Sunday, April 23, 2017

GMC baseball Top 10 rankings for April 23


 
,
@GregTufaro 
Published 11:43 a.m. ET April 23, 2017

1. Woodbridge (11-0): Senior lefthander Harry Rutkowski tied the career school record for victories, recording his 21st win on the mound against Colonia. He also clubbed his state-leading sixth homer of the season and raised his batting average to .600 (15-for-23) last week. Rutkowski and senior third baseman Justin Silva, who is hitting .448 (13-for-29), continue to inflict serious damage from the heart of the order, combining for 31 RBI. The vast improvement of Trevor Cykowski, the team’s talented shortstop and emotional leader, at the plate is integral to Woodbridge’s ascent. Cykowski is batting .389 (15-for-39) with nine RBI. Woodbridge is receiving contributions throughout the entire lineup with catcher Josepher Gutierrez clubbing his first homer and freshman second baseman Ismael Reynoso getting his first hit and RBI last week.

2. East Brunswick (7-3): Earlier this season, East Brunswick head coach Chris Kenney said he expected Ryan Flynn to hit even better than the senior centerfielder did a year ago, when Flynn batted .353. Flynn has more than lived up to that billing, batting a remarkable .553 (21-for-38) with a team-leading 16 RBI. Flynn, Mike Falco (.370) and Tyler Burnham (.333) are the only regulars batting above .300 on a team that is hitting 40 points lower than it did a year ago while capturing GMC tournament and Red Division titles. Pitching, however, continues to keep the Bears atop the division standings, where they remain deadlocked with South Brunswick in first place. East Brunswick boasts a 2.54 team ERA. The Bears only losses are to Jackson Memorial (7-5) and in extra innings to St. Joseph (9-5) and undefeated Woodbridge (3-1).

3. South Brunswick (9-3): The Vikings' three losses are by a total of four runs. They fell 7-6 to previously undefeated Montgomery, which recently endured its first loss, endured a 1-0 upset at the hands of Edison, and lost 2-0 to Allentown ace Jordan Winston. One of the country’s top hurlers, Winston, who is committed to Oklahoma State, is the son of the late Darrin Winston, who starred at Bishop Ahr and Rutgers University, before pitching in the Major Leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies. South Brunswick prepped for a huge series against border rival Monroe with an 11-1 victory over Ewing on Saturday, the team’s third mercy-rule win of the season and the fourth time the Vikings have scored 10 or more runs in a game. Chris James (17), Ryan Moran (14), Kevin Reyes (13), Marco DiIusto (12) and Adam Britton (12) lead the Vikings, who are batting .320 as a team, in hits. South Brunswick is also pitching to the tune of a 2.39 team ERA.

4. St. Joseph (6-6): After outscoring a rebuilding Edison club 21-1 in a series sweep, the Falcons endured consecutive losses to Bergen Catholic and Pope John. Three of St. Joseph’s losses were by a total of four runs including a 2-1 setback to Bergen Catholic, one of four teams ranked among the Top 20 in the state at the time when they defeated the Falcons. The other teams to defeat St. Joseph that are not state ranked – Paramus Catholic and Pope John – own a combined 16-7 record against formidable competition. St. Joseph’s demanding regular-season schedule will prepare the team well for the conference and state tournaments.  The Falcons are batting .333, more than 40 points higher than they did a year ago, and boast a 1.66 team ERA. Mike Farr (.470), Ross Maertz (.400) and Jon Sot (.385) have combined for 41 hits. Nineteen Falcons have recorded at least one hit or one RBI this season, a reflection of St. Joseph’s offensive depth.

5. South Plainfield (8-3): The Tigers extended their winning streak to nine games with Saturday’s impressive 3-1 victory over Millburn, a team that entered the contest with an eight-game winning streak and ranked ninth in the state. South Plainfield’s only losses are by one run to Colonia and North Brunswick and by mercy rule to once-beaten Montgomery. Sophomore right-hander Chris Shine was brilliant against Millburn, hurling six and two-thirds innings before having to be lifted due to the NJSIAA’s pitch-count regulations. Mike Stanczak’s RBI single in the first knotted the score at 1-1 against Millburn, while teammates TJ Massaro (fourth inning) and Jared Marks (fifth inning) plated the go-ahead and insurance runs.

6. Spotswood (11-2): The Chargers swept a doubleheader on Saturday at the Carteret Conquers Cancer Invitational, extending their winning streak to nine games. The victories came less than 24 hours after Spotswood head coach Glenn Fredricks recorded his 200th career win with a 4-2 comeback against Carteret. Spotswood has been on an offensive tear of late, scoring 68 runs in its last six games, compared to 29 runs over its first seven outings. The Chargers only losses are by a single run to Union and South Plainfield. Coastal Carolina commit JT Vento continues to rip the cover off the ball, batting .457 (16-for-35) with 11 RBI. Chris Auciello (1-0, 0.68 ERA) is perfect out of the bullpen with four saves. Ace Matt Ciaccio owns a 4-1 record with a 1.36 ERA.

7. Middlesex (12-1): The Blue Jays remain one of the conference’s best hitting teams and now that Matt Carovillano's power has returned – he’s homered three times in the last two games – Middlesex’s lineup is even more daunting. Carovillano (.425) was already hitting for average, joining Mike Salerno (.465), Nick DiMaggio (.366) and Michael Schweyher (.347) as the club’s offensive leaders. Middlesex is batting .330 as a team and has a 3.01 team ERA with seven hurlers recording at least one win apiece. Tyler Dymond and Kyle Nepton each have three victories on the mound. Middlesex’s victories have come against foes with a combined 27-51 record (.301 winning percentage). The Blue Jays, however, always play a challenging schedule. They head out of division for the remainder of their slate, excluding a paramount series against Spotswood that will determine the Blue Division title on May 1 and May 2, to face Sayreville, Watchung Hills, South Plainfield, South Brunswick, Piscataway, Union and J.F. Kennedy in the upcoming weeks. Those games present Middlesex with an opportunity to climb the conference rankings.

8. Monroe (5-4): The Falcons have lost three games by one run to perennial state power Steinert, Spotswood and Old Bridge. Monroe snapped a two-game skid with a 7-0 win over Old Bridge. Monroe begins the week with a huge series against Red Division frontrunner South Brunswick.

9. Old Bridge (4-6): The Knights have played a challenging schedule including losses to St. Joseph of Montvale, Seton Hall Prep, Hamilton West, South Brunswick and Monroe. They’ve faced stellar pitching along the way including Rutgers University signee Eric Heatter, who blanked Old Bridge last week. Old Bridge has dropped three games by a total of four runs. Pitching (2.82 team ERA) continues to keep the Knights in games while they struggle (.170 BA) at the plate.

10T. Piscataway (7-4) and Sayreville (4-5): The teams split their regular-season series. Sayreville rebounded from a 0-2 start to win four of its last seven including a pair of one-run defeats to Piscataway and Hudson Catholic, a nonconference foe that has defeated three White Division teams including Colonia and North Brunswick. The Chiefs rebounded from a 0-2 start to win seven of their last nine with the two defeats by a total of 15 runs.


http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/23/gmc-baseball-top-10-rankings-april-23/100814062/


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