Postseason off to a wild start with several upsets
By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer

If the first two rounds of the Greater Middlesex Conference Baseball Tournament are any indication, this could be another wild postseason for local baseball and softball teams.

Six of the eight top seeds were knocked out of the GMCT on Monday, including eighth-seeded Sayreville, sixth-seeded South Brunswick, fourth-seeded Spotswood, and third-seeded Old Bridge. The only local teams to advance were the East Brunswick Bears, who knocked off seventh-seeded St. Joseph’s, 1-0, on a Sean Coll sacrifice fly, and the North Brunswick Raiders, who beat Old Bridge, 10-2.

The Bears faced second-seeded Carteret yesterday in the quarterfinals, while North Brunswick took on Perth Amboy.

The girls’ tournament was set to get under way yesterday with a flurry of local action. East Brunswick got the top seed, with Old Bridge at the No. 2 spot. Both teams received first-round byes. East Brunswick will face the winner of the John F. Kennedy-Piscataway game on Saturday, while the Knights will get the winner of the 18-15 game featuring South River and Colonia. Saturday’s games will be played at South Plainfield High School.

Beyond the conference tournament, the local teams are preparing for the upcoming state tournament, which will get under way over the next few days.

In baseball, seven local teams are in, starting with fourth-ranked Old Bridge (11-4). The Knights are anxious to put their GMCT loss to North Brunswick behind them, and make a run at a Central Jersey Group IV sectional title. Old Bridge will likely be one of the top four seeds in the bracket, which features strong teams from Hamilton East, Piscataway, and Bridgewater-Raritan, among others.

The South Brunswick Vikings are also in this bracket, and could be a sleeper pick to emerge with a banner. The Vikings are loaded both offensively and in pitching depth, but have not been able to put the pieces together of late. A strong showing in the state tournament will erase the disappointment of failing to defend their GMCT title.

The Sayreville Bombers (11-5) are also in this loaded bracket, and will need to play their best ball of the season from the start if they hope to make some noise.

East Brunswick (9-7-1) will be a low seed in the CJ Group IV brackets, and will likely have to face one of the top seeds in the first round.

The Spotswood Chargers should be the second seed in the CJ Group II bracket, behind second-ranked Carteret. The Chargers (13-3) have all the ingredients of a championship team, and have been looking forward to the postseason, where they believe their pitching depth will lead to a sectional title.

St. John Vianney (10-9) has lost two in a row since earning a bid to the Parochial A tournament, and will need to right the ship quickly, as one of the tourney’s lower seeds. This bracket is topped by three outstanding teams in St. Augustine, Christian Brothers Academy and Holy Cross.

In softball, six local teams are in, starting with East Brunswick (14-2) and Old Bridge (14-7). Both teams should be among the top seeds in the CJ Group IV bracket, which will be headed by a dominant Hunterdon Central team. Hamilton East is also a favorite to emerge here.

The South Brunswick Vikings are also in CJ Group IV, but will have to face one of the top seeds in the opening round. Meanwhile, North Brunswick (10-7) faces a similar challenge in the CJ Group III bracket, which is headed by strong teams from Hamilton West, Middletown South and Ocean Township.

The South River Rams (12-5) are one of just six teams to qualify in a wide open CJ Group I bracket, which is headed by Shore Regional and Middlesex. South River has the ability to win this bracket, though getting past Middlesex will certainly be a challenge.

The St. John Vianney Lady Lancers are the team to beat in the Parochial A bracket. The Lady Lancers are the top-ranked team in the Shore Conference and the second-ranked team in the state. Anything short of another state title will be a disappointment for this talented group of players, who have cruised through the regular season at 17-1.