Get ready for the South Jersey high school baseball tournament

The final pitch of the South Jersey high school baseball season is quickly approaching and that can only mean one thing – it’s playoff time.

With a fair share of parity on the diamond this year, the race for sectional crowns across the six South Jersey scholastic groups is mostly wide open. It’s time to see which teams are ready to rise to the occasion.

The public schools postseason opens May 23, with second-round games slated to start May 29, semifinals beginning on May 31 and sectional finals planned for June 3.

The non-public brackets open play May 22, with second-round action May 28, the semifinals on May 30 and sectional championships on June 1.

Let’s take a look at how the tournament field shapes up:

South Jersey Group 4

Bracket: (16) Atlantic Tech at (1) Rancocas Valley; (9) Washington Township at (8) Toms River East; (12) Pennsauken at (5) Eastern; (13) Cherry Hill East at (4) Cherokee; (14) Toms River North at (3) Southern Regional; (11) Vineland at (6) Lenape; (10) Gloucester Tech at (7) Egg Harbor Township; (15) Millville at (2) Kingsway.

Defending champion: Eastern.

Favorite: Cherokee. This group features plenty of possibilities, but Cherokee (15-8) enters the postseason on a five-game winning streak with one of those victories coming May 16 against top-seeded Rancocas Valley. Junior Henry Radbill shut down the Red Devils in that 2-0 win and carries a 1.19 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings into the playoffs.

Contenders: Rancocas Valley, of course, enters the tournament as the top seed for a reason. The Red Devils (17-8) have won four of five, scoring an average of 12.5 runs in those games. Second-seeded Kingsway (18-7) has struggled down the stretch, losing four of its last six games, but could have a favorable road to the final. Sixth-seeded Lenape (13-10) and seventh-seeded Egg Harbor Township (17-8) are two intriguing squads that could stand in Kingsway’s way in the bottom half of the bracket, however. And third-seeded Southern (18-4) enters as hot as any team having won nine of 10.

Best first-round matchup: Defending champion Eastern (19-6), the fifth seed, is 3-4 in its last seven games and gets an interesting showing with No. 12 Pennsauken, which finished the regular season 12-7. The Indians are coming off nice wins against Washington Township and Burlington Township. Eastern has the advantage but shouldn’t overlook Pennsauken.

South Jersey final prediction: Cherokee over Kingsway.

South Jersey Group 3

Bracket: (16) Lacey at (1) Cherry Hill West; (9) Absegami at (8) Moorestown; (12) Cumberland at (5) Ocean City; (13) Toms River South at (4) Delsea; (14) Deptford at (3) Mainland; (11) Highland at (6) Clearview; (10) Timber Creek at (7) Shawnee; (15) Triton at (2) Hammonton.

Defending champion: Mainland.

Favorite: Cherry Hill West. Fresh off its first Diamond Classic title since 1989, the Lions should be considered the front here despite a 2-1 loss to Seneca on May 17. West (22-4) had won eight in a row prior to that setback and are built to claim a sectional crown. Junior Grant Fournier enters the playoffs with a .451 batting average and 26 RBIs. Senior Ryan Garino leads the pitching staff with 71 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings and a 0.50 ERA.

Contenders: We could be poised to see a Diamond Classic championship rematch in the semifinals assuming fourth-seeded Delsea (22-3) handles business in the early going, though fifth-seeded Ocean City (17-7) could be a factor in the top half of the bracket as well. Third-seeded and defending sectional champion Mainland (19-5) will pose a big threat in this bracket. The Mustangs are fresh off a Cape-Atlantic League Tournament title over St. Augustine.

Best first-round matchup: It would take quite a run for either Shawnee (14-9) or Timber Creek (11-11) to capture the crown, but it’s a fun opening-round showdown nonetheless. The teams haven’t met since 2019. Shawnee enters the matchups winners of six of its last seven games, while Timber Creek is on a six-game winning streak.

South Jersey final prediction: Cherry Hill West over Mainland.

South Jersey Group 2

Bracket: (16) Manchester Township at (1) Seneca; (9) Sterling at (8) Oakcrest; (12) Middle Township at (5) Lower Cape May; (13) Medford Tech at (4) Cedar Creek; (14) Pleasantville at (3) Cinnaminson; (11) Overbrook at (6) Collingswood; (10) West Deptford at (7) Haddonfield; (15) Barnegat at (2) Haddon Heights.

Defending champion: Seneca.

Favorite: Seneca. The Golden Eagles (14-10) have a strong chance to repeat as sectional champions here. It’s somewhat rare to see a top seed with double-digit losses, but Seneca is battle-tested, which should help them in the playoffs. A 2-1 win over Diamond Classic champion Cherry Hill West on May 17 certainly won’t hurt the team’s confidence going forward. Seneca looks to have rebound from a late-April dip, winning seven of its last eight games to close the regular season.

Contenders: Let’s start with second-seeded Haddon Heights (16-6), which has won nine of 10 and is one of the hotter teams in South Jersey. Senior pitchers Drew Harris (1.36 ERA) and Drew Costello (2.50 ERA) will play a big role for the Garnets. Group 2 features some true parity after that. Fifth-seeded Lower Cape May (13-11) has been a great story, winning seven of its last eight, while Cedar Creek (15-9), Cinnaminson (13-8) and Collingswood (14-9) all enter the tournament capable, but struggling of late.

Best first-round matchup: Nothing like a nice divisional rivalry to kick things off in the postseason, which is what we get when Colonial Conference Liberty foes Haddonfield (12-8) and West Deptford (10-13) meet in the first round. Haddonfield won both head-to-head meetings this season, the latest coming in a 7-1 result on May 15. The first game was much tighter with the Bulldawgs winning 3-2 on April.

South Jersey final prediction: Seneca over Haddon Heights.

South Jersey Group 1

Bracket: (16) Camden Academy Charter at (1) Audubon; (9) Buena at (8) Haddon Township; (12) Maple Shade at (5) Woodstown; (13) Gateway at (4) Pennsville; (14) Glassboro at (3) Pitman; (11) Paulsboro at (6) Schalick; (10) Cape May Tech at (7) Wildwood; (15) Penns Grove at (2) Gloucester.

Defending champion: Buena.

Favorite: Audubon. It looks like the top-seeded Green Wave (17-8) are a clear cut above the rest here, owning nearly 50 more power points than any other team in the group. Audubon, of course, still has to complete the job. Junior shortstop Tyler Wiltsey had an impressive regular season, hitting .400 and amassing a team-high 30 hits, 14 of which went for extra-bases.

Contenders: Second-seeded Gloucester (17-6) has put together a nice season, winning eight of its last nine. The Lions’ lone loss in that span came 9-4 to Audubon, however. Third-seeded Pitman (17-6) is a team to keep an eye on. The Panthers have won six of seven, allowing fewer than two runs on average in those contests. Fourth-seeded Pennsville (15-9) is a potential dark horse, but has alternated wins and losses in its last 10 contests.

Best first-round matchup: If Pitman has designs on making a run in the sectional tournament, it’ll have to get past a pesky opponent in neighboring rival and No. 14 seed Glassboro (7-13). It was very early in the season, but Glassboro managed a 3-2 win over the Panthers, which at the very least will be back of Pitman’s mind when the teams meet in the tournament opener.

South Jersey final prediction: Audubon over Gloucester

South Non-Public A

Bracket: (1) Red Bank Catholic, bye; (9) Pingry at (8) Paul VI; (12) St. John Vianney at (5) Immaculata; (4) Notre Dame, bye; (3) Christian Brothers Academy, bye; (11) St. Joseph (Metuchen) at (6) Donovan Catholic; (10) Camden Catholic at (7) Union Catholic; (2) St. Augustine, bye.

Defending champion: Red Bank Catholic.

Favorite: Christian Brothers Academy. The third-seeded Colts (16-5) get the nod here as they’re fresh off a 5-4 win over top-seeded Red Bank Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals. CBA has a promising arm in Danny DiTullio. The sophomore owns 1.05 ERA and has registered 55 strikeouts in 40 innings.

Contenders: The top three teams in this field are all capable of taking the group, including the aforementioned No. 1 see in Red Bank Catholic (16-8). Second-seeded St. Augustine (15-8) will have to overcome a recent rough stretch to get it done. The Hermits have lost five of eight but will benefit from home field advantage for a good portion of the travel-intensive bracket.

South Jersey final prediction: Christian Brothers Academy over Red Bank Catholic.

South Non-Public B

Bracket: (1) Gloucester Catholic, bye; (9) St. Joseph Academy at (8) Princeton Day; (5) Ranney, bye; (4) St. Rose, bye; (3) Doane Academy, bye; (6) Holy Cross, bye; (7) Holy Spirit, bye; (2) Bishop Eustace, bye.

Defending champion: Gloucester Catholic.

Favorite: Gloucester Catholic. It would be hard to bet against the Rams (22-1) in this field and Gloucester Catholic will surely enter the playoffs the rightful favorite. The Rams have won three in a row since falling in the Diamond Classic semis to Cherry Hill West and have added state power Delbarton as a postseason tune-up.

Contenders: South Jersey baseball fans will be watching second-seeded Bishop Eustace (18-6) as the Crusaders could be destined for a date with Gloucester Catholic in the sectional final. Eustace has won seven of its last eight and a meeting between the local rivals would make for an intriguing title game. The winner of fifth-seeded Ranney (14-7) and fourth-seeded St. Rose (17-8) would be a threat, though they’d have to upset Gloucester Catholic to make run.

South Jersey final prediction: Gloucester Catholic over Bishop Eustace.

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