Baseball: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings ahead of county championship games
It's the final week of the high school baseball regular season, and teams are making a final push before brackets are determined for the NJSIAA playoffs on Monday.
But before we get into postseason conversation, let's make room for the Morris County and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament finals, which will be contested this week.
Here's a look at which teams landed in the Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings after the sixth week of the 2024 season.
10. West Morris (12-9)
Previous ranking: unranked
The Wolfpack break into the rankings after winning two of three games last week, including a win over then-No. 5 Mendham last Tuesday. West Morris has won seven of its last 10.
Up next: Monday vs. No. 8 Mount Olive; Tuesday at No. 6 Mendham; Wednesday at Morris Hills; Friday vs. Warren Hills; Saturday vs. Hunterdon Central.
9. Sparta (10-7)
Previous ranking: 6
The Spartans drop three spots after losing two of three games last week. Following a 13-12 victory over Warren Hills last Tuesday in the HWS quarterfinals, the Sussex County school dropped games against No. 2 Morris Knolls, 8-1, and Phillipsburg, 10-9 in the tri-county tournament semifinal round.
Up next: Monday at Jefferson; Wednesday vs. No. 8 Mount Olive; Thursday vs. Vernon; Friday at Morris Hills; Saturday vs. Morris Hills.
8. Mount Olive (12-8)
Previous ranking: 10
The Marauders alternated wins and losses last week, but still jump two spots in the rankings with wins over Pequannock, 10-4, and No. 3 Randolph, 8-1. The Flanders school’s two losses came against North Hunterdon, 4-3, and Parsippany Hills, 10-7.
Up next: Monday at No. 10 West Morris; Wednesday at No. 9 Sparta.
7. Chatham (7-9)
Previous ranking: 9
The Cougars, the No. 12 seed in the MCT, shocked the field by stunning top-seeded Morris Knolls, 8-1, to advance to the finals on Thursday night. Leading up to the win, Chatham dropped games to Montville, 7-4, and then No. 5-Mendham, 15-5.
Up next: Wednesday vs. No. 3 Randolph; Thursday at No. 1 Delbarton (MCT Final); Saturday vs. Madison.
6. Mendham (8-10)
Previous ranking: 5
The Minutemen struggled to find rhythm after dropping three of four games last week. Losses to Pope John, 8-3, West Morris, 2-1, and Ridge, 4-2, dropped Mendham below the .500 mark with a handful of games left in the regular season. Their only win last week came against then No. 9 Chatham, 15-5, last Wednesday.
Up next: Monday vs. Montville; Tuesday at No. 2 Morris Knolls; Wednesday at No. 1 Delbarton; Friday vs. Voorhees; Saturday at Bernards.
5. Roxbury (10-10)
Previous ranking: 4
The Gaels slip a spot after going 1-2 last week. Roxbury fell short against then-No. 7 Pope John, 5-2, and Morristown, 3-1, with a 7-4 win in between against Bayonne. With a busy week ahead, the Gaels look to finish the regular season above .500.
Up next: Monday at No. 3 Randolph; Tuesday vs. No. 3 Randolph; Wednesday at Montville; Saturday at Morristown Beard.
4. Pope John (11-9)
Previous ranking: 7
The Lions climb three spots in the rankings following two wins over higher-ranked teams last week. The Sparta parochial school defeated then-No. 5 Mendham, 8-3, last Monday, then beat then-No. 4 Roxbury, 5-2, on Wednesday. Pope John’s third win came against Delaware Valley, 7-1, in the HWS quarterfinals before the top-seeded Lions were eliminated from the annual tri-county event by North Hunterdon, 4-0, on Saturday.
Up next: Monday at No. 1 Delbarton; Tuesday at Bergen Catholic; Thursday at Gill St. Bernard’s.
3. Randolph (16-6)
Previous ranking: 3
The Rams are coming off a rough week in which they dropped three of four games. They suffered setbacks to No. 1 Delbarton twice last week, including a 2-0 loss to the Green Wave in the MCT semifinals. Its other loss came to No. 8 Mount Olive, 8-1, last Thursday. Randolph’s only victory was a 20-3 win over Union on Wednesday.
Up next: Monday vs. No. 5 Roxbury; Tuesday at No. 5 Roxbury; Wednesday at No. 7 Chatham.
2. Morris Knolls (19-3)
Previous ranking: 2
The Golden Eagles’ eight-game win streak came to an end on Saturday in an 8-1 setback to No. 7 seed Chatham in the MCT semifinals. Prior to that, the Golden Eagles picked up wins over Morristown, 6-3, Morris Hills, 11-4, and Sparta, 8-1. The Denville school now shift its attention to the state playoffs, looking to defend its Group 3 title.
Up next: Monday vs. Morris Hills; Tuesday vs. No. 6 Mendham; Saturday at Bloomfield.
1. Delbarton (19-2)
Previous ranking: 1
The Green Wave went 4-0 last week and extended their win streak to seven with wins over No. 3 Randolph, 2-1, Montville, 18-4, Millburn, 5-4, and Randolph again, 2-0, in the MCT semifinals. The Morris Township school will play in its seventh straight county final on Thursday against Chatham as it seeks its fifth-straight crown. Three of Delbarton’s starters – Jack Harley, Sal Garcia and Louis Friedrich – are batting above .442 and have combined for 73 hits and 65 RBIs.
Up next: Monday vs. No. 4 Pope John; Wednesday vs. No. 6 Mendham; Thursday vs. No. 7 Chatham (MCT Final); Saturday vs. Malvern Prep.
Dropped out: Pequannock (11-8)
Also considered: Montville (12-10)
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Baseball: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings ahead of county title games
