Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com
The Top 10 will normally be posted every Monday. Here's a mid-week edition heading into a slate of key games, including a home and home series on Thursday and Saturday between:
♦ No. 1 St. Joseph vs. No. 2 South Brunswick
♦ No. 3 Edison vs. No. 4 South Plainfield
♦ No. 8 Colonia vs. No. 9 Woodbridge
In other words, check back Monday -- there can be some big shakeups.
TOP 10
(records and stats through Tuesday, April 27)
1. St. Joseph (4-1)
In an always competitive Red Division, it's the Falcons who start as the team to beat. St. Joseph, which played in the White Division in 2019, should have fun games all season against their new neighbors. They look to have a balanced lineup with star power at the plate and on the mound, despite losing Virginia-commit Donovan Zsak to an arm injury. Colin Leyner looks to throw key innings and sophomore 1B Tyler Delvecchio (8 of 12) and sophomore C Mark Gialluisi (6 of 12) have a combined 14 RBI so far. St. Joseph's only loss was to Skyland Conference power Somerville.
2. South Brunswick (4-1)
Talk about a hot start to the season: Joey Tuttoilmondo threw a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts in the opener against J.P. Stevens. The Vikings also got two great starts from Frankie Sanchez and one from Neel Telivedara. At the plate, Alex Ciccone and Pete Cortez leads South Brunswick in hits and RBI. The Vikings' only loss was 7-0 to Cranford, one of the best teams in the state this spring.
3. Edison (5-0)
The Eagles showed they will be one of the top teams in the White Division with a season-opening sweep of Woodbridge. First baseman/pitcher Sal Della Fave has been scorching at the plate (7-of-16, 4 HR, 13 RBI) and tough on the mound (1 ER in 11 inn, 12 Ks). In fact, Edison has scored at least 10 runs in each of its wins.
4. South Plainfield (5-1)
After a slow but steady preseason, the Tigers got their timing down by opening day. The results have been White Division sweeps of J.F. Kennedy and New Brunswick and a win over Montgomery of the Skyland Conference. Mitch Dudak earned two victories on the mound and Vincent Esposito (10 of 19), Luke Bickunas (9 of 17, 9 RBI) and Brandon Shine (6 of 14, 8 RBI) have swung hot bats. South Plainfield's only loss was to nonconference Millburn.
5. Monroe (4-1)
Like every team, the Falcons entered with holes after missing the 2020 season. One big plus -- veteran leadership. Monroe features 11 seniors, six of which have committed to play in college. That experience goes a long way. Monroe has started strong, including a win over traditional power Old Bridge. Josh Weinstein (two starts) and Garrett VanBuren have led Monroe's rotation and Christopher Wisniewski has pitched well in relief and also slugged two home runs. Karan Patel has driven in a team-high six runs. Monroe's only loss was to Manalapan of the Shore Conference.
6. Old Bridge (0-3)
Don't read too much into the record. Two of their losses were against private school powers Don Bosco and St. Peter's Prep. Old Bridge also lost to Monroe 7-3, which broke it open in a scoreless fourth inning. The Knights should be just fine and contend in the Red Division with left-handed pitchers Jason Gilman and Justin Herbstman forming a solid combo at the top of the rotation.
7. Middlesex (2-0)
It should be a fun Blue Division race, and Middlesex should once again be in the thick of it along with Metuchen, Spotswood and South River. The Blue Jays got a late start, but looked good in outscoring Carteret 30-1 in two games. Raiden Yost drove in seven runs in the series as the Blue Jays' potent offense looks to keep it going with two upcoming divisional series against St. Thomas Aquinas and South River.
8. Colonia (2-2)
Another fun race -- the White Division. Colonia will certainly be in the mix with its deep pitching staff led by Rutgers-commit JT Kroner and Tyler Mendez. The Patriots opened by scoring 46 runs in their first two wins. After two nonconference losses against Immaculata and Sparta, Colonia has four divisional series in a row against Woodbridge, J.F. Kennedy, Edison and North Brunswick.
9. Woodbridge (4-2)
The Barrons opened with two losses against Edison. Hey, it's only April and Woodbridge is talented. The Barrons regrouped with four straight wins, including two key divisional victories against North Brunswick and nonconference Whippany Park and Plainfield. Tom O'Halloran and Matt Troche have swung hot bats early on.
10. (tied) Metuchen (4-0)
Talk about a hot start to the season II: Fans already know about Matt Rowe, who has committed to Rutgers. But his introduction to the 2021 season was quite memorable -- a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in the opener against St. Thomas Aquinas. In wins over South River and Bernards, Metuchen scored 33 runs. Jack Barry, Luke Schleck and Joseph Fento each has a home run for the Bulldogs.
10. (tied) Spotswood (4-1)
The Chargers can put out different lineups with positional flexibility from game to game. One thing seems sure -- Spotswood will have tough outs. The Chargers showed they will be in the top half of the Blue Division with divisional sweeps over Carteret and St. Thomas Aquinas. Among the hot bats are Casey Cumiskey (11 hits), Luke Johnson (11 hits), Tyler Lewandowski (12 hits) and Ethan Williams (10 hits). Spotswood's only loss was to Monroe of the Red Division.
Email: amendlowitz@njpressmedia.com
GMC Baseball Top 10 entering a key slate of games (mycentraljersey.com)
