Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 through May 10

MyCentralJersey.com

The past week mostly featured non-conference and inter-division games in the buildup to the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, which started with Saturday’s four play-in games and continues with Monday’s quarterfinals and Saturday’s semifinals.

As such, there was no movement in the Top 10. It doesn’t mean, however, that it wasn’t an exciting week of action on the diamond.

Pretty close: Our Top 10 rankings the last two weeks were the same as the GMCT seeds chosen by the coaches except for three teams. We had Colonia ranked fourth (GMCT seed No. 7), East Brunswick ranked fifth (GMCT seed No. 4) and St. Joseph ranked seventh (GMCT seed No. 5). All in all, pretty close.

GMC Top 10

(Records through Saturday)

1. Woodbridge (13-4) – last week No. 1: The Barrons certainly have good players – they are the No. 1 seed in the GMCT, after all – but one gets the feel it’s more of a team effort than having a handful of superstars. In fact, they had just one returning All-Division player in junior Xavier Diaz. They do, however, have six players with nine or more RBIs and two others with seven RBIs apiece. That kind of balanced hitting, along with its deep pitching, that makes Woodbridge a very tough out.

2. South Plainfield (12-8) – last week No. 2: The Tigers look to make another run to the GMCT final after falling to Old Bridge 6-5 in last year’s championship game. They drew the No. 2 seed despite graduating heavy hitters in Jayden Alvarez (.360, 27 RBIs) and Zack Robinson (.462, 30 RBIs). Now, Dom Massaro (.412, 19 stolen bases), Nick Irizarry (.350, 28 stolen bases), Aiden McCarthy (.302, team-high 16 RBIs) and Dan Kapsch (.317, 15 RBIs) lead an exciting offense.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas (12-6) – last week No. 3: Consider this: the Trojans were seeded No. 13 in the GMCT in both 2022 and 2023 and were the ninth-seed last season. They’re now seeded third. That’s quite an upswing in the program, and credit to the players and coaches for the jump. The White Division champions have a certified ace in Louis Rizzolo, and a healthy Jack Valenzuela has given STA a boost after he missed time early (.381 average, 8-for-21 and 1.05 ERA in just under seven innings on the mound).

4. Colonia (14-3) – last week No. 4: If pitching wins championships, then Colonia sure is equipped for a nice run in the GMCT. Wow, the Patriots are a quality seventh seed. They have a team 1.05 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings and are hitting .324 as a unit. Colonia finished second in the White Division and split with St. Thomas Aquinas. The Patriots do have a tough opening game with 10th-seeded Middlesex, with whom they also split during the regular season.

5. East Brunswick (11-7) – last week No. 5: Sometimes the numbers don’t lie. Last season, the Bears hit .200 as a team with 76 walks and scored 61 runs. This season, they’re hitting .305 with 73 walks and 117 runs, and there’s still a long way to go. East Brunswick returned a chunk of players who have excelled after seeing a season of varsity pitching. Joshua Hines (.408 batting average), Joe Spinello (.383), Jared MacWithey (.381) and Tyler Zeichner (.352) are leading the way.

6. Old Bridge (11-8) – last week No. 6: Talk about a tough draw for opponents, the defending GMCT champion Knights are the No. 6 seed after finishing 7-7 in the GMC Red Division. They have a mostly different rotation than last season save for ace Justin Hascup, but they still have quality pitchers and dangerous hitters – and they know how to win. They’re coming off a 9-8 win over state power St. Peter’s Prep.

7. St. Joseph (10-6) – last week No. 7: Did we disrespect the Falcons? St. Joseph was seeded fifth in the GMCT. Hey, we know they’re good – no offense, St. Joes fans. They’re on a four-game winning streak, including topping No. 2 South Plainfield and No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas. What’s making them scary heading into tournament time is the team is getting top-flight pitching to go along with a prolific offense. Richard Zangara has a 1.41 ERA and allowed one earned run in his last five starts.

8. Spotswood (12-8) – last week No. 8: All of Spotswood’s losses were by four runs or less. The last two were a pair of one-run defeats to non-conference teams (1-0 to Florence and 2-1 to Allentown). So, they’re in every game and playing crisp baseball with strong pitching. That’s a good formula. The Chargers have a very interesting GMCT first-round meeting against Monroe.

9. Monroe (8-10) – last week No. 9: You can’t go by Monroe’s record. The Falcons split with No. 1 Woodbridge in the regular season and look to be a tough out as the No. 9 seed in the GMCT. Monroe graduated its three top pitchers from last season. Enter sophomore Ben Faigin, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in 22 2/3 innings, classmate Ryan Desmond (3.07 ERA, 34 Ks) and senior Ohm Desai (3.04 ERA, 24Ks).

10. Middlesex (13-4) – last week No. 10: The Blue Jays must be oozing with confidence and momentum with their hot play, and it’s not just the Delbarton win. Middlesex has won seven in a row after getting swept by Spotswood. That includes a sweep over Sayreville and a 5-3 win over North Hunterdon, which reached this week’s Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament final. While Long won’t be able to pitch in Monday’s first round against Colonia after throwing 111 pitches against Delbarton, Chris Kozak (40 IP, 0.88 ERA) is rested.

NJ Baseball ranking and notes: GMC Top 10 through May 10