ridge (17-5) falls to third, on a 2-1 week. They beat Rutgers Prep Monday, 11-0, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, then lost to Immaculata 3-0 in the title game Wednesday. The Red Devils rebounded with a 7-1 win Friday at Chatham.

Holding in fourth is Edison (13-9), which won its eighth and ninth straight games with a Monday victory at Carteret, 7-3, and an 8-1 win at Somerville on Tuesday. But that streak got snapped in dramatic fashion Saturday, when St. Joseph beat them to win the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship with a 7-4 walkoff.

Rutgers Prep (13-9) went 2-1 in the past week and holds in fifth. After a Monday loss to Ridge, 11-0, in the SCT semifinals, they rebounded with a Tuesday 7-3 win at Princeton Day, and a 7-4 win at Millburn on Saturday.

Holding at No. 6 is Middlesex (17-5), which went 2-0 in the week gone by. The Blue Jays beat two Union County teams at home this week via shutout: Scotch Plains-Fanwood 1-0 on Tuesday, and Union 2-0 on Friday.

Colonia (20-4) moves up two spots to No. 7, becoming the first team from the CJSR coverage area to reach 20 wins this season. (The next closest teams are Ridge and Middlesex, with 17 each.) The Patriots went 3-0 in the week gone by, with a 1-0 win at rival Woodbridge on Monday, a 7-3 home victory over Bloomfield Wednesday, and a 10-0 win over Carteret at home on Thursday.

South Plainfield (14-10) drops a spot to No. 8, splitting two games this week. The Tigers won at Dayton on Tuesday, 6-1, but came back with a 10-5 loss at Elizabeth on Friday.

Also splitting two games last week was Spotswood (15-10), which dropped to nine. The Chargers got blanked 6-0 by Monroe at The Swamp on Tuesday, but rebounded with at 8-3 home win over Ewing on Wednesday.

And holding at No. 10 is Woodbridge (16-7), which went 1-2 this week and has gone 3-3 in its last six games. The Barrons dropped a 1-0 home decision to Colonia on Monday, rebounded with a 3-2 win at JFK to complete their township series Tuesday, then lost Friday at Perth Amboy, 4-3.

Below is the complete Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Wide-open GMC Tournament roils Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week 7 from third on down

We all knew the GMC Tournament would be a wide open event this year, but now it’s wreaked havoc on the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Seven. The top two teams – Ridge and Immaculata – are unchanged, but everyone else shuffled. Three teams dropped out and two new teams entered. (Two teams were tied for 10th last week.)

Ridge (15-4) is at No. 1, but a lot could be said about that Monday afternoon when the top-seeded Red Devils take on fourth-seed Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Park at 4 pm. Ridge won its only game last week, 7-1 over Bernards in the quarterfinals, and won an earlier meeting with the Argonauts this year, 8-6, on April 19th. You can hear today’s game on CJSR by clicking here, or you can watch a YouTube live stream with our play-by-play. Coverage is presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater.

Immaculata (12-7) lost two of three last week, but won their Wednesday SCT quarterfinal, 10-9 over Hillsborough, rallying from three runs down in the seventh to walk it off without the benefit of a hit. They dropped a Monday decision, 11-10, to DePaul, then fell Thursday to Somerville 6-5, but they second-seeded Spartans are back in action in the SCT Monday at 1 pm taking on 11th-seed and upset-minded Franklin. You can also hear that game on CJSR by clicking here, or you can watch a YouTube live stream with our play-by-play. Coverage is presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater.

But from here on out, it gets messy.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (13-6) makes its debut at No. 3, after reaching the GMC Tournament final with a walkoff win against Spotswood Saturday, 4-3 in the semis. The cardiac kids had a 3-0 week, beating Sayreville 1-0 in eight innings on a walkoff on Monday in the first round, then Metuchen 1-0 Thursday in the semis in nine innings, also on a walkoff.

They’ll face Edison (13-9) – making its debut at No. 4 – Saturday in the finals at 2 pm on CJSR. The Eagles beat Old Bridge 2-1 in 12 innings Monday in the first round, then pounded GMC White Division champion St. Thomas Aquinas 9-1 in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, before picking up a 3-0 win over Middlesex in the semis this past Saturday.

At No. 5 is Rutgers Prep (11-8), up two spots in the rankings this week. After a Monday loss at Montgomery, 4-2, they beat Somerville 6-4 in the SCT quarterfinals Wednesday, setting up Monday’s meeting with Ridge at 4 pm in the semis at TD Bank Park. Listen on CJSR by clicking here, or you can watch a YouTube live stream with our play-by-play.

Middlesex (15-5) is an interesting one, as the Blue Jays had two big GMC Tournament wins during the week – Monday at Colonia, 3-1 in the first round, then again in the quarterfinals Thursday, holding on for a 5-4 victory over South Plainfield. But, they would fall Saturday, 3-0 to Edison in the semifinals.

South Plainfield (13-9) falls to seventh, on a 1-1 week. The Tigers beat Perth Amboy 11-0 in the first round of the GMCT on Monday, but holding on for a 5-4 victory over South Plainfield.

Spotswood (14-9) moved up to nine after a 2-1 week. They beat Monroe, 12-1, in the GMCT’s first round Monday, then topped South River and Julius Rosado 4-0 on Thursday in the quarters, before falling to St. Joseph in Saturday’s semifinals, 4-3.

Colonia (17-4) drops from five to nine. They were eliminated in the first round of the GMC Tournament with a 3-1 loss to Middlesex Monday, though they came back with three wins, two against non-conference squads, including 3-2 over Marlboro Thursday, 3-2 at South Brunswick Friday, and 1-0 at home against Scotch Plains-Fanwood on Saturday.

And dropping six spots to ten is Woodbridge (15-5). The Barrons became the second top seed since COVID to get knocked out in the first round of the GMCT – the other was Kennedy knocking off Monroe in 2021 – with a 2-1 loss to South River Monday. But the Barrons bounced back with an 11-0 win over Middlesex Friday, and a 14-5 rout of JP Stevens Saturday.

Below is the complete Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

No major changes in Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten; Ridge holds at No. 1 heading into final week before SCT play

While past weeks have seen some great instability in the baseball rankings, things appear to be settling down, as all ten teams from last week remain in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with the top six positions remaining the same.

Ridge (13-3) had a 3-1 week and remains No. 1. They beat Watchung Hills 7-3 on Monday, then split with Hunterdon Central, winning at home Tuesday 6-1, before falling 11-1 in Flemington Thursday. The Red Devils closed the week with a 2-0 win at Mendham on Friday. They are likely to earn the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament when the coaches gather Monday night.

Holding in second is Immaculata (9-4), which shares the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Ridge. The Spartans were 3-0 this past week, sweeping Hillsborough at home 9-5 on Tuesday, then on the road, 15-6 on Thursday, before blanking Sayreville back home Saturday, 2-0.

In third is South Plainfield (12-6), which went 2-2 this week. First, they split a Tuesday-Thursday series with East Brunswick, winning 16-3 on the road, then falling 6-5 at home. Friday, they blanked Sayreville at home, 1-0, before visiting Spotswood Saturday and coming back with an 8-4 defeat. The Tigers are second in the GMC Red to Woodbridge, but beat the Barrons twice head-to-head.

For that reason, Woodbridge (12-3) – the GMC Red Champions – remain in fourth. They lost 11-7 at Monroe Tuesday, but rebounded with a 4-0 home win over the Falcons on Thursday, before topping South Amboy at home Saturday, 12-2.

Steady in fifth is Colonia (11-3), which split two games this week against Spotswood. They lost on the road 3-2 Tuesday, then beat the Chargers at home 3-1 on Thursday.

Holding in sixth is Skyland Valley Division champion Rutgers Prep (10-4). They swept a Tuesday-Thursday series with Gill St. Bernard’s, starting with a 5-2 road win and capped with a 3-2 home victory.

Skyland Raritan Division winner Watchung Hills (9-5) moves up one spot on a 3-1 week. The Hustlin’ Warriors lost Monday at Ridge, 7-3 but came back and swept Montgomery with a 14-0 home win Tuesday, and a 9-3 win on the road Thursday. They also doubled-up Bridgewater-Raritan Saturday, 12-6.

St. Thomas Aquinas (12-5) drops one spot to No. 8 on a 2-2 week. They began with a 6-2 home loss to Brearley on Monday, then fell 6-1 at St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday. But they came back with two wins, including Friday at East Brunswick, 13-11, and Saturday at home against Camden Academy Charter, 19-2.

Up one spot to ninth is Spotswood (11-6). The Chargers had a 2-1 week, beating Colonia Tuesday, 3-2, but losing there Thursday, 3-1. They came back and beat No. 3 South Plainfield, 8-4, on Saturday at The Swamp.

That drops East Brunswick (9-6) down to tenth. The bears bat Monroe 9-3 Monday, then split with South Plainfield, losing 16-3 at home Tuesday, but winning 6-5 on the road Thursday. They capped it with a 13-11 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Below is the complete Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top four hold steady, but after that, more upheaval in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

The Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball rankings saw stability at the top, and much change at the bottom. Some teams moved up, some down, while others moved out and two new teams moved in.

Ridge (10-2) remains in the No. 1 spot after a 3-0 week, putting the Red Devils’ on a five-game winning streak, their longest of the year. They opened with a two-game sweep of Hillsborough, winning 7-1 at home Tuesday, then 5-4 on the road Wednesday, before picking up a non-conference win Friday over West Morris, 10-3.

Immaculata (6-4) holds steady despite a 1-2 week, with all three games out of the area. They split with Skyland Conference Delaware Division foe North Hunterdon, losing 5-3 in Annandale Tuesday, but coming back with a 4-3 home win Thursday. The Spartans then dropped a Saturday meeting at The Hun School, 5-0.

South Plainfield (10-4) stays in third, going 3-0 against area competition in the week gone by. Tuesday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, the Tigers finished off a home-and-home sweep of Woodbridge with a 1-0 road win. They swept South Brunswick with an 8-2 road win Wednesday, and a 3-2 home win Saturday. In between games against the Vikings, they lost Thursday at Red Bank Catholic – the No. 10 team in the state – by an 11-5 score.

Woodbridge (10-2) holds at No. 4, behind South Plainfield despite being a game-and-a-half ahead of The Tigers in the GMC Red Division, after getting swept two games by them Saturday and Tuesday. But they rebounded with a sweep themselves, winning 6-4 at Old Bridge Thursday, then 10-7 over the Knights at home Saturday.

Colonia (10-2) moves up one spot to fifth, now on a five-game win streak. They went 4-0 this past week, beating Sayreville on the road 4-0 on Monday, then exploding against North Brunswick for a 29-4 road win Tuesday. Friday, they beat Linden at home 19-2, then blanked Raritan at home Saturday, 7-0.

Up two spots to sixth is Rutgers Prep (8-4). The Argonauts have won two straight, both coming this past week, sweeping Warren Hills 10-3 on the road Wednesday and 5-4 at home Thursday.

Also up two spots this week is St. Thomas Aquinas (10-3), going from nine to seven. The Trojans have won seven-in-a-row, the second-longest active win streak in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area. (Dunellen has won eight straight.) They won 14-4 at Perth Amboy Tuesday, then beat Sayreville at home Thursday, 4-2, and again at Sayreville Friday, 16-1.

Watchung Hills (6-4) drops one spot to eighth after losing two non-CJSR area games, and three overall. Monday, they fell at Hunterdon Central, 3-1, then lost again Friday, 7-5, to Union City.

East Brunswick (7-4) – winners of four straight – makes its debut this season at No. 9. This week, they beat St. Joseph-Metuchen 10-6 at home Tuesday, then swept Edison at home 11-10 on Wednesday, and on the road, 10-4, on Thursday.

And back in at No. 10 after getting knocked out a week ago is Spotswood (9-5). The Chargers beat Middlesex 1-0 Tuesday – finishing off a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays – then swept two from North Brunswick, with an 11-1 home win Thursday and a 13-5 road win Friday. Saturday, they clubbed Williamstown 15-9 in South Jersey at the Downbeach Coaches vs. Cancer event.

Dropping out were No. 7 Old Bridge (7-7) and No. 10 Middlesex (9-4).

Below is the full Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge, Immaculata hold at No. 1 and No. 2, but the rest shuffle as three new teams join Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten in Week 3

Ridge and Immaculata continue to hold down the fort at the top of the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten, but everyone else moved around, with three teams dropping out and three new ones joining the fray.

Watchung Hills, Rutgers Prep and St. Thomas all joined the ranked of the ranked this week.

Ridge (7-2) stays atop the list after a 3-1 week. They split a Tuesday-Thursday doubleheader with Bridgewater-Raritan, winning 12-0 on the road Tuesday, but falling at home to the Panthers 9-5 on Thursday, Bridgewater’s first win of the season. Then they took two games on Saturday, beating Pingry in a morning game 8-4 in Martinsville, then rallying late to beat Rutgers Prep at home 8-6 in the afternoon, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Immaculata (5-2) only had two games this week, and holds in second after a split with Hunterdon Central. They won at home on Tuesday, 10-2, then lost the road rematch, 8-7, on Thursday.

Moving up two places to third is South Plainfield (7-3). The Tigers trail first-place Woodbridge by 2.5 games still in the GMC Red Division, but handed the Barrons their first loss on Saturday, 7-3. They’ll rematch Tuesday at 10 am, in a game that can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They went 3-1 this week, with a Tuesday loss at Monroe, 6-4. But they won at Summit, 10-4, in a non-conference game, then earned a split by beating the Falcons 4-2 on Thursday.

Woodbridge (8-1) drops one spot to fourth after the loss to the Tigers. Before that, they swept a home-and-home with Edison, winning 5-2 on the road Tuesday, then 2-0 at home Thursday.

Old Bridge (7-4) had a 3-1 week capped by a huge win against one of the top teams in the state, and moves up three spots to No. 5 as a result. The Knights rebounded from Sunday’s loss at home to St. Joseph-Metuchen in the Autism Awareness Challenge with a 9-0 win on the road against the Falcons, then blanked Monroe 6-0 at home Friday, before scoring six runs in the sixth to break a 3-3 tie and beat Seton Hall Prep 9-3 Saturday afternoon. The Pirates were the No. 3 team in the NJ.com Top 20 and had been undefeated (7-0) coming into the game.

Holding steady in sixth is Colonia (6-2). The Patriots were 1-0 winners at Middlesex Tuesday, but lost Thursday’s rematch at home, 2-0, before rebounding Saturday with a 12-2 win at North Brunswick.

The next three squads all make their first appearances of the season this week.

Skyland Conference Raritan leader Watchung Hills (6-2) joins the ranked list at No. 7, after a 2-1 week. They swept Somerville with a 9-0 road win at Torpey Athletic Complex Tuesday as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, when won at home 12-2 on Thursday before dropping a non-conference game Saturday, 15-7 to Roxbury.

Debuting at No. 8 is Rutgers Prep (6-4), which won at Pingry Tuesday and at home Thursday against the Big Blue by identical 12-2 scores, before falling Saturday at Ridge, 8-6, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Argonauts lead the Skyland Valley Division.

GMC White Division leader St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3) makes its season debut at No. 9, on the strength of a 4-0 week. They won 2-1 at Spotswood Tuesday, 17-3 at North Brunswick Wednesday, and 7-4 over Spotswood at home on Thursday, before closing the week with a 4-2 win over Perth Amboy on Saturday.

Falling three spots to tenth is Middlesex (6-3), which went 1-2 this week. They split with Colonia, losing 1-0 at home Tuesday before picking up a 2-0 road win Thursday. They fell to Spotswood, 10-8, Saturday at home.

Dropping out this week were No. 4 Hillsborough (5-4), No. 9 Monroe (4-5) and No. 10 Spotswood (5-5).

Below is the complete Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge and Immaculata flip after split, as Red Devils take No. 1 spot in Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

Volatility was again the name of the game early this baseball season in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, as Ridge and Immaculata flip-flop, with the Red Devils taking over the No. 1 spot this week.

Ridge (4-1) took its first loss of the season Wednesday at the hands of Immaculata, 10-4 at Diamond Nation, but then blanked the Spartans 8-0 up in Basking Ridge on Thursday. Immaculata (4-1) fell to second. Those were the only games both teams played this week.

Woodbridge (6-0) holds steady at third after a 3-0 week. The Barrons beat South Brunswick at home on Monday, 5-1, then swept East Brunswick, winning 13-4 on the road Tuesday and 8-3 at home on Thursday.

Checking in at No. 4 is Hillsborough (5-1), which swept previous No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, winning 3-0 on the road Wednesday, then rallying from a 4-0 deficit to win on a walk-off by T.J. Westlake, 5-4 in eight innings at home on Thursday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

South Plainfield (4-2) drops a spot to fifth after a 2-1 week. The Tigers won 4-3 at Old Bridge Tuesday, then were blanked 1-0 by the Knights on Thursday, before rebounding with a 5-3 win over Millburn Sunday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game, which was moved to Union Catholic due to unplayable field conditions at North Brunswick Community Park.

Colonia (4-1) is up a spot to sixth. The Patriots split with St. Thomas Aquinas this week, beating the Trojans 2-0 at home Wednesday, then falling to STA Thursday, 7-6, in North Edison.

Making its season debut at No. 7 is Middlesex (5-1), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They completed a Tuesday-Wednesday sweep of North Brunswick – winning 1-0 at home, then 13-3 on the road, before taking out Robbinsville 9-4 Saturday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game at JP Stevens on Saturday.

Old Bridge (4-4) drops two spots to No. 8 after a 2-2 week. They opened with a 4-3 home loss to South Plainfield Tuesday, rebounded with a 6-2 win at Edison Wednesday as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then got the Tigers back with a 1-0 win on the road Thursday. They then lost 6-3 at home to St. Joseph of Metuchen in their Autism Awareness Challenge game, also heard on CJSR.

Monroe (3-3) falls one spot to ninth after a 1-2 week. The Falcons won 2-1 at Edison Tuesday, but lost to 3-1 to the Eagles on Thursday at home, then fell 3-1 to Livingston at JP Stevens on Saturday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

And Spotswood (4-2) falls one spot to tenth after a 2-2 week. They opened with a 5-2 loss Tuesday to Sayreville, then won Wednesday at Perth Amboy 5-2. They earned a split with the Bombers after a 2-0 road win Thursday, but then fell 8-6 to Somerville at home Sunday in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

Dropping out was Bridgewater-Raritan, which began the season No. 1, but is 0-4 after two losses each to Immaculata in Week One and Ridge in Week Two.

Below is the full Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending state Group 4 champs Bridgewater-Raritan will start season with No. 1 Ranking in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

As the 2025 high school baseball season gets underway across New Jersey, with a handful opening up later this weekend and this weekend – we’ll have Spotswood vs. South Amboy on the air Saturday morning for our season-opening broadcast at 11 am – it’ll be a familiar face at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten.

Defending Group 4 state champions Bridgewater-Raritan opens the preseason rankings at No. 1. The Panthers went 30-3 last season, winning the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, the Somerset County Tournament, and the North 2, Group 4 title, the latter en route to the Group 4 state trophy.

Coming in second is Old Bridge, which went 20-9 last year and won the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

Third in the preseason is South Plainfield. At 22-6-1 last season, the Tigers won the GMC Red Division, but lost in the finals to Old Bridge.

Starting the year in fourth will be Immaculata, which was 17-9 last year and has bolstered its pitching coming off its Skyland Conference Raritan Division title a year ago.

Ridge (21-9) checks in at five, after a 21-9 year and a trip to last season’s Somerset County Tournament finals, where they fell to Bridgewater-Raritan.

Monroe is fifth, a year after finishing 16-10 and making the Central Jersey Group 4 finals. They’re followed by two GMC White Division teams in Woodbridge – 17-10 last year and division champs – then Colonia (19-7).

The last two spots go to teams that could make moves with a number of key players back. Spotswood starts the year at No. 9 after a 19-4-2 season and a Blue Division Championship, while Carteret finishes the list at ten, coming off an 18-7 campaign and a GMC Invitational Tournament Championship.

Below is the full preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge moves up in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten; Carteret nabs 10 after Invitational title

Winning the GMC Tournament championship was enough to move Old Bridge up a spot to No. 2 this week, while Bridgewater-Raritan remains No. 1, and Carteret enters the rankings at No. 10 after taking the GMC Invitational Tournament title.

Bridgewater-Raritan (21-3) is the only 20-plus win team in the CJSR area at the moment, and retains the top spot after a 3-0 week. They crossed over to the GMC Tuesday and beat St. Joseph-Metuchen 9-3, then topped Rutgers Prep 11-7 Wednesday before blowing past Montgomery 11-0 Thursday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. The Panthers host Watchung Hills in the SCT semifinals Monday at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 4 pm. Click here to listen.

Old Bridge (18-7) moves up to No. 2 after beating South Plainfield 6-5 Saturday to win the GMC Tournament title. The Knights also had a Monday win over Millburn and a loss to Sayreville on Wednesday in a 2-1 week.

Dropping to third is South Plainfield after the GMC finals loss to Old Bridge. The Tigers also played Spotswood to a 6-6 tie called on account of darkness Monday, beat Sayreville Tuesday 11-0, and lost 5-2 to Notre Dame on Friday in what was a 1-2-1 week gone by.

The next three teams stayed in the same spot this week, starting with Ridge (18-7) at No. 4. The Red Devils had a 3-0 week, with wins over Gill St. Bernards on Tuesday, then a 12-7 victory over Hillsborough in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, and a 6-0 Saturday crossover win against GMC foe South Brunswick. The Red Devils play Immaculata Monday in the SCT semifinals at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater at 1 pm, with pregame at 12:45. Click here to listen.

Immaculata (14-6) holds in fifth after a 1-2 week. They had a Tuesday loss at North Hunterdon, 4-3, and a 10-5 loss Saturday to Hamilton West sandwiched around a Somerset County Tournament quarterfinal win over Somerville Thursday, 3-2 in walk-off fashion. The Spartans play Ridge in the SCT semis Monday at 1:00 on CJSR.

Spotswood (18-3-2) holds in sixth, with a perfectly neutral 1-1-1 week. They played to their second darkness-inspired tie game of the season Monday, knotting up a 6-6 game with GMCT finalist South Plainfield. They then beat South Amboy 10-0 on Tuesday before falling 10-5 to Brick Memorial Saturday.

Woodbridge (17-8) is up one spot to seventh on a 2-2 week. The Barrons lost to Scotch Plains-Fanwood Monday, then came back and won 9-1 at Metuchen Tuesday and 3-1 against JFK Thursday, before falling 4-3 to Dayton on Saturday.

In eighth is Colonia (17-5), also up one spot. The Patriots have won six straight late in the season, going 4-0 this week, with wins at Piscataway and JFK, before coming home for a 9-0 win over Roselle Park, then heading back on the road for a 3-0 Saturday win at North Bergen.

Edison (14-11) drops to ninth after a 1-3 week. The Eagles fell 3-2 to Hunterdon Central Monday, then lost 11-0 at St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday before rebounding with a 3-0 GMC Red Division crossover win against East Brunswick Thursday. They closed the week with an 8-5 non-league loss at Robbinsville.

And joining the rankings in tenth this week is Carteret. The Ramblers are 17-6 and the GMC Invitational Tournament champions, after beating Gold Division winner South Amboy 1-0 Friday at Edison High School.

Below are the full Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball rankings: