Greater Middlesex Conference rankings for Week 3

 

Andy Mendlowitz

MyCentralJersey.com

Top 10

1. Old Bridge (9-3)– last week No. 1 – The Knights remain No. 1 based on their body of work. In a season of parity, a loss on any given day doesn’t seem that fatal – especially with the frequency of games. Old Bridge fell to East Brunswick, which split the series 1-1, and to South Brunswick in Game 1. However, the Knights beat state power St. Augustine and Shore Conference heavyweight Red Bank Catholic in a packed week. Old Bridge also swept North Brunswick two weeks ago.

2. North Brunswick (7-4) –last week No. 2 – With a quality opponent every game, avoiding a sustained slump is key. The Raiders dipped to 3-4 on April 15 after three straight defeats. The defending GMC Tournament champions went right back to hitting the ball hard and have won four in a row. That includes a sweep over St. Joseph and wins over Woodbridge and J.F. Kennedy.  

3. St. Joseph (4-6)– last week No. 3 – The Falcons dipped under .500 with three out of four losses. But that win last Thursday was a huge 16-2 victory over East Brunswick. While getting swept by North Brunswick hurts, the Falcons have splits with Old Bridge and Monroe. That’s enough to keep them at No. 3. They were slated to meet East Brunswick on Tuesday to conclude the series.

4. Monroe (5-4)– last week No. 5 – Monroe could have moped and slumped some more after a four-game losing streak – with three losses by a run each. Instead, they came back to win four straight themselves. That includes a two-game sweep of South Brunswick – a rare Red sweep this spring – and a 14-2 win over South Plainfield last Friday.

5. East Brunswick (5-6)– last week No. 4 – With no one separating themselves in the Red Division, the Bears are hanging tough and beat Old Bridge last week to gain the split. East Brunswick gets another shot at St. Joseph on Tuesday with a key series – they’re all key – against North Brunswick on Thursday and Saturday.

6. South Brunswick (5-6)– last week No. 6 – In a division of parity, showing resiliency is a lifeblood. The Vikings bounced back after going 0-2 against Monroe by scoring in the top of the seventh to defeat Old Bridge 2-1 last Thursday. South Brunswick then beat Robbinsville and lost to Franklin in non-conference games. The Vikings are very much in the Red Division race. Look at their next five games – a meeting with No. 1 Old Bridge and then a pair of two-game series against No. 3 St. Joseph and No. 2 North Brunswick.

7. Spotswood (9-2)– last week No. 7 – The Chargers had been ripping the ball and getting great pitching in an electric 8-0 start. One thing – they didn’t face a team that currently has a winning record. That changed last week with a 15-0 win over Dunellen (6-3) and two close losses against non-conference opponents. You can’t ding them much for an 11-10 loss to Livingston (9-3) and a 2-1 defeat to Audubon (8-2). On tap are three-straight Blue Division series against the top half of the division in South River, St. Thomas Aquinas and J.F. Kennedy. Should be fun to follow.

8. Sayreville (8-3) – last week No. 8 – How’s this for a comeback season – the Bombers have already tied last year’s win total after going 8-16. They returned some hitting power, but had questions on the mound after graduating 92 innings spread throughout three pitchers. Aayush Mehta, Thomas Schlaline and Jake Romanello have stepped up in increased roles. Sayreville has a key two-game sweep over Woodbridge and splits with Edison and Middlesex.

9. Woodbridge (8-3) – last week not ranked – Welcome back, Barrons. It’s definitely time they re-enter the Top 10. Woodbridge was our preseason No. 3 team, but fell out after getting swept against Sayreville to start 2-2. Turns out, they were quality loses and Woodbridge has since gone 6-1 to get right back in the White Division race. That includes an impressive sweep over Middlesex and a win over South Plainfield. The series this week against Edison will be crucial in deciding the division champ.

10. (tie) Edison (8-3)– last week No. 10 – The Eagles lost to Middlesex during the week, but remain in the rankings for their body of work that includes a sweep with Sayreville. We’ll know more by this time next week as the Eagles have a series with Woodbridge and the second game against Middlesex, which was on the verge of entering the rankings this week.

South Plainfield (4-5)– last week No. 9 – The Tigers are on a three-game slide after getting outscored by a combined 38-10 against Monroe, Millburn and Woodbridge. However, they have season splits with No. 2 North Brunswick, No. 5 East Brunswick and No. 6 South Brunswick. It just feels like they should remain for another week as they enter another tough stretch. The Tigers play Monroe and then meet Old Bridge twice and St. Joseph twice.

(Records through Monday, April 14. The Top 10 week goes from Tuesdays through Mondays)

NJ baseball: Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 for Week 3 (mycentraljersey.com)