Baseball Top 20, May 21: County, conference championships turn rankings upside down

Welcome to the wildness that is the New Jersey high school baseball tournament season. Top teams flexed their prowess in county and conference championships, while some underdogs carved a path to redemption - all in one week.

From Phillipsburg to Wayne to Lincroft to Richland - and everywhere in between - county/conference champions were crowned this past week just ahead of the cutoff on Wednesday night, which calls for a fresh ranking to recognize the top programs.

Below, have a look at NJ.com’s Top 20 rankings through May 20 games.

NJ.com Top 20 - May 21, 2025

1-Gov. Livingston (22-0)

Last week: No. 1

Gov. Livingston completed an impressive Union County Tournament run with a 5-0 win over Union Catholic on Tuesday. It was the team’s fourth shutout in as many tournament games and fifth in a row overall. Last week also featured goose eggs against Elizabeth, 1-0, and Johnson, 10-0. Gov. Livingston hasn’t allowed a run in its last 33 innings.

Week ahead: Bridgewater-Raritan (Wednesday); Ridge (Thursday)

2-Seton Hall Prep (20-1)

Last week: No. 2

Seton Hall Prep also took home a trophy last week when it blanked Livingston, 6-0, to win the Greater Newark Tournament. That was one of three wins over the past week and was sandwiched between a 13-0 victory against Montclair and 4-1 win over Columbia on Tuesday. The Pirates have won 13 in a row and have allowed just two runs in their last seven games.

Week ahead: Ramapo (Thursday); at Roxbury (Friday)

3-Don Bosco Prep (20-2)

Last week: No. 3

Winners of 12 straight games, the Ironmen have allowed just six runs over their last 10. They are playing some of the best baseball in the state, including 12-0 no-hit winner over Old Tappan in the Bergen County semifinals. Anthony Costello and Dylan Henshaw combined for the no-hitter to send DBP to the county championship on Saturday.

Week ahead: at Bergen Catholic (Wednesday); Pascack Valley (Saturday)

4-Delbarton (20-4)

Last week: No. 8

Delbarton’s week began with a 5-1 win over West Morris in the Morris County final. Three days later, the Green Wave took down Mendham, 11-1, to extend the winning streak to five games. Delbarton is rolling, having outscored opponents 46-5 during that span and is 13-1 in its last 14 matchups overall.

Week ahead: at Mendham (Wednesday); Pope John (Thursday); Donovan Catholic (Friday)

5-Haddonfield (19-5)

Last week: No. 4

Despite suffering a loss to Mainland in the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic final, Haddonfield remains South Jersey’s top team for another week after a host of finishes involving other teams in the region. The Haddons quickly regrouped and have won three in a row, including Tuesday’s 4-3 walk-off in 10 innings against Audubon to claim the outright Colonial Liberty crown.

Week ahead: Paulsboro (Thursday)

6-Northern Burlington (21-1)

Last week: No. 10

Since suffering their lone loss, the Greyhounds have won four in a row - the last two being shutouts over Lenape and Haddon Heights, giving them 12 on the season. They belted four home runs against Haddon Heights and have outscored opponents 193-32. Expected to be the top seed in Central Jersey Group 3, Northern Burlington is hitting .396 as team and the pitching staff owns a solid 1.33 ERA.

Week ahead: West Windsor-Plainsboro North (Wednesday); Cherry Hill East (Thursday)

7-Pascack Valley (18-5)

Last week: No. 16

PV leaps up to its highest ranking in several years following a win over Ramapo in the Bergen County semifinals. They also picked up a separate ranked victory over St. Joseph (Mont.) within the last week as part of their six-game winning streak.

Week ahead: at Bergenfield (Wednesday); Indian Hills (Thursday); Don Bosco Prep (Saturday)

8-Cherokee (20-2)

Last week: No. 5

The Chiefs drop a few spots after suffering back-to-back losses against Haddonfield and Eastern. They did secure the outright Olympic American title Tuesday with Eastern’s loss to Lenape. Brett Jackson continues to lead the offensive attack, batting .417. Rutgers commit Henry Radbill struck out a career-high 16 in the 10 inning, 2-1 loss to Eastern but didn’t figure in the decision.

Week ahead: at Rancocas Valley (Thursday); at Delran (Friday)

9-Gloucester Catholic (17-3)

Last week: No. 6

The Rams have won two straight and three of their last four games in what’s part of seven games in eight days. They rebounded from a loss to Stony Brook School (NY) with a 2-0 win at Delsea and a 4-3 decision over Ranney. Freshman Eddie Pinero struck out seven and scattered two hits in four innings against Ranney for his first career victory Tuesday.

Week ahead: at Steinert (Thursday); Gloucester Tech (Friday); at Ocean City (Saturday)

10-Ramapo (20-4)

Last week: No. 7

The Green Raiders saw their seven-game win streak come to a halt in the Bergen County semifinals against Pascack Valley. During that win streak, though, they defeated PV, along with other tallies over Rutherford, Bergen Catholic, and Passaic Tech to stay within the Top 10.

Week ahead: at Ridgewood (Wednesday); at Seton Hall Prep (Thursday)

11-St. Augustine (15-6)

Last week: No. 12

The Hermits picked up what they hope is some momentum following Tuesday’s comeback, 10-9 win over Mainland in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament final. Alex Weingartner and Hank Biglin had three RBIs apiece, while Joey Peacock drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the sixth for the defending Non-Public A state champions.

Week ahead: Rancocas Valley (Wednesday); at Clearview (Friday); at Holy Spirit (Tuesday)

12-Mainland (16-9)

Last week: No. 9

The Mustangs saw their nine-game winning streak snapped by St. Augustine in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament final on Tuesday. Included in their recent surge was a victory in the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic final over Haddonfield. Mainland can rest up with its regular-season schedule complete.

Week ahead: TBA in S.J. Group 3 playoffs (Tuesday)

13-Ridge (16-4)

Last week: No. 18

Over the Red Devils’ last five games, they have allowed two total runs. They shut out Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County semifinals to get back into the championship game, where they will oppose Immaculata.

Week ahead: Immaculata (Wednesday); at Gov. Livingston (Thursday); Chatham (Friday)

14-Bishop Eustace (18-6)

Last week: No. 15

The Crusaders have won four in a row following their loss to Delsea in the quarterfinals of the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic. The last two victories were shutouts over Seneca and Camden Catholic. Georgetown commit Eamon McDermott struck out a program-record 19 batters and allowed just two hits against Seneca, giving the senior right-hander 79 K’s on the season. Junior shortstop Dante Bell leads the offense, hitting .429 with 19 RBIs, 22 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.

Week ahead: Cherry Hill West (Saturday)

15-Red Bank Catholic (17-5)

Last week: Not ranked

The Caseys climb back into the Top 20 following a major win over Christian Brothers this past week to secure the Monmouth County Tournament title. They will look to keep that winning momentum going against Brick Memorial in the Shore Conference Tournament finals this week.

Week ahead: Brick Memorial (Wednesday); at Rumson-Fair Haven (Friday); Point Pleasant Beach (Saturday)

16-Livingston (17-7)

Last week: No. 15

The Lancers reached the GNT final this past week and fell to No. 2 Seton Hall Prep, which ended their seven-game winning streak.

Week ahead: Morris Knolls (Thursday)

17-Passaic Tech (19-6)

Last week: Not ranked

The Bulldogs are back in the Top 20 following an 11-2 victory over DePaul in the Passaic County Tournament final, marking their third county crown in four seasons. PCTI has scored 48 runs over their last three games, getting hot at the right time as the cutoff is here.

Week ahead: at Paterson Eastside (Wednesday); Old Tappan (Friday)

18-Delsea (19-4)

Last week: No. 13

The Tri-County Liberty champion, Delsea snapped a three-game losing skid - including a tough 10-inning setback against Gloucester Catholic on Monday - with a non-league win over Rancocas Valley on Tuesday. Sophomore shortstop Ethan DuBois went 2-for-3 in the win to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, while Nick Mokienko struck out seven over six innings of work.

Week ahead: at Kingsway (Wednesday)

19-St. Peter’s Prep (18-6-1)

Last week: Not ranked

The Marauders avenged last season’s Hudson County final loss against Union City with a 2-1 tally this past week to hoist the trophy. Anthony Huaranga struck out 11 and Lorenzo Camilleri darted two home runs.

Week ahead: at Hudson Catholic (Friday); Christian Brothers (Saturday)

20-Brick Memorial (17-5)

Last week: Not ranked

Winners of nine of their last 10 contests, the Mustangs are seeking their first championship in the Shore Conference Tournament. They will oppose RBC after defeating Monmouth, Colts Neck, and Christian Brothers in the previous rounds. In Brick Memorial’s last four games, they have surrendered just two total runs.

Week ahead: Red Bank Catholic (Wednesday); Freehold Township (Thursday); Toms River North (Friday)

Under consideration: Christian Brothers (18-4); DePaul (15-6); Eastern (17-5); Immaculata (14-7); Kingsway (17-6); Lawrence (17-6-1); Madison (17-3); Mount Olive (18-7); St. Joseph (Mont.) (16-9); Toms River East (15-6)

Note: Brian Bobal and Kevin Minnick contributed to this post.

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PJ Potter may be reached at PPotter@njadvancemedia.com.