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Did your favorite baseball team make the latest South Jersey Mean 15 rankings?

anthony v. coppola
·6 min read
Members of the Cherry Hill West baseball team celebrate after Cherry Hill West defeated Delsea, 3-1, in the Diamond Classic Final baseball game played at Alcyon Lake Park in Pitman on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Members of the Cherry Hill West baseball team celebrate after Cherry Hill West defeated Delsea, 3-1, in the Diamond Classic Final baseball game played at Alcyon Lake Park in Pitman on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Congratulations to Cherry Hill West on winning the 50th Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic and claiming the top spot in the Courier-Post Mean 15 rankings in the process.

The team’s 3-1 win over Delsea gave the Lions their first Diamond Classic title since 1989.

Cherry Hill West also is responsible for knocking Gloucester Catholic from atop the Mean 15 for the first time this season. The Rams fell to Cherry Hill West, 2-0, in the Diamond Classic semifinals, putting an end to their 28-game winning streak.

One new team enters the rankings this week and it comes courtesy of a showdown between Colonial Conference rivals. Here’s a look at this week’s Mean 15 (through May 16).

More: Cherry Hill West baseball defeats Delsea in Diamond Classic final

Mean 15 rankings

  1. Cherry Hill West (22-3) – A monstrous week for the Lions, who took down former No. 1 Gloucester Catholic in the Diamond Classic semifinals before topping Shawnee in a divisional showdown and finishing things off with a Diamond Classic title win over Delsea.  Senior Ryder Garino tossed 6 1/3 innings in the championship, striking out 10 batters while allowing just five hits. Leo Orefice doubled and drove in a run for West.

  2. Gloucester Catholic (21-1) – It was a great run for the Rams, who finally saw their 19-game unbeaten streak to start the season snapped by Cherry Hill West in the Diamond Classic semis. Gloucester Catholic rebounded with wins over Monsignor Bonner (Pa.) and Washington Township. Tate DeRias struck out nine in the 2-0 loss to West on May 11.

  3. Delsea (20-3) – More Diamond Classic heartbreak for the Crusaders, who fell in the championship game for a second straight year. Delsea pitcher Frank Cairone limited Cherry Hill West to four hits over six innings while striking out six. Frankie Master accounted for three of Delsea’s five hits, including a double, and drove in the team’s only run in the 3-1 loss.

  4. Mainland (16-5) – The Mustangs thumped Hammonton, 17-2, to open the week before earning an impressive 1-0 triumph over Kingsway to take a small step up in the rankings. Finnegan Haines and Brady Blum combined to blank the Dragons. Haines struck out eight over five innings, while Blum picked up four Ks in his two innings of relief. Jack Haines produced the game’s only RBI.

  5. St. Augustine (15-6) – A productive week for the Hermits, who captured a share of the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference crown with an 8-1 win over Egg Harbor Township and later beat Hammonton in the CAL tournament semis. St. Augustine mixed in a 9-1 win over Mean 15 mainstay Rancocas Valley as well. The Hermits get either Mainland or Ocean City in the CAL championship game. A date with Mainland would allow the Prep a chance to avenge back-to-back losses to the Mustangs earlier this month.

  6. Kingsway (16-6) – The Dragons slip a bit in the rankings this week following losses to Mainland and Clearview. Kingsway pitcher Killian McCaffrey did his part in the 1-0 loss to Mainland, allowing just one hit with six strikeouts across six innings of work. The junior threw just 80 pitches. Kingsway watched a 4-0 first-inning lead slip away against Clearview. Tommy Popoff and Zach Braig both homered in the loss.

  7. Cherokee (14-8) – The Chiefs have won four straight, the biggest coming in a 2-0 victory over Rancocas Valley to move them ahead of the Red Devils in the rankings. Cameron Della Vecchia doubled and drove in a run while Brett Jackson added a run and RBI single for Cherokee. Junior Henry Radbill tossed a complete game, striking out seven over seven innings while lowering his ERA to 1.19.

  8. Rancocas Valley (16-8) – An up-and-down week for the Red Devils, who lost to Cherokee and St. Augustine, but picked up quality wins over Eastern and Cinnaminson, as well as Vineland. Rancocas Valley erased an 8-0 deficit against Eastern in a stunning 10-9 win. Liam Young doubled twice and drove in three runs. Scotty Owens, Austin Wright and Jaylen Alvarez each had a pair of RBIs.

  9. Eastern (18-6) – A quiet week for the Vikings that saw the team top Middle Township, 6-3, before squandering a big lead against Rancocas Valley in a difficult loss. Logan Dawson had three RBIs in the loss, while Sean Karbach had a pair of hits, including a double, and Anthony Cataldo had an RBI double and scored two runs.

  10. Lenape (11-9) – A 4-2 win over Bishop Eustace on May 13 marked three straight victories for the Indians, but the team stumbled after that with road losses to Moorestown and Cinnaminson. Lenape overcame an early 2-0 deficit to Bishop Eustace, aided by two-hit days from Zach Barbash and Connor Hepperien. Both players had an RBI, and Barbash added a run and stolen base in the win.

  11. Bishop Eustace (16-6) – The loss to Lenape was Bishop Eustace’s first since falling 1-0 to St. Augustine on May 4. Dante Bell and Anthony Mascuilli each drove in a run for the Crusaders, while Landon Mack and Roman Faiola both had a pair of hits in the game. Mack now has a team-high 27 hits and RBIs on the season. Faiola, a sophomore, is hitting .414 this year.

  12. Ocean City (15-6) – The Red Raiders took care of business in three CAL games this week, including a 13-2 win over Oakcrest in the conference tournament that set up their third meeting with Mainland this season. Jackson Gayeski homered and drove in three runs in that contest while Ryan Baldwin went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Baldwin leads Ocean City with 21 RBIs on the season.

  13. Shawnee (14-9) – The Renegades’ only loss this week came against top-ranked Cherry Hill West, 3-2, on May 15. It took 10 innings for the Lions to eventually pull out the victory. Chase Kowal had a pair of hits and an RBI in the loss. Chris Ahrens picked up a pair of singles and stole a base for Shawnee. Tim Dougherty struck out seven in four innings of work, while Ben Hudson also pitched four innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit in the loss.

  14. Haddon Heights (16-5) – The Garnets have won nine straight game, including a 4-0 victory over rival Audubon on May 14 to put them in the Mean 15 for the first time this season. Senior Drew Harris had a big hand in the win, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBIs. Harris also went the distance on the mound, scattering four hits across seven innings with nine strikeouts.

  15. Northern Burlington (12-7-1) – A roller coaster week for the Greyhounds, who dropped a heartbreaker, 1-0, to Delsea in the Diamond Classic semifinals before playing Clearview to a 1-1 tie in 11 innings on May 16. Luca Mannino and Cole Marchetti accounted for Northern Burlington’s four hits against Delsea, collecting two apiece. Mannino also went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the Clearview game.

Knocking on the door: Egg Harbor Township (16-8); Collingswood (14-7); Pennsville (14-8); Pitman (17-5); Audubon (16-8); Holy Cross (15-7); Gloucester (17-6); Cinnaminson (13-8); Burlington Township (12-5); Cedar Creek (15-7); Moorestown (11-8); Hammonton (17-8); Bordentown (14-9).

Anthony V. Coppola is a freelance reporter for the Courier-Post. He can be reached by email at cpvarsity@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey Mean 15 baseball rankings for May 17