This season has been a roller coaster ride for several teams around the county to say the least. Another week of baseball, another week of surprising outcomes. Last week we saw the previously ranked No. 2 Garden City Trojans lose the series to New Hyde Park, along with North Shore dropping a game to Bethpage. We’re officially at the point in the season where we’ll see who’s contenders and pretenders heading down the stretch. Now at the midpoint mark in the season, let’s take a look to see which teams are hot and which teams are cold, followed by the top ten teams in the county.
TRENDING UP:
Bellmore JFK (6-3)
After a tough start to the year with playing Wantagh and Plainedge back-to-back weeks, the Cougars now have won five of their last six games and have an extremely easy schedule looking forward. Bellmore JFK will have the privilege of facing Roslyn, Glen Cove and Hewlett to close out the year, who have a combined six wins. If the Cougars can win their final three series of the year, it’ll put them in a fantastic position heading into the playoffs. Going forward, they will look to lean on their solid rotation consisting of Phillip Loguidice and Ross Weisenberg, along with Fordham–commit Jason Coules leading their lineup.
MacArthur (6-2-1)
Coming off a series loss against Garden City, MacArthur knew exactly what they had to do to bounce back and redeem themselves. After their series win against Mepham, the Generals now hold the top spot in conference A1. Pitchers Joe Keller and Brandon Buchan both posted ridiculous stat lines against Mepham last week, in which Keller struck out 15 and Buchan struck out 16. If they can continue to produce these kind of numbers, it’ll be difficult for anybody to catch them in first place. The Generals have proven themselves to be one of the top teams in class A, but they will have a tough series coming up this week against Carey (4-2).
New Hyde Park (3-3)
The unexpected happened this week, as New Hyde Park dethroned Garden City from first place in the conference, taking two out of three games. Not only did this come as a surprise to many, but they proved that they’re capable of beating the top teams in the county. Ace Thomas Messina stood out once again this week, along with Conor Jacoby on the mound. At the plate, Matt Rowinsky had four RBI in the series finale, propelling the Gladiators to a mercy-rule victory. New Hyde Park has already faced Carey and Garden City, therefore two of their toughest opponents are behind them. They will face Manhasset (2-7) this week with a chance to stay hot.
TRENDING DOWN:
Garden City (5-4)
When the Trojans began the season, the last though in their mind was starting the season off just a game above the .500 mark at the midway point in the season. One week ago, Garden City found themselves sitting at the top of the conference. Fast forward a week and now they’re in a position where they can potentially miss the playoffs. This week, the Trojans will take on Mepham (2-2-1) who isn’t a pushover by any means. The highly-contested conference A1 continues to give the Trojans some struggles, but only time will tell if this team has the strength to finish the season strong and make another deep playoff run. Look for seniors Mike Handal and Kevin McNiff to lead the way down the stretch.
POWER RANKINGS
10. Garden City (5-4)
Last week’s ranking: #2
3rd Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: Mepham (2-2-1)
9. North Shore (6-3)
Last week’s ranking: #7
T-3rd Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: BYE
8. Locust Valley (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: #8
2nd Place in Conference A4
Next week’s opponent: Mineola (9-0)
7. Plainedge (6-2-1)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
2nd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Jericho (0-6)
6. Bellmore JFK (6-3)
Last week’s ranking: #10
3rd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Roslyn (2-4)
5. Valley Stream North (5-1)
Last week’s ranking: #5
T-1st Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Floral Park (2-7)
4. MacArthur (6-2-1)
Last week’s ranking: #6
1st Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: Carey (4-2)
3. Mineola (9-0)
Last week’s ranking: #4
1st Place in Conference A4
Next week’s opponent: Locust Valley (4-2)
2. Division (5-1)
Last week’s ranking: #3
T-1st Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Lynbrook (6-3)
1. Wantagh (8-1)
Last week’s ranking: #1
1st Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: BYE
