Homestretch is here: South Shore top 10 high school baseball rankings

As we head into the stretch run of the high school baseball season, the South Shore again looks to have some strong state-title contenders.

A year ago, this area took home one crown (Milton successfully defended its Division 2 title) and fell just short of a second as Abington lost the Division 4 championship game to Seekonk.

If the 2024 playoffs started today, the South Shore would have 21 teams scattered across the five divisions – three in Division 1, seven in Division 2, five in Division 3, four in Division 4 and two in Division 5. Eight of those teams were in the top 10 of their respective divisions in the latest MIAA power rankings that were published Tuesday morning.

The last few weeks of the season will be a time to lock up league titles and lock in playoff positions.

Here's our second Top 10 ranking of the season. Records as of Wednesday morning and previous ranking in parenthesis.

On the bubble: Carver (9-7), Abington (9-6), Middleboro (9-7), Pembroke (8-7), Marshfield (8-7), Scituate (10-6), Silver Lake (7-8), South Shore Tech (9-6)

10. Hull (11-5, bubble)

Let's give some love to the Division 5 Pirates, who have won seven straight, outscoring opponents 69-27 during that streak. Check out Luke Dunham's recent work. On May 11, he hit a walk-off two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the 7th to beat South Shore Tech, 3-2. Two days later he was 3-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs against Norfolk Aggie. On Tuesday he was 5-for-5 with 5 RBIs in a blowout of Avon.

9. East Bridgewater (12-4, bubble)

The Vikings, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped in Tuesday's 1-0 loss at Middleboro, have been extremely consistent, with their other losses coming against Apponequet (twice) and Silver Lake. Collin Meserve was brilliant in Monday's 3-1 win over Rockland, throwing a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Thursday's game against Norwell shapes up as a big one.

8. Whitman-Hanson (11-5, 4)

The Panthers have won four of their last five with the lone loss coming against white-hot Plymouth North. W-H was a state semifinalist in Division 2 last year as a No. 5 seed, losing to eventual champ Milton. They're sitting at No. 15 right now, but they still have three games left against current playoff teams (Marshfield, Silver Lake, Plymouth North) that could boost their power ranking.

7. Norwell (14-3, bubble)

The Clippers are one of the hottest teams around, having won 11 of their last 12. They've allowed three or fewer runs in nine of their last 10 games, getting strong work on the mound from Jack Magee (6 innings, 3 hits, 5 Ks) in Monday's 5-1 win over Martha's Vineyard and from Ky Princi (complete-game shutout, 7 Ks) in last Thursday's 1-0 victory over Carver.

6. Weymouth (10-7, 9)

The fact that Gill Dolan broke the Wildcats' career hits record recently with No. 92 is impressive enough. That he spent a week in an induced coma as a freshman while undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy makes the milestone even more special. The Wildcats have caught fire, winning seven of eight after a 3-6 start to the season. They have a showdown against Braintree on Wednesday.

5. Milton (9-6, 2)

The two-time defending Division 2 state champs have appeared more vulnerable this spring, already losing as many games (6) as they did over the two previous seasons combined (final record of 22-3 in both 2023 and 2024). But don't count them out. They're No. 6 in the power rankings, although they have a brutal closing stretch with games against Walpole (13-3), Weymouth (10-7), Braintree (14-3) and Mansfield (9-6).

More: Triple crown pursuit: With new coach, new players, Milton baseball aims for same result

4. Hanover (11-3, 6)

The Hawks have won seven of their last eight heading into Wednesday's Patriot League matchup with Pembroke. Over the last five games they've gotten shutouts from three different pitchers – Gabriel Knudsen beat Plymouth South, 2-0, on Monday with 16 strikeouts; Owen Kennedy blanked Quincy, 9-0, on May 7; and Cole Hendricksen tossed a 3-hit gem in 5-0 win over Marshfield on May 3.

3. Plymouth North (12-2, 10)

When the power rankings came out Tuesday, the Blue Eagles were listed at 11-3. The MIAA shortchanged them, but in fairness it might be tough to keep track of all the wins North is racking up. It's 11 and counting after Monday's blowout of Silver Lake. North, which is ranked No. 3 in Division 2, has three starting pitchers with ERAs under 2.20, and at last check George Slauson was hitting .447 with 12 RBIs. The Eagles conclude the regular season with three tricky games in three days – Marshfield (May 21), Xaverian (May 22) and Whitman-Hanson (May 23).

More: 'This is a real team': Plymouth North's baseball stars have a storied past of winning big

2. BC High (11-4, 1)

The Eagles have cooled off just a little, going 3-4 over their last seven games, including back-to-back losses to St. John's Prep and St. John's (Shrewsbury). They'll try to avenge an earlier 1-0 loss to Xaverian when they host the Hawks on Wednesday. Playing in the meat grinder that is the Catholic Conference has boosted BC High's opponents' rating (strength of schedule) to 3.73, one of the highest numbers in the state, which is why they are ranked No. 1 in Division 1.

More: Pitch perfect: Led by Liam Kinneen, BC High baseball owns four no-hitters in 8-0 start

1. Braintree (14-3, 8)

Fittingly, on the day they found out that legendary coach Don Fredericks had died at the age of 79, the Wamps went out and beat fellow powerhouse Walpole, 3-2, in 11 innings to further cement their status as a legitimate Division 1 title contender. All three of their losses have been by a single run. Braintree's pitching has been outstanding – the Wamps (No. 3 in the Division 1 power rankings) have recorded seven shutouts and have allowed two or fewer runs in nine of their last 12 games. Big regular-season matchups loom against Weymouth (Wednesday) and Milton (May 22).

More: 'We needed a gut-check game': Braintree baseball's white-hot start now includes a walk-off

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore high school baseball top 10 rankings