Tag: Ridge

by Mike Pavlichko

Rough week for most of Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but Immaculata remains No. 1

While the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten went just 14-13 in the past week, leading to additional volatility in the rankings, Immaculata remains at No. 1 for a fourth straight week, a position it’s held this year for all but the preseason list.

It was also a bit of a light week, with many games rained out on Saturday.

The Spartans (9-3) went 2-1 in the week gone by, with a pair of wins over then-No. 2 Ridge, 3-0 in Basking Ridge on Tuesday, and 6-0 at Diamond Nation in Flemington, on Wednesday, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. ‘Lata took a loss, though, on Friday, falling 8-1 at Delbarton, the top-ranked team in the state.

Meanwhile, Ridge (11-4) loses the No. 2 spot after their 1-3 week, which included those losses to Immaculata, and a Friday loss at North Hunterdon, 6-2. They opened the week with an 8-7 home win over Pingry on Monday.

That all opened the door for Middlesex (13-1) to move up to No. 2. The Blue Jays have won nine straight, including three games last week. After opening with an 8-3 win at JFK on Tuesday, Middlesex swept Sayreville with a 2-0 home win Thursday and a 9-7 road win Friday.

Edison (8-3) holds in the fourth spot after a 1-1 week. They opened it up with a 9-0 win at East Brunswick on Tuesday, but were no-hit in a five-inning loss to Woodbridge on Thursday, 14-0.

Colonia continues it’s rise, as the 9-5 Patriots move up a spot to No. 5 this week. After a 5-4 loss Tuesday at Spotswood, Colonia came back to sweep Perth Amboy,m winning 7-2 at home on Thursday, then again 6-3 on the road on Friday.

Rutgers Prep (9-2) shot up this week from ninth to sixth, after a 2-0 week that now has them on an eight-game winning streak. The Argonauts swept a pair from Somerville, winning 6-2 on the road Tuesday, then 5-0 at home Thursday. Prep also had its Saturday game at TD Bank Park against South Plainfield – originally scheduled to air live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – moved to later in the season, due to rain.

Watchung Hills (7-3) re-enters the rankings at No. 7, on the strength of a 2-0 week. The Hustlin’ Warriors were 6-2 winners at Hunterdon Central on Tuesday, then beat them back at home on Wednesday, 10-5.

In eighth is Old Bridge (6-6), down one spot after a split week. The Knights lost 4-1 Tuesday at South Plainfield, but came back home Thursday and beat Monroe, 9-5.

The No. 9 position goes to Monroe (7-6), which fell from No. 5. The Falcons were 0-2 in the week gone by, including an 8-1 loss on Tuesday at home to St. Thomas Aquinas, and a 9-5 loss Thursday at Old Bridge.

And holding in tenth is Carteret (10-3), despite a 1-2 week The Ramblers were 12-5 winners over North Brunswick on Monday, but then were swept two games by JP Stevens, including a 3-1 road loss in North Edison Wednesday, and a 10-0 home loss on Friday.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Four:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 1 Immaculata 6, No. 2 Ridge 0

Senior Ryan Auten pitched his second complete game of the year, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits, in a 6-0 win for top-ranked Immaculata over No. 2 Ridge, completing a sweep of their two-game regular season series.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ, on April 22, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Ryan Auten’s two-hit gem gives No. 1 Immaculata 6-0 win over No. 2 Ridge, two-game sweep of Red Devils

Wake Forest-bound Ryan Auten threw his second complete game of the year, and No. 1 Immaculata picked up a 3-0 home win over No. 2 Ridge Wednesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, sweeping the season series, and all but securing the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament.

Auten was throwing fire, as he always does, right from the first pitch of the ball game. 

He struck out the side in the first, and wound up fanning 13 overall across seven innings of work.  It was his first complete game since he won a 3-0 contest here in Flemington against Hillsborough in the opening series of the season.

The Spartans improved to 9-2 on the season, their lone losses coming out of conference, to Winter Park on a Spring Break trip to Florida, and to Delsea in Gloucester County this past weekend.

Like it did in Monday’s 3-0 win, Immaculata got on the board early, and added insurance from there.

Justin Labrador led off with a grounder to second that was bobbled, and scored an error. Luca Catanzerite followed with a walk, and Owen Schilling then knocked a base-hit to left field. Labrador came in to score, and with the throw coming to the plate, both runners tried to take an extra base. Catanzerite ended up at third, but Schilling was thrown out at second for the first out of the inning. Nehemiah Diaz made it 2-0 with a single of his own, plating Catanzerite.

The Spartans would add another run in the fourth, on a sac fly by Jackson Lewis – scoring Conor Quinn, who had walked – making it 3-0.

And then, they got three more insurance runs in the sixth. Reliever Carson Scott had replaced starter Dimitri Romer to start the bottom of the fifth, tossing a scoreless inning, but after walking Quinn to lead it off, and giving up a single to Andrew Wheeler, head coach Tom Blackwell pulled him for Andy Yuan. He reached on a 4-6 fielder’s choice that erased Wheeler, but allowed Quinn to score from third, making it 4-0.

After a Justin Labrador line out to second for the second out of the inning, Catanzerite got aboard on a pitch that glanced slightly off his helmet, then Schilling grounded a ball to short that was booted, driving in Lewis. With Diaz at the plate, Schilling tried to steal second, but the throw got past the second baseman Lucas Grob, skittered into center field, and Catanzerite scored to make it 6-0 Immaculata.

All the while, Auten was dealing. He allowed a single to Romer in the second with one out, but stranded him after getting a fly out to center field and a strikeout. Jake Dolan singled to left with one out in the third in the third, but he was stranded when the next to batters fanned.

And that was the sum total of Ridge’s offensive output at the plate, running into back-to-back ace pitchers for Immaculata: Auten on Wednesday, Cole Raymond the day before.

Ridge drops to 11-3 with the loss, all three losses coming in Delaware Division play (3-3): two to the Spartans and one to Hunterdon Central. The Immaculata defeats are their only losses against Somerset County squads. Dimitri Romer took the loss to fall to 2-1.

Auten got the win to improve to 3-0 for the Spartans, who are 6-0 in Skyland Delaware play, with one more to go before the seeding meeting on Tuesday, May 5th, which was moved to one day earlier due to a scheduling conflict.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Immaculata pitcher Ryan Auten and head coach Kevin Cust, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

No. 1 Immaculata hosts No. 2 Ridge looking for a sweep and bigger lead in SCT top seed race

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s top dogs in baseball have already battled once, and they’ll do so again on Wednesday afternoon.

The latest matchup is the second half of a home-and-home two-game set between No. 1 Immaculata and No. 2 Ridge, a day after the Spartans took the first game 3-0. Pitchers Cole Raymond and Bryson Auten combined for a two-hit shutout, and the offense came from two RBIs — including a home run — from senior catcher Owen Schilling, and a single from sophomore outfielder Brian Cilento.

If all goes to plan for Immaculata, it hopes to be more of the same in the second leg on Wednesday.

You can hear that game live – with no paywall or subscription needed – on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 3:45 pm and first pitch at four with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

The Spartans have played some solid baseball all year long, and are 7-1 against New Jersey teams, with the lone loss coming against Delsea on Saturday.

Immaculata’s pitching and defense have helped push the team to its strong start, and with star senior Ryan Auten on the mound Wednesday, could continue to be a strength.

Auten, committed to Wake Forest, has been brilliant in all three starts this year. He sports a 1.62 ERA and 35 strikeouts — an average of almost 12 per game — and has progressed even after last season, according to head coach Kevin Cust. At times, he wasn’t as sure in his execution, while still working a 2.80 ERA, but that has flipped for the better in the opening month of his senior season.

On the offensive side, the Spartans’ mix of experience and young talent have shown themselves across the year, and the coaching staff has continued to emphasize a strong approach of throwing strikes and hitting strikes.

It worked on Tuesday, as Immaculata drew six walks and seven hits. Now with its ace on the mound, the Spartans aim for a sweep of a fellow state-ranked team, and one it’s battling for Somerset County Tournament seeding at that.

With a win, Immaculata could only strengthen its hold on the prospective top seed in the tournament, while a Red Devils victory makes the conversation a bit more intriguing.

As the defending champions, the Spartans look to get back to the mountaintop, and a win against a fellow contender could go a long way in clearing the path to do so.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust about the Spartans’ season, and their huge series with Ridge:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams roll on again in Week Three, but bottom-half turmoil brings Old Bridge, Rutgers Prep into Bellamy & Son Paving baseball rankings

For a second straight week, the top four teams continued to win – leaving Immaculata, Ridge, Middlesex and Edison right where they’ve been – but everyone else keeps beating each other up, and two new teams join the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Three.

Immaculata (7-2) remains in the No. 1 position after a 2-1 week. In Skyland Conference play, the Spartans swept Bridgewater-Raritan – 13-3 at home, and 5-2 on the road – Tuesday and Thursday, before falling 7-3 to Delsea in a non-conference game on Saturday.

Holding at No. 2 is Ridge (10-1), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They swept a Tuesday-Thursday series from Watchung Hills – 12-10 on the road, and 13-3 at home – before an 8-3 win over Bernards Saturday completed the perfect week.

Immaculata and Ridge square off this week in a huge two-game set that will have a lot of say in which team – at least at this point – takes the inside track for the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament. The seeding meeting is Wednesday, May 6th.

Middlesex (10-1) continues to roll as well. The Blue Jays went 5-0 this past week, sweeping Metuchen 2-1 on the road Tuesday, and 6-2 at home Thursday. Middlesex then beat Voorhees Saturday, 11-2, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game at North Brunswick Community Park, and took a 13-2 decision over JFK Saturday, before beating Wood-Ridge (Bergen County) on the road Sunday, 15-1.

Edison (7-2) holds at No. 4 this week, going 2-1 in the week gone by. The Eagles opened the week in fine fashion with a complete-game, 13-strikeout no-hitter from Connor Murphy in a 4-0 home win over St. Joseph-Metuchen heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They beat the Falcons again in Metuchen on Thursday, 5-3, before falling 10-4 to Columbia Sunday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

WATCH: The final out of Connor Murphy’s no-hitter against St. Joseph-Metuchen

Holding at five is Monroe (7-4). While the Falcons went just 2-3 this week, they closed the weekend with a huge win. After falling to Hightstown in a non-league game on Monday, they then got swept by Woodbridge, 8-0 and 2-1. But they rebounded nicely with an 8-4 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison on Saturday, then Sunday, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game, Monroe knocked off the No. 18 team in the state, perennial power Red Bank Catholic, 5-2. To date, it’s the only win by a GMC school over a team ranked in the NJ.com statewide Top 20.

(Ridge has the only other one, a 7-4 Opening Day win over West Morris, currently ranked No. 14).

Staying in sixth is Colonia (7-2), which split four games this week. They started with a 14-4 win at Metuchen Monday, in a makeup from earlier in the year, then split with South Brunswick, taking an 8-6 home loss Tuesday before winning on the road Thursday, 13-4. The Patriots then lost to Spotswood on Saturday, 3-1.

Back in at No. 7 is Old Bridge (5-5), which was ranked in the preseason, but fell out in Week One. The Knights went 2-2 last week with a tough schedule. After beating East Brunswick 11-10 Tuesday, they came back Friday and beat South Plainfield 9-3 in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Saturday, they lost to state No. 4 Seton Hall Prep, 3-2, then fell 4-3 to Westfield Sunday in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

Down one spot to eight is South Plainfield (6-5), which also went 2-2 last week. The Tigers split with St. Thomas Aquinas, winning 6-4 on Tuesday, but losing on the road Thursday, 7-5. After Friday’s loss at Old Bridge, the Tigers rebounded with a 4-2 win over Millburn in the Autism Awareness Challenge in North Brunswick on Saturday.

Making its season debut at No. 9 is Rutgers Prep (7-2). The Argonauts climb into the rankings on the strength of a 4-0 week, which began with a pair of 10-0 wins over Montgomery Tuesday (away) and Thursday (at home). On Friday, they beat Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge, 17-10, then won at Hopewell Valley on Saturday, 12-4.

Carteret (9-1) holds in tenth, on the strength of a 3-0 week. The Ramblers swept Piscataway in a Monday-Wednesday two-game set – 9-2 at home on Monday, then 10-9 away in the second game – before beating North Brunswick 13-0 Saturday in the Autism Awareness Challenge at Community Park.

Two teams dropped out this week. No. 8 Watchung Hills beat Cranford Saturday 5-4, but took a pair of losses to Ridge, 12-10 and 13-3, while South Brunswick also went 1-2 in the week gone by. The Vikings split a pair with Colonia – winning an 8-6 road game Tuesday, but losing 13-1 at home Thursday – then lost Saturday to Metuchen, 8-3, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Three:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top four stay the same, led by Immaculata, Ridge, in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 baseball rankings

There was much more stability in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week 2 of the high school baseball season, with the top four teams remaining right where they are. There was minimal movement below that, with Monroe rising and Watchung Hills joining the rankings after a 3-0 week, knocking out Bernards.

Immaculata (5-1) holds at No. 1 after 1 2-1 week down in Florida playing teams from around the country. The Spartans beat Riverdale Baptist (MD) 6-0 on Tuesday, fell 7-2 to Winter Park (FL) Wednesday, then beat Proctor (NY) 13-12. They’ll return this week for a Tuesday/Thursday home-and-home with Bridgewater-Raritan.

Holding in second is Ridge (7-1), which got in five games this week, and won four of them. After a 6-4 win over Randolph at home on onday, the Red Devils lost 12-7 to Hunterdon Central on Tuesday. But they rebounded to split the Delaware Division series with a 9-5 win in Flemington Thursday, followed by a 12-8 win Saturday at Warren Hills. Sunday, they beat New Providence, 11-8

Middlesex (5-1) is the top GMC team in the rankings, holding at No. 3, and the first of three straight league teams all with the same record. The Blye Jays were 15-4 winners Tuesday at Perth Amboy, then split with South Brunswick. They lost 3-2 to the Vikings at home Thursday, but came back to win on the road Saturday, 6-2.

Next is Edison (5-1), holding at four. The Eagles went to 5-0 with a 10-8 win at South Plainfield Tuesday and a 7-1 home win Thursday over Monroe, but lost 2-0 to the Falcons on Saturday to split the season series, taking their first loss of the season.

Monroe (5-1) – which is tied with Edison for first in the GMC Red Division after their split – moves up a spot to fifth. Besides their games with Edison, they finished off a two-game sweep of St. Joseph-Metuchen on Tuesday with a 4-3 win, helping them go 2-1 in the week gone by..

Colonia (5-0) also moves up a spot – to sixth – as the GMC White Division leader went 3-0 in the past week. Tuesday, the finished off a two-game sweep of JFK with a 12-2 home win, then swept two from Sayreville with a 7-1 home win Thursday and a 13-3 road win on Saturday.

Down to seventh is South Plainfield (4-3), which went 2-2 in the week gone by. After taking their first loss of the season at Edison two Saturdays ago (before the most recent rankings) they lost their next two, 9-2 to Cranford, and then 10-8 at home again to Edison. But they bounced back with a two-game sweep of Woodbridge, including a 4-3 home win Thursday and an 8-5 road win Friday.

New to the rankings this week, Watchung Hills (4-1) enters at No. 8. The Warriors had a 3-0 week, including a 9-1 win at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday, a 7-6 walk-off win over the Panthers at home Thursday, and a 12-2 win at Roxbury on Saturday.

South Brunswick (4-2) is down a spot to nine. After a 3-0 start, the Vikings dropped their first game of the year 5-1 at Sayreville Tuesday, but rebounded with a 3-2 road win Thursday, handing Middlesex its first loss of the year. But the Blue Jays earned a split Saturday, beating South Brunswick, 6-2.

In tenth is Carteret (6-1), which dropped one spot. The Ramblers beat North Plainfield Monday 2-1, then were 5-4 winners at South River Wednesday, before taking their first loss of the season at home to the Rams, 7-2, on Thursday.

Dropping out is Bernards (3-2), which was swept 11-2 and 16-0 by Gill St. Bernard’s in a two-game home-and-home, before rebounding with a 7-3 win Saturday at home over Franklin.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Two:

by Mike Pavlichko

A new No. 1 baseball team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, while a tumultuous week adds four new clubs to the mix

There were some great games, big wins, and some pleasant surprises through the first week of the high school baseball season in New Jersey. And while there’s a lot more baseball to be played, there are four new teams joining the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week One, with a brand-new No. 1 team.

St. Joseph-Metuchen – last year’s GMC Tournament champion at 16-7 – has gotten off to a surprising 0-4 start. And while they’ll still likely be in the mix as we get closer to county tournament season, the winless start has made room for a new No. 1, with nine of the ten teams in this week’s rankings being unbeaten

The new No. 1 team is Immaculata (3-0), the defending Somerset County Tournament champs. The Spartans opened upo with a sweep of Hillsborough, wininng 3-0 on the road Tuesday, then 3-0 at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday before taking a 5-3 home decision over West Essex on Saturday.

The three teams right behind the Spartans all moved up a notch as well, and all are undefeated.

Ridge (3-0) is in second, picking up victories over three different teams to open 2026. They won 7-4 at West Morris Tuesday, then opened Skyland Conference play with an 11-1, five-inning win over Montgomery Thursday, followed by a 4-0 shutout win at Rutgers Prep Saturday.

In third is defending state Group 1 champion Middlesex (3-0). The Blue Jays avenged a season sweep at the hands of Spotswood last year with a 6-1 Opening Day win over the Chargers at home, then a 12-1 (full seven-inning game) win at “The Swamp” on Thursday. They topped Perth Amboy on Saturday at home, 4-2.

And in fourth is Edison (3-0). GMCT finalists from a year ago, they won their opener Tuesday at Old Bridge, then two straight at home: 2-1 over the Knights on Thursday, and 5-4 in eight innings on Saturday over South Plainfield, rallying with two runs in the seventh to send it to extras.

Moving up two spots to fifth is South Plainfield (2-1). Before the loss to Edison Saturday, they swept a season-opening home-and-home with then-No. 1 St. Joe’s, 11-1 in five in Metuchen on Tuesday, then 6-2 at home on Thursday.

Joining the rankings at No. 6 is Monroe (3-0). The Falcons swept East Brunswick in its first two games – with a 10-7 Opening Day road win on Tuesday, and a 5-2 win at home Thursday – then beat previously-No. 1 St. Joseph Saturday in Metuchen, 6-2.

Up one place to seventh is Colonia (2-0). The Patriots beat Metuchen on Tuesday, 2-1, and after the Bulldogs rescheduled their Thursday meeting for later in the season, beat in-town rival JFK 13-3 in five innings Saturday.

The last three teams all are new to the rankings, starting with South Brunswick (3-0) at No. 8. The Vikings swept Perth Amboy to open the season, 13-2 at home Tuesday, then 8-6 at home on Thursday. Saturday, they picked up a 1-0 win at Sayreville.

At nine is Carteret (4-0) out of the GMC Blue, which scored 40 runs in four games over the first week. After a 4-3 home win Monday over East Brunswick Magnet, the Ramblers beat the Tigers on the road Wednesday, 12-6, then won 13-8 at North Plainfield on Thursday, and 11-1 Saturday at home against Long Branch out of the Shore Conference.

And at ten is Bernards (2-0). The Mountaineers were 8-1 winners on Opening Day Monday against Summit, and beat Del Val at home 4-0 on Wednesday.

Dropping out were No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen (0-4), as well as No. 8 Hillsborough, No. 9 Old Bridge, and No. 10 Woodbridge, the last three all 1-3 on the season.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week One:

by Mike Pavlichko

Through first week – and them some – these high school baseball teams have started the season red hot

The high school baseball season is already a week old, though a few got started a little earlier than most, but more than a few have started the 2026 campaign red hot.

Some were expected, others have turned out to be pleasant surprises.

And that could juggle our first in-season Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Week One edition of which comes out Monday morning.

Here’s a look at who’s gotten the season off to a great start after the first week or so or play in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, with a minimum of three games played..

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE

Red Division

  • Edison: The Eagles are 3-0, and may have had the most success with the toughest opening schedule of all. It was their pitching that helped lock down their season-opening series with Central Jersey Group 4 finalist Old Bridge, picking up 5-2, and 2-1 wins last week. Of course, that’s no surprise looking at who Edison has on the mound: three D1 commits including Robert Roma (Wagner) and Connor Murphy (Monmouth) – who pitched against the Knights, and Dom Innocenti (Wagner) who went four solid innings against South Plainfield in a 5-4, eight-inning home win Saturday afternoon. But the bats can do good stuff, too. Murphy is one of then, already 4-for-8 on the year with two doubles, while Isaiah Lutz is hitting .444 with a double and two RBIs, both of which came against the Tigers, and the last of which walked it off with two outs and the bases loaded Saturday. The Eagles are back at it Tuesday at South Plainfield, then play equally red-hot Monroe (3-0) at home Thursday and away Saturday.
  • Monroe (3-0): The Falcons (3-0) already are a third of the way to their win total from last year, when they went 9-13. And they’ve got two wins over East Brunswick – a series sweep with 10-7 and 5-2 wins – plus a Saturday road victory, 6-2, over defending GMC Tournament champion St. Joseph-Metuchen. In the second win over the bears, junior Ben Faigin pitched five no-hit innings before being lifted and got the win. (Don’t forget, it’s early yet, and some pitchers the first few weeks are on fairly strict pitch counts from their coaches.) Faigin is also doing it at the plate, going 6-for-8 in the first three games with three runs batted in, and he’s walked four times, stealing seven bases already. It’s Monroe’s best start since 2022. The Falcons will close their home-and-home in Monroe Tuesday when St. Joe’s visits, before they play a Thursday/Saturday home-and-home with Edison.
  • South Plainfield: Despite a 5-4 loss in extras at Edison on Saturday, the Tigers are 2-1, and those two wins are nothing to sneeze at. South Plainfield crushed St. Joseph in Metuchen on Tuesday in the season opener, 11-1, then took a 6-2 decision at home on Thursday. Aiden McCarthy pitched the full five innings of Tuesday’s ten-run rule game, allowing just four hits and one earned run, while striking out five, and sophomore Andrew Bena, who blew up on the basketball court this winter, continued to shine on the pitchers’ mound in game two, throwing 6 1/3 and allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out eight. McCarthy and Dom Massaro also are tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .455 and .500, respectively, with McCarthy knocking in four runs, while the speedster Massaro – an outstanding football player, and the CJSR Special Teams Returner of the Year in 2025 – has four stolen bases already.

White Division

  • Middlesex: The defending state Group 1 champions and GMCT Final Four team swept Spotswood two games last week, 6-1 on Tuesday at home, 12-1 at “The Swamp” on Thursday, then beat Perth Amboy at home on Saturday, 4-2 to start the season at 3-0. Their two main arms are back this year, Chris Kozak for his senior year and Dominic Long for his junior campaign, and both got wins against the Chargers, with Kozak going the distance, Long going seven, with only Kozak allowing a single earned run. Then they got a solid outing from Dylan Ianiero for the win Saturday allowing four hits and just two unearned runs in six innings pitched. That means the Blue Jays have allowed just one earned run in three wins to start the year. Not too shabby. And, Middlesex is hitting .333 as a team, getting balance from up and down the lineup. Ianiero and Long are both hitting .571 (4-for-7) on the year, with Long also knocking in three runs and walking four times, while Sean Hughes has four runs batted in. After the series finale with the Panthers in the Bay City Tuesday, the Jays get South Brunswick at home, then away, in a Thursday-Saturday two-game set.
  • South Brunswick: New head coach and veteran GMC skipper Lou Urbano has brought a new mindset to the Vikings, and so far, all is looking good at 3-0. They scored a combined 21 runs in their season-opening series against Perth Amboy, which included a 13-2 home win Tuesday, and a n 8-6 road win Thursday. Then, it was a pitchers’ duel Saturday as the Vikings beat Sayreville at home, 1-0, behind four no-hit, shutout innings from starter Collin Perna in his second start of the season. The senior also got the win in Game One against Amboy, and in 8 2/3 innings pitched, has 14 Ks, six walks, and has allowed just three hits and one earned run. The Vikings close out the series with the Bombers in Sayreville Tuesday, before opening a road-home set with Middlesex Thursday and Saturday.

Blue Division

  • Carteret: Off to its best start since 2023, when they went 5-0, the Ramblers have won their first four, sweeping a pair from GMC Invitational finalist East Brunswick Magnet – 4-3 and 12-6 – then picking up a 13-8 win at North Plainfield Thursday, and am 11-1 non-conference win over Long Branch Saturday. As a team, Carteret is in mid-season form at the plate, hitting a scorching .365 as a group, with seven regulars hitting almost .290 or better. Junior Miles Ferreiras is hitting .533 (8-of-15) with six runs batted in, while freshman outfielder/pitcher Jose Parra has knocked in eight. Their pitching is on the younger side, too, with soph Jayden Luciano throwing two scoreless innings at EB Magnet Wednesday, then going the distance in the five-inning mercy-rule win over Long Branch, allowing just two hits and one earned run, while striking out ten. They finish up the home-and-home with North Plainfield Monday afternoon, then open a two game set with South River on the road Wednesday, and home Thursday.

SOMERSET COUNTY

Immaculata visits Hillsborough in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division game on March 31, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Skyland Conference, Delaware Division

  • Immaculata: A home-and-home sweep of Hillsborough – 3-0 in their opener on the road Tuesday, then 3-0 again at home Thursday – plus a 5-3 win over West Essex – a North 2, Group 2 semifinalist a year ago – has the Spartans 3-0 after the first week of play. They’re not exactly tearing the cover off the ball – yet – but the pitching has dominated in the early going, allowing just the three runs to West Essex. Immaculata is off for Spring Break this week, then gets back into action with two against Bridgewater-Raritan the week after – home Tuesday at Diamond Nation and just up the road in Bridgewater Thursday, before an 11 am non-conference game Saturday morning against Delsea, which opens its season this week.
  • Ridge: The Red Devils are 3-0 after a trio of wins over all different teams last week. They opened Tuesday with a 7-4 non-league win at West Morris, then came “home” Thursday and beat Montgomery 11-1 out at Diamond Nation in Flemington, before getting past Rutgers Prep Saturday in Basking Ridge 4-0. There are some new names on the mound, as Dimitri Romer got the win against West Morris, while Matt Brievogel and Dillon Henderson picked up league wins; all three are juniors. At the plate, Ridge is hitting .299 as a team, but they’ve also worked out 17 walks in three games, adding in six hit batsmen. Four games are on tape this week, including a league home and home with Hunterdon Central Tuesday and Thursday, bookended by a non-conference home game against Randolph Monday and a Saturday morning visit to Warren Hills.

by Mike Pavlichko

Ace starter Stieglitz is gone, but Ridge baseball has plenty back to be back in the thick of things again in 2026

Aidan Stieglitz is a special ballplayer. The starter dominated for Ridge last season, going 9-3 in 13 appearances with a 0.77 ERA and 99 strikeouts, and was named the Central Jersey Sports Radio Somerset County Player of the Year.

You don’t just replace a player like that.

But there are enough returnees for the Red Devils that head coach Tom Blackwell is confident his team can be right back in the thick of things this season, even if last year fell just a little bit short.

In 2025, Ridge shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Immaculata, lost to the Spartans in the Somerset County Tournament title game, and reached the North 2, Group 4 finals, where they lost to Westfield.

Oh, so close, on all three goals for the season. Just missed them.

Now is a chance to make it payoff.

The pitching staff may not exactly be starter by committee, but it might be high school baseball’s version of money ball: using a few different guys – Lucas Liston, Jake Dolan, Casey Kucerka, Dmitri Romer, Andy Yuan – all to get more innings, and maybe combine their production to get what they got last year for Stieglitz.

And hey, with pitch count limits, maybe spreading the pain among opponents will work out even better?

Ridge will enter the season with the No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten – right behind GMC Tournament champion St. Joseph-Metuchen and Immaculata … and part of the reason why is the offense.

The heaviest hitters in the lineup return, with seniors like Jake Dolan (.429, 25 RBI, 3 HR), Toby Nicholson (.296, 8 RBI) and Dan Rafanello (.417) and the junior Kucerka (.258, 15 RBI) are back, and others will move in and fill in any gaps.

No doubt all hands will need to be on deck. The Spartans aren’t going anywhere, Bridgewater-Raritan is looking at a bounceback year, Hillsborough is coming off a sectional title, and that’s just the Delaware Division.

Ridge was Somerset County’s only team to win 20 ore more games last season, but with a few more this year, they may have to slide over some of that hardware in the trophy case to make room for more.

Click below to hear Ridge baseball coach Tom Blackwell talk about the Red Devils’ upcoming 2026 season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending GMC, SCT champs St. Joseph-Metuchen, Immaculata open season at No. 1, No. 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving preseason Top Ten

It’s never easy to predict how any high school team – in any sport – will do from year-to-year, what with graduation losses and unproven talent. The year before can be a guide, but who knows who a new group will respond, or if a new coach will reignite a program that struggled the year prior.

That said, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish, and last year’s teams will mainly get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Basketball rankings.

Defending GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Champion St. Joseph-Metuchen will begin the year at No. 1. Though the Falcons (16-7) lose a ton of pitching – more than 134 out of 161 innings pitched by Joseph Barca, Richard Zangara and Domenic Erbafina – the bats may be able to carry them until second-year veteran skipper Dennis McCaffery sees what his young pitching staff has. The Falcons won the GMCT last year as a five seed, taking all four games in their final at bat, and they never led for a single at bat in the entire run.

Last year’s Somerset County Tournament champion holds in second place, Immaculata. At 17-8, they were also Skyland Conference Delaware Division co-champions with Ridge, and they’ll bring back a good amount of pitching. While they lose Rob Sikorski to graduation, their top two pitchers in terms of innings thrown – Jackson Trego and Ryan Auten, both seniors – return.

Ridge checks in at No. 3. Going 20-7 a year ago, the Red Devils lose ace Aidan Stieglitz but have a good chunk of returnees that should keep the Red Devils right in the thick of things, a year after sharing the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Immaculata, and reaching both the Somerset County Tournament and NJSIAA North 2, Group 4 finals.

The only Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team to win a state title last year, Middlesex begins the year at No. 4. The Blue Jays (23-5) were a GMC Tournament final four squad, and beat Midland Park to win the NJSIAA Group 1 title, their first since 2021. They bring back all but ten of their 193 innings pitched last year, led by senior Chris Kozak and junior Dominic Long.

Checking in at No. 5 is Edison, which is overflowing with quality pitching. The GMC Tournament runner-up Eagles (17-11) have four Division 1 commits. Pitchers Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti are set with Wagner, while Connor Muprhy is going to Monmouth.

No. 6 is Colonia, which went 23-5 a season ago, falling to South Plainfield in the North 2, Group 3 sectional title game. While Seton Hall-bound Colin Kroner returns to the mound, starter Cory Pascarella is gone to graduation and now playing at Monmouth, as is Matt Fasulo (.289, 19 RBI) at Rutgers-Newark.

At No. 7 is South Plainfield, which took some big graduation losses, including the middle of the infield (Dan Kapsch at short, Nick Irizarry at second). And of four pitchers for the North 2 Group 3 champion Tigers (18-11) who threw at least 15 innings last year and pitchers Kevin Penny, Aiden McCarthy and Mike Castagna are gone, more than three quarters’ of last season’s innings pitched.

Checking in at eight is Hillsborough. The defending Central Jrsey Group 4 champs were 14-11 last season, but lose a ton, including pitchers James Drinkwater, Brayden Fox (also an outfielder) and Krish Patel, as well as hitters like Andrew Advani and catcher Alex Reiling, among others.

In ninth is Old Bridge. The Knights were 18-11 last year as well, and made the Central Jersey Group 4 finals, falling to Hillsborough. They lose two aces in Justin Hascup and John Smith, with Brady Meyer the most experienced pitcher coming back. The lineup may have fewer question marks, but head coach Matt Donaghue always has a deep roster, it’s just a matter of experience.

And checking in at ten, it’s Woodbridge. the Barrons were 18-8 last year and GMC Red Division champs. They’ll take a hit losing pitcher Ryan Leach to graduation, but Kevin Arroyo returns after throwing 63 1/2 innings a year ago, with a 1.11 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving 2026 Baseball Preseason Top Ten: