Akhil Penkala’s walk-off single with nobody out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and gave second-seed Old Bridge a 4-3 win over third-seed Edison, to put the Knights in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game for the second time in three seasons.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Fred Cole Field in Old Bridge on June 3, 2025:
GAME COVERAGE:
Of the nine area public schools left in the NJSIAA state baseball playoffs, there was no doubt two would be going home after Tuesday’s sectional semifinals, while seven could advance.
Well, there was great success yet again in the Central Jersey Sports Radio listening area, as six of those advance to sectional finals this Thursday afternoon.
And two of them will have all local teams in them, as Old Bridge will host Hillsborough in the Central Jersey Group 4 final, while South Plainfield will visit Colonia in the North 2, Group 3 title tilt.
Meanwhile, in North 2, Group 4, Ridge will hold Westfield for the chance at a trophy, while Middlesex will renew its rivalry with Shore Conference opponent Point Pleasant Beach when they beet at the Blue Jays’ home in Mountainview Park for the Central Jersey Group 1 title.
Here’s a roundup of Tuesday’s action, followed by the upcoming schedule for Wednesday and Thursday.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4
You can debate whether Hillsborough is a Cinderella team or not, or maybe the Raiders got a low seed based on the new power point system, but either way, ninth-seeded Hillsborough (13-10) is in a sectional final for the first time since 2012. The Raiders erupted for five first inning runs and walked off 12th-seed Montgomery – definitely a Cinderella after starting the season just 3-11 – with a 10-0 win in five innings at home. Click here for Alec Crouthamel’s game story, including postgame reaction with players and head coach Matt Mosko.
They will face second-seed Old Bridge (18-10), which won the section two seasons ago as the top-seed, beating second-seed North Brunswick, 2-1. The Knights were 4-3 winners in a walk-off over third-seed Edison in eight innings, as Akhil Penkala singled down the left field line with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth. Starter Justin Hascup got the win in relief as John Smith came out in the fifth with an injury. Read Mike Pavlichko’s recap with postgame reaction with players and coaches here.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4
Top-seeded Ridge (20-6) is back in a sectional final for the second time in five years – its first since they won the section in 2021 – after a 5-1 win over fourth-seed Elizabeth, the only 20-plus win team of the four in semifinal action Tuesday. That is, until Ridge won, to reach 20 wins for a fourth straight season. After a scoreless first three innings, the Red Devils exploded for five runs in the fourth, with the Minutemen getting their only run in the top of the seventh. Aidan Stieglitz got the win to improve to 9-3 on the season, throwing five innings of four-hit shutout ball.
Ridge will get third-seed Westfield (18-6) in the finals, in a battle of Devils (Ridge, though they wear green, against the Blue Devils). Westfield was an 8-4 winner at second-seed Woodbridge Tuesday, in a game that was back and forth over the first two innings. The Blue Devils out up a four-spot in the first, chasing Ryan Leach – who took the loss – while the Barrons got two back in the bottom of the inning. Then, they added three in the top of the second to go up 7-2, but gave up two more in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-4. Westfield added an insurance run in the sixth. Michael Gurovich had two RBIs on a double for Woodbridge, whose season ends at 18-18.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3
Top-seed Colonia (23-4) came out with a 1-0 win in ten innings in an epic pitchers’ duel, and it was a pitcher who won it. Cory Pascarella got the start, throwing 7 2/3 scoreless one-hit innings, and Colin Kroner pitched the final inning-and-a-third to get the win, also allowing just one hit. And it was Kroner who won it at the plate in the bottom of the tenth with a two-out single that drove in Joe Massimino from second. Click here to read Dom Savino’s game story with postgame reaction from players and head coach Mike Scialfo.
They’ll face third-seed South Plainfield (17-10), which is in the sectional final for the second straight year – losing to Randolph last season – after an 8-1 win at second-seed Millburn. The Tigers’ bats erupted for six runs in the second and two more in the third to give starting pitcher Aiden McCarthy some breathing room. He allowed just four hits and one unearned run in the complete game effort, while Dan Kapsch and Kevin Penny each knocked in a pair of runs, while Kapsch and Ryan Balent each went 2-for-4.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1
Top-seed Middlesex (20-5) walked-off fourth-seed Shore by the ten-run rule with a 10-0 victory over fourth-seed Shore. It was actually a tight through five, as the Blue Jays scattered three runs, one each in the first, third and fifth innings, but then blew it open in the sixth with a seven-spot. Dom Parenti and Dylan Ianiero each knocked in three runs, while Parenti was 3-for-4 with two singles and a double. Owen Reynolds was 2-for-3 as well, while Chris Kozak threw a six-inning complete game two-hitter, striking out eight, walking none.
The Blue Jays will face a very familiar foe in the finals, Point Pleasant Beach. The second-seeded Garnet Gulls were 5-0 winners over Delaware Valley at home Tuesday, going up 3-0 after one and 5-0 after three. Noah Banick, Brody Powers and Daniel Lubach each knocked in runs, while Bennett Moberg threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball to get the victory, coming out only because he had reached the 110-pitch daily limit.
Point Beach knocked out Middlesex in the semis last year, and beat them in the finals in 2023 and 2022. But the Blue Jays topped the Gulls in the 2021, 2019 and 2018 finals.
Here’s the upcoming schedule in the state tournament for Wednesday’s non-public sectional semifinals, and Thursday’s sectional title games for public schools.
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
Non-Public South A Semifinals
(4) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (1) Christian Brothers Academy, 4 pm
(3) St. Augustine at (2) Red Bank Catholic, 3 pm
Non-Public North B Semifinals
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas at (1) Montclair Kimberley, 4 pm
(6) Pope John at (2) Morristown-Beard, 2 pm
THURSDAY SCHEDULE
Central Jersey Group 4 Championship Game
(9) Hillsborough at (2) Old Bridge, 5 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Championship Game
(3) Westfield at (1) Ridge, 4 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Championship Game
(3) South Plainfield at (1) Colonia, 1 pm
Note: This game was rescheduled for earlier in the day since both schools have Prom that night.
Central Jersey Group 1 Championship Game
(2) Pt. Pleasant Beach at (1) Middlesex, 4 pm
Coverage plans will be released via Twitter soon!
Behind s ten-strikeout, complete game shutout from senior ace Aidan Stieglitz, top-seed Ridge beat nine-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-0, in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 quarterfinals.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Diamond Nation in Flemington on May 29, 2025:
GAME COVERAGE:
This past season, the NJSIAA made a major overhaul to the power point formula it has used for years to determine what teams qualify for the state playoffs, and in what order. Group size was no longer a part of the equation, with the state’s high school athletic association coming around to the idea that group size is not necessarily – or, at least, less so these days – indicative of the strength of an opponent.
Just because a school has more students doesn’t mean they’re necessarily better at all sports.
But to add in a strength component, in all sports other than football, the NJSIAA decided to use OOWP, or the Opponent’s Opponent Winning Percentage. The formula adds .500 to that number, then multiplies it by the number of power points (including six quality points for a win, three for a tie, and the usual residuals).
For example, if Team A plays Team B with an 8-2 record, they would get six quality points and 24 residuals for a total of 30 points. You then take Team B’s total opponent winning percentage – lets say it’s .750 in this case, with a strong schedule – ad add .500 to get 1.25, then multiply that by 30 to get the number of power points for that game, which would be 37.5 in this case. Then each value is averaged over the course of the season, and teams are seeded based on that number.
Ideally, it includes two strength of schedule components. Residuals take into account the strength of the opponent, and the OOWP factors in the opponents’ strength of schedule. This means beating a 10-0 team that played winning teams is worth more than a 10-0 team that beat up on a bunch of two-win teams.
But coaches are creatures of habit, no matter the sport, or the state. Many were confused by the system. And some were looking at the standings throughout the year with a lot of question marks. Why was this team ranked so high when they played no one? Why is another team that’s six games over .500 in the bottom four?
So now that the baseball tournament has been seeded, and the first round played for public schools, how did it shake out?
Well, it might be too early to tell.
We looked at how many first round upsets there were in the six public playoff sections including at least one Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area team. This year, that includes Central Jersey Groups 1, 2 and 4, and North Jersey, Section 2 Groups 2, 3 and 4. We looked at overall upsets – any lower seeded team that beat a higher seeded team – and also examined the numbers minus any 9/8 upsets, which were among the most prevalent, and ideally the most evenly-matched teams.
There were 15 upsets among the 48 games in the 2025 first round, meaning 31 percent of all games didn’t go to chalk. Taking out any nine-seed beating an eight-seed – of which there were four this year – that number drops to eleven games, or 23 percent.
That looks like a large number compared with the old system in use last year, which saw just eight overall upsets in those same brackets, seven when taking out the 9/8 upsets, for a 17 percent and 15 percent upset rate, respectively.
But if you go back to 2023, there were 15 overall upsets (31 percent) but 12 taking out the 9/8 game, which is 25 percent, even more than this year. The 2022 season was again low, at seven and three, or 15 and six percent, the lowest in the last five seasons, while 2021, the year after COVID – which could be an anomaly due to many teams missing a year of growth and development – saw 13 total upsets and ten without the 9/8 games, or 27 and 21 percent.
About the only thing that’s clear is that the numbers are up and down over time, but while this year had a significant number of upsets, about the same – or more in the case of the 9/8 games – could be found in the 2023 season.
And remember, upsets don’t necessarily mean the seeding was wrong. Upsets happen all the time in sports, and it’s why we all watch. Who doesn’t want to root for the underdog? Sometimes teams take a while to come together with a short preseason, and they’re hotter at the end of the year than on April 1st (see St. Joseph-Metuchen). Sometimes they have injuries and limp to the finish line.
Bottom line: It’s too early for us to make a call on this. Check back next year, and we’ll see how they did.
Unless there are more changes coming for 2026.
After getting knocked out of the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament in the first round of what was a wild playoff – where none of the top four seeds reached the semifinals – Colonia rebounded with a blowout win as the top seed in the North 2, Group 3 NJSIAA playoffs, which opened Tuesday for public schools across the state.
Just like Montgomery in Central 4, there was a 12/5 upset here, as Carteret knocked off North Plainfield, while higher seeds South Plainfield and Somerville also picked up wins. Here’s a recap of the section’s first day of action
(1) Colonia 16, (16) Lincoln 0 (5 inn.): The Patriots (21-4) – who last week became the first 20-game winner in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area – came alive at the plate, pounding out a dozen hits and taking advantage of six errors by Lincoln, which hails from Jersey City. Nine different players drove in runs, as Tyler Chiola knocked in three and Dylan Chiera and Colin Kroner each plated two for Colonia, which led 1-0 after one but scored 13 runs in the second to bury the Lions, batting around twice, sending 18 men to the plate. As usual, the pitching was solid, as Chiera, Kroner and Ryan Totin combined on a five-inning no-hitter, with Kroner getting the win. The Patriots will host 8-seed Middletown North on Thursday.
(12) Carteret 3, (5) North Plainfield 1: The Ramblers (10-13) – last year’s GMC Invitational winners – found themselves down 1-0 after one, but rallied for three in the fifth to beat the Canucks (14-8) for the second time in three meetings this season. North Plainfield got on the board with a two-out RBI triple by Jake Zotollo in the first, Carteret took the lead in the fifth on a two-run error by the Canucks second-baseman with Miles Ferreiras at the plate, adding an insurance run later in the fram with a Drexler Rodriguez bases loaded walk that scored Eric Thompson. Luis Hernandez went the distance, allowing just one unearned run on two hits, striking out five. The Ramblers will visit fourth-seed North Hunterdon Thursday.
(3) South Plainfield 15, (14) Rahway 0 (5 inn.): The Tigers struck early in this one, getting eight in the bottom of the first and three more in the second of a mercy rule win. Kevin Penny was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, while Dan Kapsch, Jack Jones each had a pair of RBIs as South Plainfield took advantage of seven Rahway (5-16) miscues in the field. Mike Castagna pitched three innings and gave up just one hit, striking out five en route to the win. The Tigers will host six-seed Cranford Thursday.
(7) Somerville 3, (10) Payne Tech 1: The Pioneers (14-10) survived a seventh-inning scare to hold on for the win against the Lions (13-8) after taking a 3-0 lead into the final inning. The first two runs came in the home half of the first, with Jordan Snow scoring from third on a pickoff play gone awry at second, the Chris Banos’ hitting a sacrifice fly to center. Another sac fly by Joe Anglim in the fourth made it 3-0. In the seventh, with two on and two out, Payne Tech got its lone run on a passed ball, but Dalton Carman got the final out via strikeout to end it. Michael Meyers got the win, allowing just four hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. Somerville will face two-seed Millburn on the road Thurday.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3 QUARTERFINALS
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:
(8) Middletown North at (1) Colonia
(12) Carteret at (4) North Hunterdon
(6) Cranford at (3) South Plainfield
(7) Somerville at (2) Millburn
The NJSIAA baseball tournament isn’t even out of the first round, and already there were two upsets in the Central Jersey Group 4 bracket. And both teams responsible hail from Somerset County.
At Memorial Stadium in the Hub City, 12th-seed Montgomery shot past five-seed New Brunswick, 14-2, while 11-seed Franklin was a 2-1 road winner over six-seed East Brunswick Tuesday afternoon.
Three other CJSR-area teams also advanced out of the first round, including Edison, Hillsborough, and Old Bridge.
(12) Montgomery 14, (5) New Brunswick 2 (5 inn.): After a scoreless first inning, the Cougars (9-14) finally got the bats going, knocking out 12 hits in the win. They scored two in the second, six in the third and five more in the fourth, all with only one extra base hit in the game. Patrick Fogerty and Mason Neufeld each knocked in two runs apiece, while Montgomery hitters worked out nine walks. Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational champion New Brunswick (15-3) committed two errors in the game. Cougars’ head coach Peter Mueller earned career win No. 301, after taking his 300th over the weekend against Bernards. Next up, Monty gets a trip to second-seeed Hightstown, a team they played in Game One of the season back on April 2nd, taking a 5-3 loss.
(11) Franklin 2, (6) East Brunswick 1: All the scoring came early in this one, as the Warriors (11-8) got a run in the top of the second on a sac fly by Patrick Ziegler to score Elijah Zavatsky, then another in the top of the third when Mike Schiermeyer reached on an error by the shortsctop, scoring Izaiah Robinson. The Bears (11-13), though, could only get one back, on a Tyler Zeichner triple that scored Sean Christie. The Warriors will play Thursday at third-seed Edison.
(3) Edison 4, (13) Sayreville 2: After a gut-wrenching walk-off loss to St. Joseph-Metuchen Saturday in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship game, the Eagles (16-10) bounced back with a victory. They fell behind 1-0 in the first on a bases loaded walk to Thomas Schlaline, but tied it in the bottom of the second when Teddy Eyler grounded into a fielders’ choice. The Bombers (10-15) again went up a run in the top of the third , on a single by Chase Cannan, but Edison again knotted the score on a groundout by Ray Tavarez, bringing in Anthony Calantoni. The score stayed that way until the fifth, when the Eagles took their first lead, when Robert Roma doubled with one out to score Calantoni, and they got more insurance in the sixth when Sam Kentos singled to knock in Dom Innocenti, who had led off the inning with a triple. Edison will host 11-seed Franklin Thursday.
(2) Old Bridge 13, (15) North Brunswick 0 (5 inn): The Knights (16-10) made short work of the Raiders (5-16), scoring four runs right out of the gate in the bottom of the first, with two more in the third before they exploded for seven more in the bottom of the fourth, as starter John Smith allowed just two runs in five innings for the win. Noah Balbeuna went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Jared Volpe was 2-for-2 with a couple of runs batted in as well. Next up, Old Bridge will host 10-seed Manalapan on Thursday.
(9) Hillsborough 6, (8) Freehold Twp. 2: The Raiders (11-10) picked up a road win in a battle of two .500 teams that were both 10-10 coming in. The Patriots (10-11) opened the scoring with a run in the first and another in the fifth, but Hillsborough answered the 2-0 deficit with a five-spot in the top of the sixth. After a hit by pitch, a fielder’s choice and a single, Drew Kipila drove in a wun with a single, then Jason Williams tied it at 2-2 with one of his own. Kipila then scored on a wild pitch with TJ Westlake at the plate, who later walked. Andrew Advani doubled to score Williams, and Brayden Fox lined a shot to right to bring in Advani and Westlake, making it 6-2. Aidan Cooper got the win in relief, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and retiring all six batters he faced once the Raiders had taken the lead. They’ll visit top-seed Hunterdon Central Thursday, a division-mate in the Skyland Delaware with whom they split two games this season – albeit almost two months ago – losing 4-3 on April 1st, but rebounding with a 2-1 win on April 3rd.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 QUARTERFINALS
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:
(9) Hillsborough at (1) Hunterdon Central
(12) Montgomery at (4) Hightstown
(11) Franklin at (3) Edison
(10) Manalapan at (2) Old Bridge
The NJSIAA last week announced it would extend the cutoff for the state tournament, moving it from Saturday to Wednesday to accomodate some teams that had not played the minimum 16 games yet.
Teams can still qualify, but when points are averaged out, those that haven’t played 16 games would still have been divided by 16, artificially lowering their average.
Some coaches, off the record, have complained about the extension, with their issue two-fold: First, since the vast majority of teams did play 16 or more games, they believe it was the responsibility of teams to schedule more games early, just in case of rainouts. More importantly, some scheduled lesser opponents this week, knowing it was after the cutoff, and now those games could come back to bite them.
Then again, it could also help, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens to Ridge when the Red Devils host Immaculata tonight in the Somerset County Tournament Final, although even that game is in question. A decision on whether to postpone until Friday will be made by 3 pm, per tournament. A win could boost Ridge, but it remains to be seen if they could slip to second place.
Colonia and Middlesex are much more comfortable in their positions, at No. 1 in North 2, Group 3 and Central Group 1, respectively.
With rain expected most of the rest of the day – the SCT finals not withstanding – few teams are likely to get games in today, especially those without turf. Here’s a look at the current standings as of 11:45 am, per NJ.com. Seeding will be tomorrow, and results will be official as of Friday at noon.
Central Jersey Group 4: Hunterdon Central (15-6, 27.562) will be the top team here, followed by two GMC Red Division teams in Old Bridge (15-9, 23.276) and Edison (15-9, 22.624). We thing there won’t be much movement today, and they should stay as is. After Hightstown (15-4-1) to round out the top four, in fifth there’s New Brunswick (14-2, 20.596) – a finalist in Friday’s Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament – as well as East Brunswick (11-22, 19.514) and Monroe (9-12, 19.326). We think anything closer than a half point could change today based on other results, so don’t lock the Bears and Falcons in just yet. Freehold Township (10-10, 18.543) rounds out the top eight, meaning ninth-place Hillsborough (9-10, 18.38) likely starts on the road, unless there’s a shift in averages today. Manalapn is tenth, then three more area teams: Franklin (10-8, 16.355) at 11, followed by Montgomery (7-14, 15.287) and North Brunswick (5-14, 14.96). Sayreville is at 15 (9-14, 14.742) and should be in.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Ridge (16-4, 26.675) should have a substantial enough lead over Woodbridge (16-6, 25.476) that a couple of games today won’t swing it, but a loss to Immaculata could put that top spot in jeopardy for the Red Devils. This being the first year of the new formula that includes Opponent Opponent Winning Percentage (power points are multiplied by the winning percentage of your opoonents’ opponents, plus .500) we just don’t have enough experience to tell by eyeball without running a plethora of scenarios. A basic calculation suggests (just adding in the same points Ridge got for a loss to Immaculata earlier this season) Ridge would get it by around 0.4 power points over Woodbridge, but that doesn’t take into account wins or losses by any other schools the two might have played, or their opponents. Of course, a win would solidify it. That said, Westfield and Elizabeth likely round out the top four, in that order, than after Phillipsburg, there’s Watchung Hills (11-11, 19.001) in sixth, but just .001 points ahead of Columbia (11-11-1, 19). That very well could change, down to one-thousandth of a point. Scotch Plainf-Fanwood (16,827) rounds out the top eight, with Bridgewater-Raritan (6-17, 16.827) in ninth. After Bayonne, Ferris and Barringer, there’s Piscataway (6-12, 13.531) and JP Stevens (7-16, 13.516) at 13 and 14, respectively, and following Plainfield, Perth Amboy sits precariously on the good side of the bubble at 6-12, 12.987 points, but just 0.182 ahead of Newark East Side (11-8, 12.805), so we can’t confidently call the Panthers in just yet.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: It’s a good lead for Colonia (18-4, 14.548), which should have the top seed locked up over South Plainfield (14-9, 22.121), followed by Millburn (21.965) and North Hunterdon (11-10, 21.444). We’re not sure yet if the Tigers are locked in, or could fall to third. North Plainfield (14-7, 20.987) checks in at five, then after Cranford (13-9, 19.669), there’s Somerville (11-10, 19.08). There’s a chance, we think, they could fall from seven to eight, but probably not out of the top eight behind current ninth-place team Payne Tech (13-6, 18.46). Carteret (9-11) is all the way down at 11, followed by JFK (9-12, 17.418).
Central Jersey Group 2: Undefeated Governor Livingston – ranked No. 1 in New Jersey – is in first by a mile with 34.974 power points and a record of 22-0. The highest CJSR-area team is East Brunswick Magnet (20-4, 21.816), which will face New Brunswick Friday at noon in the GMC Invitational final, followed by South River (15-6, 21.717) in ninth. It’s too close to tell if they will stay that way or flip-flop tomorrow. Spotswood (14-10, 20.676) – which lost to St. Joseph-Metuchen in the GMC Championship Tournament semis last Saturday – is back down at 12, but could shuffle up a bit.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: The section is led by West Essex (14-7, 24.379), which has a narrow lead over Madison (17-3, 24.166) for No. 1. The only local team here is Bernards (11-10, 18.671), which sits in tenth, and looks pretty solid there.
Central Jersey Group 1: Looking more like the Blue Jays of a few seasons ago, Middlesex (16-5, 26.541) sits in the top spot, and will hold on to it when the seeding comes out, almost five power points ahead of second-place Point Pleasant Beach (16-7, 21.838). They should hold there, as should Metuchen (16-9, 20.427) in third, and Shore (12-9, 17.402) or Florence (12-9, 17.385) rounding out the top four. That’s a 0.17 difference between the two, and either could get that last position in the top four. South Amboy (6-13, 14.7) is next from the area at seven, with Dunellen (16-9, 15.637) holding a precarious lead over South Hunterdon (12-9, 14.089) for the eighth spot. Manville (11-9, 14.04) is in tenth, but could go up or drop a spot, then after New Egypt (7-13, 13.633), there’s Somerset Tech (8-8, 13.438) and Piscataway Magnet (10-11, 12.914). But the Raiders are just 0.21 points ahead of Keyport (6-7), so we wouldn’t say they’re locked in yet.
Non-Public South A: Christian Brothers should be the top seed at 18-4, 30.177 power points, but Red Bank Catholic (17-5, 29.645) is close behind. St. Augustine (15-6, 26.58) should be third, followed by St. Joseph-Metuchen (14-6, 25.204), looking pretty solid there. After Union Catholic (16-8, 24.278), Immaculata (13-7, 23.624) is there at six, but not too far back, and could move up, especially if they beat Ridge tonight. (A basic calculation without any other results would give them a 24.647 power point average.) Pingry is much further down the list, at 5-17, and 12.21 power points.
Non-Public North B: The top team here is Montclair-Kimberley (16-5, 22.308), but not by much over Morristown Beard (14-6, 22.206). Close behind is defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas (15-7, 21.782), a Group B finalist last year that lost to Gloucester Catholic. After St. Mary-Rutherford (16-8, 21.447) is Rutgers Prep at No. 5 (12-9, 19.55). Then there’s Pope John close behind at 10-11, with 19.213 power points, and Gill St. Bernard’s (11-11, 18.432) at seven. Timothy Christian is at No. 11 in a 12-team section, but at 0-14, it’s unknown if they’ll opt out.
With rain on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday this week and even a little more predicted for Saturday morning, the NJSIAA has extended the state playoff cutoff for baseball.
Originally, the cutoff was to be this Saturday, with the seeding next week. But baseball director Tony Maselli announced Friday that the deadline will be extended, and the cutoff will now be next Wednesday, with the seeding to be done on Thursday, one day later than originally planned.
No changes were made to the actual tournament calendar, with public schools starting the state playoffs on Tuesday, May 27th, the day after Memorial Day. Non-publics will start the day after, on Wednesday, May 28th.
Maselli said the goal was to allow as many teams as possible to reach the 16-game minimum for power point average calculation, nothing a significant number haven’t due to all the rain this week. Teams that don’t meet the 16-game minimum will have their total power points still divided by 16, which would significantly and artificially lower their average.
In the Greater Middlesex Conference, The only teams not to reach that 16-game threshold are New Brunswick and Somerset Tech, which have 14, and still have a GMC Invitational game to play today (Friday). while Timothy Christian played its 14th game Friday, falling to Dunellen in the Invitational.
In Somerset County, only Bound Brook hasn’t met the threshold yet. They’ve also played 14 games.
We’re just one week away from the cutoff for the NJSIAA state tournament, and there have been some significant moves by teams in various sections over the past week, including Middlesex moving into the top spot in Central Jersey Group 1 thanks to a pair of big wins over North Hunterdon and Delbarton in the week gone by.
Today, we look at all sections with teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, incluidng Groups 1 through 4 and all the non-publics. All power points referenced are from NJ.com’s official standings as of May 11, 2025 at 5 pm.
Central Jersey Group 4: While Hunterdon Central (12-5, 26.885 power points) remains the No. 1 by a wide margin, Old Bridge (11-8, 23.873) made a big jump up two spots this week, and the Knights appear to have made it very likely they will end up a top four team, and could end up in the top two, which would guarantee home field advantage through at least the sectional semifinals. East Brunswick (11-7, 22.201) holds the third spot, and New Brunswick (11-2, 21.319) is in fourth. The Zebras have a less than one-point lead over fifth-place Hightstown (14-3-1, 20.439) but at least are on the right side of the top four line. Then, there’s Monroe (8-10, 19.296) up a spot to fifth this week, while Edison (10-9, 18.89) holds in seventh. There’s a decent two-point-plus gap from the Eagles past No. 8 Freehold Township (9-8, 18.516) to No. 9 Hillsborough (7-9, 16.631), so there’s a good chance Edison can hold on to a top eight seed, which gets at least a first round home game. This week’s county tournament play could have a lot to say about that.
There are a number of area teams bunched up in the bottom eight. Sayreville (7-11, 14.706) is in eleventh place and should end up in the bottom eight, followed by Franklin (7-7, 14.357), Montgomery (4-12, 13.161) and North Brunswick (3-13, 13.14). The Raiders started the year 1-12, but have won two of their last three, and ad we always say about teams with few wins, mathematically speaking, one or two can make a world of difference. That’s why they climbed six places this week, more than any other team from the CJSR area, and are now in 14th. South Brunswick – which got knocked out of the GMCT’s championship bracket by South River Saturday – could move into playoff position if they can pick up a win this week – as of now, all they have is West Windsor-Plainsboro North at home on Thursday, which would be worth just under 18 power points, and could boost their average enough to top 16th place Marlboro, which is 3-15 and just 0.301 power points ahead of them.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: There’s been a shakeup at the top here, where Woodbridge (13-4, 25.9) has fallen out of first place, behind Westfield (13-4, 26.598). The Blue Devils are just 0.698 points ahead, and that could change based on county tournament play this week. In third is Ridge (14-4, 25.838), which also dropped one place from last week. Both the Barrons and Red Devils – we believe – are comfortably in the top four, at least for now. Watchung Hills (11-7, 20.967) is significantly behind fourth-place Elizabeth (16-5, 25.838). The next team down is defending Group 4 champion Bridgewater-Raritan (5-13, 17.203), which fell two spots this week, after jumping four places the week prior. Then, there’s Piscataway (5-11, 13.454) at 12, up two places, and Perth Amboy (5-10, 13.129) up four spots this week, from 17 to well into the playoffs at No. 13, even though they were 0-4 in the week gone by. Right behind them is JP Stevens (5-14), which got the top spot in the GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament Friday. But they’re still not assured a playoff spot, we think, just 0.274 points ahead of 16th place Plainfield (8-8).
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Last week, it was South Plainfield that was first, but this week Colonia (14-3, 24.52) is in the top spot. They’re a shade ahead of second-place Millburn (10-10, 23.592), which pulled up from fourth, while North Plainfield (12-5, 22.437) dropped one to third, and South Plainfield (12-8, 22.189) is down to fourth. But these teams are so bunched up, with less than two-and-a-half points from first to fourth, that a lot can happen this week; this is far from being set in stone. Then, you have Somerville, which rose two spots this week to get to No. 6 at 9-7, with 19.3 power points. It might be a stretch for the Pioneers to make the top four, but they most likely end up in the top eight, though there’s no guarantee of that either. Behind them are Cranford (10-7, 19.224) and Carteret (9-9, 18.986) and JFK (9-9, 18.609).
Central Jersey Group 2: The top spot is locked up by Governor Livingston (18-0, 33.336, No. 2 in the state), almost 11 points ahead of the nearest competition, A.L. Johnson at 12-5, with 22.731 power points. Spotswood (12-8, 20.652) has pulled up to No. 8, a gain of six spots, one of the biggest gainers in the week gone by. But the Chargers haven’t guaranteed a home game at The Swamp yet. They’re just 0.03 points ahead of ninth-place Raritan (13-7, 20.622) and Cinnaminson (12-8, 20.566) and Allentown (11-8, 20.566) – the latter of whom they fell to, 2-1, Saturday afternoon – are tied for tenth, and within striking distance. As is South River even in 12th, which dropped five places from seventh in the week gone by. East Brunswick Magnet (16-4, 19.773) took a tumble as well, five places from eight to 13.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: West Morris (13-5, 15.404) continues to lead the secton, with Passaic Valley (12-5, 23.82) right behind them. The only area team here is Bernards (8-9, 17.445), and they sit in 11th, down one spot from last week. They will easily be in the playoffs, and should finish in the bottom eight.
Central Jersey Group 1: This is where Middlesex (143-4, 25.676) jumped from No. 2 to No. 1, now ahead of second-place Point Pleasant Beach (15-5, 21.501) by 4.175 power points. That’s a pretty good margin with a week left in the season, all thanks to a pair of wins this week over top-notch opponents in North Hunterdon and Delbarton, the second of which is the fifth-ranked team in the state, according to NJ.com. We think the Jays will end up there, especially with good teams on their schedule this week in the GMCT. Metuchen (14-6, 20.77) drops from first to third. South Amboy (5-12, 14.724) slipped a spot from eight to nine, but still has a shot at the top eight. Somerset Tech (7-6, 14.187) is right behind at No. 10, followed by Manville (9-8, 13.854) at eleven, Dunellen (12-7, 13.354) at 12, and Piscataway Magnet (9-9, 13.238) at 13. All should be in, but it’s going to be a tough road for the first three teams outside the top 16 to make in, including Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11, 9.418) – which is 0.733 behind 16th place Keyport (4-6), followed by Highland Park (3-13, 8.482) in 18th, and Bound Brook (1-13, 7.445) right behind at No. 19.
Non-Public South A: This is a 12-team field if no-one opts out, and Christian Brothers (16-2, 30.133) has a good lead over second-place St. Augustine (13-5, 26.275). The highest team from our area here is Immaculata (11-5, 24.488), holding in fourth place. If that’s where they end up, they should see a first-round bye. Challenging them for that spot is St. Joseph-Metuchen (10-6, 22.255), which could face good teams in the GMCT this week. Pingry (5-14, 12.912) is up two spots to tenth, jumping Camden Catholic (3-16, 11.649, 11th) and Donovan Catholic (2-11, 9.952) after a 3-1 week which saw them beat Hillsborough 12-10.
Non-Public North B: The top two remain the same, with Montclair-Kimberley (12-4, 22.813) followed by St. Mary-Rutherford (12-6, 22.412), while St. Thomas Aquinas has moved up two spots from fifth to third, at 12-6, with 22.052 power points. In a 12-team field, the top four would get byes, and Morristwon-Beard wraps up that grou at 11-6, with 21.092 points, but just 0.192 points behind is Rutgers Prep (10-6, 20.9), so they’ve got a shot to get in here, too. Gill St. Bernard’s (9-8, 17.857) fell a spot to seven here. We also think this could be an 11-team field, as it remains to be seen if Timothy Christian (0-12, 6.803) will play in the tournament.
We’re just two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – coming up on May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings.
In the non-public sections, Immaculata and Rutgers Prep are looking at top four finishes in their respective sections. Of the four non-public sections in New Jersey, our local teams only occupy two of them: North B and South A.
Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 4th. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.
Non-Public South A: This one is a tough section, with the top three teams all state-ranked. Christian Brothers (14-1, 30.573, #9 in NJ) has a good lead over second-place St. Augustine (13-3, 27.131, #10 in NJ), which in turn has a decent lead over Red Bank Catholic (12-4, 25.503, #20 in NJ). Then, in fourth, is Immaculata (9-4, 23.939). They have a decent beat on a top four seed, 3.654 points ahead of fourth-place Union Catholic. St. Joseph-Metuchen checks in at No. 6 with an 8-6 mark and 20.141 points, right at the midway point of what now is a 12-team field. That could change if anyone opts out, and there are some struggling teams here including Camden Catholic (3-11), Donovan Catholic (1-11) and Pingry, which is just 2-13 with 10.589 points. Everyone who wants to make it here will do so, it’s just a question of how many.
Non-Public North B: There’s a good amount of spacing behind the top couple of teams for now, starting with Montclair-Kimberley (11-2, 24.058) at No. 1 and St. Mary-Rutherford (12-5, 22.182) in second. Not too far back in third is Rutgers Prep (10-4, 20.752), but the Argonauts are bunched in with two other teams that We thing will be battling for the last two spots in the top four, which would guarantee home field advantage through at least the first two rounds. Those two others are Morristown-Beard (9-5, 20.498) in fourth, and St. Thomas Aquinas (12-5, 19.704) in fifth. And while Gill St. Bernard’s (8-7, 15.896) is in sixth, they’re realistically about five power points away from the top four and that might be too much a hill to climb in the next two weeks. Even a deep run in the Somerset County Tournament might not help, as the upset wins that would help them would come after the cutoff. Timothy Christian (0-10, 6.18) sits last, in 12th, if they don’t opt out.