Category: Baseball Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Blue Jays make big jump, Old Bridge debuts, St. Joe’s stays atop new Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

With two wins over Woodbridge to break a first-place tie and claim the GMC White Division title, earning the third-seed in the GMC Tournament, Middlesex made a big lead from 8th to 5th in the Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten rankings.

St. Joseph and Ridge remained Nos. 1 and 2, while Rutgers Prep – which claimed a berth in the Somerset County Tournament finals next Monday with a semifinal win last week – rose from fifth to third. Monroe climbed two spots to third after gaining the second-seed in the GMC Tournament.

Woodbridge fell to sixth, while Somerville dropped out. And Old Bridge made its first appearance in the Bellamy rankings this season, finishing 3rd in the tough GMC Red, and earning the fourth seed in the county tournament.

Below are the full Week 7 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Solid week for the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with little movement in the Week 6 rankings

Only two teams moved in the Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, after the entire slate of ranked teams combined to go 20-3 in the week gone by, with nobody losing more than once.

Woodbridge and Somerville flip-flopped, as the Barrons moved up to third on the strength of a 2-0 week, while Somerville dropped to fourth after going 1-1.

The rankings – though released Monday night – were compiled before Monday’s Somerset County Tournament doubleheader.

Below are the full Week 6 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

SPONSORED: Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater celebrating 20 years of training baseball, softball stars of tomorrow

Duke Baxter is a ball of energy, as soon as you walk in the door of Zoned Sports Academy. Even after 20 years in the game.

Actually, he’s been in the game of baseball much longer, playing the game as a kid, collegiately at North Florida, and ending with a stint within earshot of his gleaming training facility just off Route 28 – with the Somerset Patriots, then of the independent Atlantic League.

Does he have another 20 years? You bet.

Duke Baxter, owner and founder of Zoned Sports Academy.

When he started out, training academies weren’t nearly as popular as they are now. Many doubted he could do it; offering individual coaching to baseball and softball players in Central Jersey and beyond – and eve to their coaches!

There’s also team training, too. In fact, Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan – half the teams playing in Monday’s Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Park – both train at Zoned Sports Academy.

And he’s adapted to the growing influence of technology, posting TikTok videos, and producing and hosting the “Get Zoned In” podcast.

Click the graphic above to listen to the podcast on Spotify!

Zoned Sports Academy has grown and thrived over the years, and even survived in the face of challenges like COVID-19, where he developed virtual training sessions, and was even featured on Fox News because of it.

Click here to find out more about Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater.

And click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with owner and founder Duke Baxter about Zoned Sports Academy, and all they have to offer:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio welcomes Dayton Toyota Service as presenting sponsor of coverage of the 2022 GMC Tournament

When Central Jersey Sports Radio kicks off its coverage of the 2022 GMC Tournament with live updates from the May 13th seeding meeting, Dayton Toyota Service in South Brunswick will be along for the ride as the presenting sponsor on CJSR!

Mike Pavlichko will be at the seeding meeting with live updates, with everything from the No. 1 seed down to the last team picked in the GMC Invitational.

We’ll also have audio pre- and postgame coverage of the opening rounds and quarterfinals, with live play-by-play of the GMC Tournament Semifinals at East Brunswick Tech’s Ray Cipperly Field on Saturday, May 21, and the Finals at EBT on Saturday, May 28. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will be calling all the action.

St. Joseph of Metuchen won the 2021 GMC Tournament Championship.

Dayton Toyota Service and Dayton Collision will be sponsoring all games of the tournament. Their generosity and involvement allows you – the fans, the parents, and the student-athletes – to enjoy our coverage for free; never behind a paywall.

So enjoy our coverage of the 2022 GMC Tournament, driven by Dayton Toyota Service, Route 130 in South Brunswick, NJ!

by Mike Pavlichko

Tourney wins and regular season streaks juggle bottom of Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, while St. Joe’s and Ridge remain at the top

Despite a pair of losses to North Jersey schools, St. Joseph of Metuchen remains at No. 1 – where it’s been all season long – in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten rankings, followed closely behind by Ridge at No. 2.

At this point, the Falcons are widely expected to garner the top seed in the GMC Tournament, when the committee meets next Friday, May 13. St. Joe’s is the defending tournament champion.

The Red Devils already are the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament, and they won their opening game in the quarterfinals Saturday 13-3 against Gill St. Bernards, and will face 4th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan in the last of two semifinal games at TD Bank Park on Monday, May 9.

The top four spots all remained the same, with Somerville holding in third and Woodbridge in fourth. Rutgers Prep inched up to fifth, while Monroe flip-flopped with the Argonauts and fell to sixth.

Bridgewater-Raritan – one of the four remaining teams in the SCT – returned to the top ten after a week’s hiatus. The Panthers dropped out last week at 4-6 but rebounded with a very strong week, going 4-1 with regular season wins over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Watchung Hills and Mongtomery, and their SCT win over 5th-seed Watchung Hills. Their only loss of the week came in Delaware Division play against Hunterdon Central.

Middlesex held in eighth, Pingry – on a 2-2 week – moved to ninth – and South River made its debut, at 11-2, the current leader in the GMC Blue Division. The Rams are one of just four GMC teams to begin the week with ten-plus wins – Woodbridge, Middlesex and Joe’s being the others – while having won seven straight games.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Falcons, Red Devils keep rolling along, while only undefeated area team makes its debut

While St. Joseph of Metuchen and Ridge remain No. 1 and No. 2 in the Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten baseball rankings, the only undefeated team remaining in Middlesex or Somerset Counties has made its first appearance of the season.

They’ve done it quietly, with stellar pitching, up in Martinsville, as Pingry (7-0) makes its debut this week.

The Big Blue have only allowed a single run all season, in a 14-1 Opening Day win at Bound Brook. That’s a streak of 37 straight shutout innings, with the lone score coming in the fourth of a five-inning mercy rule win against the Crusaders. Pingry has blanked opponents in 40 of 41 innings pitched.

They visit Belvidere tomorrow and host Delaware Valley Thursday before facing No. 2 Ridge (9-1) Friday, in a game just added to the Central Jersey Sports Radio broadcast schedule. First pitch is set for 4 pm. Mike Pavlichko calls all the action with pregame at 3:45; click here to listen.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joe’s remains No. 1, but Montgomery and Rutgers Prep join the ranks of the ranked in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

One of four undefeated teams remaining in the GMC, St. Joseph of Metuchen holds the top spot yet again in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten Rankings.

The Falcons are 6-0, after sweeping South Brunswick and East Brunswick in a pair of home-and-home sets this week. Ridge (5-1) and Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) held in second and third, respectively.

Somerville (4-3) and Monroe (6-2) flip-flopped, with the Pioneers now in fourth after beating the Falcons 5-1 in the week gone by.

Woodbridge (6-2) holds in sixth, followed by two new teams in the rankings. Montgomery (4-2) joins at seventh, despite losing to Somerville this week 13-0; they also blanked one of the top teams in the state – Hunterdon Central – 1-0. Meanwhile, Rutgers Prep (5-1) debuts at No. 8 after a 3-0 week, including wins over Montclair-Kimberley, North Plainfield and Bernards.

The last two teams hold steady, Spotswood (7-0) in ninth and Middlesex (6-2) in 10th.

Previously-No. 7 South Brunswick and No. 8 Watchung Hills (both 3-4) dropped out.

Below are the full Week 3 rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Falcons hold on to top spot in Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

On the strength of a 2-0 start to the season, St. Joseph of Metuchen remains No. 1 in the Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten.

The Falcons were 13-0 and 14-4 winners over Perth Amboy on Friday and Saturday, the 27 runs making for the most St. Joe’s has scored in a two-game GMC series against an opponent in at least 14 years (the oldest records publicly available go back to 2008).

Ridge pulled up to second with a 12-1 blowout win over Gill St. Bernard’s, while Watching Hills dropped two spots to fourth after opening with a 3-2 loss at North Hunterdon.

Monroe jumped into the rankings at No. 8, knocking out South Plainfield, after sweeping the Tigers with a 4-3 home win on Opening Day, and a 17-5 road win Saturday.

Below are the full Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten Rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joe’s leads inaugural Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

Thanks to Joe Bellamy at Bellamy & Son Paving, high school baseball now has a weekly Top Ten on Central Jersey Sports Radio!

And it’s St. Joseph of Metuchen – the defending GMC Tournament champion – which holds the top spot in the preseason rankings.

The Falcons took the title last year over South Brunswick, which came in third, just behind second-ranked Watchung Hills, which is expected to be one of the top teams again in Somerset County.

Here’s the complete preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with each team’s 2021 record and postseason achievements, where applicable: