Sussex Tech Zane Adams waits for a pitcher verse CR. Photo by Nick Halliday
What a week of baseball we had last week. The season is heating up as we head into the postseason. No. 1 Tech and No. 2 Central both lost for the first time all season when the top two teams suffered a loss in the same week.
I think what we have seen this season is that the tournament is wide open. This is the last week of the regular season which means there are some meaningful games for seeding and for those teams that are close to being in or out. I think we saw some teams last week start to step up their play as the regular season rounds out with some of the upsets we saw.
Now let’s look at the final week’s top 10 rankings.
No. 1 Sussex Tech Ravens (14-2) suffered their second loss to now No. 4 William Penn. The reason I kept the Ravens at No. 1 is because they have beat both Central and Cape head to head. Yes they lost to Penn, but Penn has a couple of losses out of the top 10. Tech rebounded with a win over Salesianum last week. The Ravens end the season with three games this week as they host Saint Mark’s on Tuesday, play at Middletown Thursday, and possibly Friday for the Henlopen Conference championship which is being held at Caesar Rodney.
No. 2 Sussex Central Golden Knights (15-2) suffered their second loss of the season to then No. 10 Caravel over the weekend. Last week they played three ranked teams and beat No. 5 DMA and now No. 4 Penn before suffering the loss to Caravel. It was a tough week for Central. They stay at No. 2 because their only other loss is to No. 1 Tech. Their regular season is over, but they have a chance to play for the Henlopen Conference championship which is being held at Caesar Rodney this Friday.
No. 3 Cape Henlopen Vikings (15-2) only had one game last week as they defeated Saint Mark’s at home last Saturday for their Senior day. Cape stays at No. 3 since their only two losses are to No. 1 Tech, and No. 2 Central. They will end their regular season on Tuesday as they travel to Delmar. Doesn’t look like they have a chance to play for the Henlopen Championship since they are behind Tech and Central.
No. 4 William Penn Colonials (8-4) jumped back up in the top 5 with a big win over No. 1 Tech last week. They also beat then No. 10 Caravel and St Elizabeth’s last week taking away three wins. Penn moved up with the win over Tech, and they went extra innings against No. 2 Central. They also beat DMA head to head this season. Penn has one of the toughest schedules this season. They have three games again this week as they face Newark on Monday, Christiana on Tuesday, and Conrad on Thursday to wrap up the season.
No. 5 Delaware Military Seahawks (14-3) (DMA) suffered a loss last week to No. 2 Central, but got wins over MOT Charter, and St Georges last week. Losing to Central isn’t a major setback, especially traveling down to play them that is why I am keeping DMA in the top 5. All of their 3 losses have come to ranked teams. DMA will face Caravel on Thursday to close out the regular season.
No. 6 The Sanford Warriors (11-1) came away with two more wins last week over Wilmington Friends and Tatnall, two conference teams that helped them win back to back Independent Conference championships. Their only loss came to Brandywine earlier this season. However they don’t have many if any wins over ranked teams. This week they will face some tougher competition as they face Archmere on Wednesday and then Salesianum on Friday. Two tough matchups to end the season to see what Sanford is made of.
No. 7 The Saint Marks Spartans (13-4) won two of their three games last week. They beat St. George’s on Monday, and Middletown on Tuesday. However they suffered a loss on Saturday to No. 3 Cape. All the Spartans losses besides one has been to a top 10 team and at one point Archmere was in the top 10. They just were not ranked when they lost to them. They will face No. 1 Tech to end the season on Tuesday, another tough game for the Spartans as they round out the regular season.
No. 8 Caesar Rodney Riders (CR) (12-5) won two out of three games last week. They Beat Laurel on Wednesday and then rebound after a loss to Woodbridge with a win over Archmere on Saturday. All their losses except the one last week to Woodbridge have come to ranked opponents. That’s why they stay in the top 10. Let’s not forget they also play in the toughest conference. They will end the regular season as they host Polytech on Wednesday.
No. 9 Dover Senators (12-5) enter the top 10 for the first time this year. They have been on a nine game winning streak and they won three of those games last week. They beat then No. 10 Caravel, Lake Forest, and Delmarva Christian. All of Dover’s losses have come to ranked teams. They are part of that Henlopen North conference that is without a doubt the toughest. They will end the regular season as they travel to Woodbridge on Wednesday.
No. 10 Caravel Buccaneers (8-6-1) remained in the top 10 this week after suffering two losses to No. 4 Penn, and No. 9 Dover, but rebounded with a win over No. 2 Central. They have two losses and one tie to teams not in the top 10, but all their other losses are to top 10 teams. They as well as Penn may have one of the toughest schedules this season. Their schedule to end the regular season says just that. They will finish the tied game against Middletown on Monday. Then face Conrad on Tuesday, followed by No. 5 DMA on Thursday.
This is the last week of the regular season before we get into the postseason. There are a few games that will shake up some seedings in the playoff bracket. This is going to be a very meaningful week in baseball for some teams that are on the bubble of getting into the state championship also. Let’s hope the weather cooperates with us so we can get these final weeks game in.
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