Baseball: Latest top 10 rankings, Section 1 bracketology before 2024 playoffs begin
The playoffs are right around the corner. Here's a look at where the Lower Hudson Valley baseball teams stand, entering the final days of the regular season. This will be the last edition of rankings until the postseason plays out in its entirety.
Top 10
All records entering May 14
Kennedy Catholic (16-4) — A couple of solid pitching performances and some big hits from the top and the heart of its batting order allowed the Gaels to pick up a couple of wins over Moore Catholic and Regis to close the regular season. Previously: 1
Ketcham (16-3) — The Storm avenged that tough 1-0 loss to rival John Jay-East Fishkill with a 7-2 win two days later. They also got a 10-1 win over North Rockland, before falling to Poly Prep in the second leg of a double-header over the weekend. They were able to starting this week on a high note, with a lopsided win to celebrate Senior Night on Monday. Previously: 2
Iona Prep (15-6) — After a stretch of inconsistent hitting, the Gaels exploded with a 10-run inning to close the regular season with a 15-0 win over All Hallows. Iona Prep will aim to build off that as postseason play starts up in the CHSAA. Previously: 3
Arlington (18-2) — Arlington wrapped up the regular season with a 12-game winning streak, one of the highest active winning streaks around the Lower Hudson Valley. It has outscored its foes 98-23 during this stretch and collected six shutout wins. It also clinched the league title late last week in one of the toughest leagues around Section 1. Previously: 4
Mahopac (13-6-1) — The Wolf Pac got swept by red-hot Arlington in a home-and-home series to close out league play, but the second meeting was much tighter than the first. Mahopac bounced back and closed the regular season with a 4-0 win over Horace Greeley in a big all-around performance on the mound and at the plate by Tyler DeBrocky. Previously: 5
Tappan Zee (17-3) — The Dutchmen continued to dispatch their foes, besting Suffern, 5-4, and Nyack this past week, as they clinched outright sole possession of the league crown. They blanked Harrison on Monday to extend their winning streak to eight straight going into the playoffs. Previously: 7
Fox Lane (13-6) — Costly mistakes and a scrappy seventh-inning comeback by Yorktown spoiled what was almost a perfect bounce-back week for the Foxes, who defeated Lincoln and Somers in lopsided fashion, and got an 8-3 win over John Jay-East Fishkill in their 3-1 week. Previously: 9
Clarkstown North (12-6) — The Rams finished the three-game series sweep of rival Clarkstown South to clinch the league title, after sweeping Suffern the week before, then took care of a scrappy Ossining team. Their hot streak came to a close, as Nanuet pulled off a thrilling 3-2 win in the Golden Knights' Senior Day, breaking the Rams' seven-game winning streak. Clarkstown North is still trending in the right direction overall, winning 11 of its last 13 games entering this week, after a rocky 1-5 start to the season. Previously: 8
John Jay-East Fishkill (10-7-1) — Since earning an exciting 1-0 win over Ketcham, the Patriots have dropped three of their last five games, losing to Clarkstown South, Fox Lane and Ketcham in a rematch by four or more runs each. They did get a 1-0 win over Rye, thanks to another solid pitching performance and timely hitting, and a 7-0 shutout win over Port Chester on Monday. Previously: 6
Yorktown (11-8) — The Huskers will be an interesting team to watch entering the playoffs, if they can establish greater consistency on the diamond. This season, they've suffered some puzzling losses, looked competitive and held their own in defeats to Arlington, Mahopac and Ketcham, and they've gotten some quality wins along the way. Recently, they finished a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Fox Lane, to conclude a 3-0 week that also included a series sweep of rival Somers. Previously: Not ranked
On the bubble: Ossining (10-7-1), Mamaroneck (10-8-1), Eastchester (12-8), Rye (12-7), Stepinac (12-10), Nanuet (13-4-1), Harrison (12-8), Albertus Magnus (16-3), Panas (14-5), John Jay-Cross River (11-7), North Rockland (10-8), Rye Neck (16-3), Hastings (15-5), Pleasantville (13-6), Putnam Valley (13-6-1), Croton-Harmon (15-5), Clarkstown South (8-12), Somers (8-10)
Section 1 playoff bracketology
With the brackets set to drop on Wednesday, here's a look at the current playoff picture entering this week.
It is a snapshot of where teams stand, using the official Section 1 postseason seeding formula, which includes bonus points. Here is how the top 12 projected teams in each class would be currently seeded based on all records entering May 14. It could change depending on results for the final day of the regular season on Tuesday.
No tiebreaking resolutions were used in the event of a tie for the calculations below.
Class AAA: 1. Ketcham; 2. Arlington; 3. John Jay-East Fishkill; 4. Ossining; 5. Scarsdale; 6. White Plains; 7. Mamaroneck; 8. North Rockland; 9. New Rochelle; 10. Port Chester
Class AA: 1. Mahopac; 2. Fox Lane; 3. Eastchester; 4. Harrison; 5. Clarkstown North; 6. Yorktown; 7. Saunders; 8. Suffern; 9. Horace Greeley; 10. Somers; 11. Yonkers; 12. Clarkstown South
Class A: 1. Tappan Zee. 2. Nanuet; 3. Hastings; 4. Panas; 5. Rye; 6. John Jay-Cross River; 7. Pearl River; 8. Hen Hud; 9. Lakeland; 10. Briarcliff; 11. Pelham; 12. Ardsley
Class B: 1. Rye Neck; 2. Albertus Magnus; 3. Croton-Harmon; 4. Pleasantville; 5. Putnam Valley; 6. Dobbs Ferry; 7. Bronxville; 8. Westlake; 9. Pawling; 10. Valhalla; 11. Blind Brook; 12. Yonkers Montessori
Class C: 1. Tuckahoe; 2. Leffell School; 3. Haldane; 4. Hamilton; 5. North Salem
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud baseball team rankings, Section 1 bracketology before playoffs
