Baseball: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings as county tournaments heat up

We’re a week into May and the high school baseball season is really heating up.

Division races are rounding out and county tournaments are in full swing. The Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament is down to eight teams and the finalists for the Morris County Tournament will be decided by this weekend.

In two weeks, the state tournament will be seeded.

Here's a look at which teams landed in the Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings after the fifth week of the 2024 season.

10. Mount Olive (10-6)

Previous ranking: 8

The Marauders slip two spots in the rankings after dropping three straight and four of their last five. Last week, the Flanders school came up short against Jefferson, 7-6, Roxbury, 5-4, and unranked Chatham, 3-0, in the first round of the Morris County Tournament.

Up next : Monday at No. 8 Pequannock; Tuesday at North Hunterdon; Thursday at No. 3 Randolph.

9. Chatham (6-7)

Previous ranking: unranked

The Cougars break into the weekly rankings following four straight wins, which includes victories over then-No. 8 Mount Olive, 3-0 in the first round of the county tournament, and 8-7 over No. 5 Mendham in the quarterfinals.

Up next : Monday vs. Montville; Wednesday at No. 5 Mendham; Saturday at No. 1 Delbarton (MCT semifinals).

8. Pequannock (10-7)

Previous ranking: 4

The Golden Panthers drop four spots in the rankings after dropping three of four road games last week. The Pompton Plains school suffered setbacks against Vernon, 2-1, Hasbrouck Heights, 11-2, and No. 2 Morris Knolls, 7-3, in the MCT quarterfinals.

Up next : Monday vs. No. 10 Mount Olive; Wednesday at Wayne Hills; Thursday vs. Hawthorne; Saturday at Cedar Grove.

7. Pope John (8-8)

Previous ranking: 9

It was a quiet stretch last week for the Lions, who shut out Kinnelon, 5-0, last Tuesday in their only game. The Sparta parochial school was awarded the top seed in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament and opens play in the quarterfinals against eighth-seeded Delaware Valley on Wednesday.

Up next : Monday vs. No. 5 Mendham; Tuesday at No. 4 Roxbury; Wednesday vs. Delaware Valley (H/W/S quarterfinals).

6. Sparta (9-5)

Previous ranking: 7

The Spartans split two games last week with a 4-3 win over Parsippany Hills and an 8-3 loss to Governor Livingston. Sparta, the No. 2 seed in the HWS Tournament, opens play on Wednesday in the quarterfinal round of the tri-county event.

Up next : Monday vs. Morris Hills; Thursday at No. 2 Morris Knolls; Saturday at Phillipsburg.

5. Mendham (7-7)

Previous ranking: 5

The Minutemen dropped two of three last week, suffering setbacks to Livingston, 15-2, and Chatham, 8-7, in the MCT quarterfinal round. They slipped past Parsippany Hills, 4-3, in the county tournament first round.

Up next : Monday at No. 7 Pope John; Tuesday vs. West Morris; Wednesday vs. No. 9 Chatham; Saturday vs. Ridge.

4. Roxbury (9-8)

Previous ranking: 6

The Gaels start the week a game above .500 after winning three of their last four outings. Last week, Roxbury defeated Pascack Valley, 3-2, Bloomfield, 9-2 and then-No. 8 Mount Olive, 5-4. It’s lone blemish was a 6-4 setback to Montville in the first round of the county tournament.

Up next : Tuesday vs. No. 7 Pope John; Wednesday vs. Bayonne.

3. Randolph (15-3)

Previous ranking: 3

The Rams snapped a two-game skid by winning four straight last week. Randolph defeated Caldwell, 15-9, Livingston, 10-2, and advanced to the MCT semifinals with wins over Jefferson, 11-1, in the first round and West Morris, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. The Rams will get a shot at No. 1 Delbarton twice in the next six days with the latter in Saturday’s MCT semifinal round.

Up next : Monday at No. 1 Delbarton; Thursday vs. No. 10 Mount Olive; Friday vs. Union; Saturday vs. No. 1 Delbarton (MCT semifinals).

2. Morris Knolls (16-2)

Previous ranking: 2

The Golden Eagles took three straight last week in wins over Hanover Park, 7-1, and back-to-back county tournament victories over Parsippany, 2-1, and Pequannock, 7-3. The Denville school and top seed in the MCT will take on red-hot Chatham on Saturday in the semifinals.

Up next : Monday at Morristown; Tuesday vs. Morris Hills; Wednesday vs. No. 6 Sparta; Thursday at Bloomfield; Saturday vs. No. 9 Chatham (MCT semifinals).

1. Delbarton (15-2)

Previous ranking: 1

The Green Wave were blindsided in a 5-4 home loss to Group 1 public school Glen Rock last Monday. The stunning setback stopped their 10-game win streak. Delbarton quickly bounced back, winning three straight over Governor Livingston, 3-2, and Hanover Park, 13-0, and Montville, 16-4 in the first round and quarterfinals of the MCT.

Up next : Monday vs. No. 3 Randolph; Wednesday at Montville; Thursday vs. Millburn; Saturday vs. No. 3 Randolph (MCT semifinals).

Dropped out : Madison (10-7)

Also considered : West Morris (10-8); Montville (10-9)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Baseball: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings as county tournaments heat up