In a week where two of the top teams had their bye weeks, there were a number of clean sweeps across the county. Oceanside, Farmingdale and East Meadow all stood out last week, sweeping their respective opponents in dominant fashion. So far, 2018 has proven that any team can be beaten at any time. For the time being, the top five teams in Class AA seem to be locked in as the best teams in the county, buy anything is possible in high school baseball. With that being said, here are the top five teams heading into the third week of the season.
5. Calhoun (5-1) (Last week: #3)
Heading into the week, Calhoun seemed as if they were the hottest team in Class AA. However, they took a step back this past week. The Colts were fortunate to come out of the week with two victories against Herricks, as both of their wins came by one run. Herricks was swept last week by Plainview, and they easily could’ve won the series this week against Calhoun. Senior Jake Edwards served as the hero in game three of the series with an RBI double in extra innings to give his team the lead. Matt Monahan came in to shut the door and secure the series victory. If it wasn’t for Edwards and Monahan, Calhoun wouldn’t be cracking the top five teams this week. The Colts have a tremendous series next week coming up against a dangerous East Meadow (3-0) team. They must prove themselves next week if they wish to crack the top five again.
4. Farmingdale (4-2) (Last week: Unranked)
The talk of the county this week was definitely Farmingdale. After sweeping Port Washington with two come-from-behind victories, the Dalers showed what kind of a team they are by never quitting. This team can easily be a threat to anybody they face going forward. Molloy-commit Robby Keane was the star of the team this past week, going 4-for-10 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. Farmingdale should have an easy series this week against Hicksville (0-6). Very soon, we will find out if this Farmingdale team is contenders or pretenders.
3. Massapequa (2-1) (Last week: #4)
It’s always a blessing to any team that’s on their bye week and moves up in the power rankings. Last week, Massapequa spent their bye week in Florida. This week, they’re looking to build off of their team trip with a sweep over Freeport (1-5). The bye week gave the Chiefs more time for healing, as they look to have ace Nick Collins and company return to full health in the near future. If Collins and the rest of the team can stay relatively healthy for the rest of the year, Massapequa will have a chance of winning their conference.
2. Plainview (3-0) (Last week: #2)
Although they had their bye week, Plainview remains the number two team in this week’s power rankings. A week’s rest for stud pitchers Mark Faello and Tyler Marinaccio means they will seek to continue their success next week against a mediocre Baldwin (2-4) team. This Plainview team is dangerous, and don’t be surprised if they outscore Baldwin by at least 20 runs throughout the series. It’s going to be tough to top Oceanside’s number one spot in the power rankings, but you never know what may happen in baseball.
1. Oceanside (6-0) (Last week: #1)
It seems as if this team continues to get better and better every week. Already the number one team in the county before the season started, Oceanside is embarrassing their opponents more than advertised. Through their first six games of the year, the Sailors already own a run differential of +51. Those are video game numbers. The top rotation in the county consisting of Brendan McFall, Matt Carey and TJ Thorne continue to impress everyone, as they combined for two complete game shutouts and allowed just three runs last week. Oceanside will enter their bye week as the team to beat when they return.
