FINAL BASEBALL RANKINGS
The baseball season has come to an end, four champions have been crowned, and we have a new top team in the state in the final rankings: Staples. The Wreckers, who last won a title in 2017, were led by arguably the state’s best player in Chad Knight, a Duke commit, New York Yankees draft selection and Gatorade state player of the year recipient. They beat Southington 3-0 in the Class LL title game.
Southington, Class LL’s runner-up, and Cheshire, the state’s top team much of the season, finished second and third.
State
1. STAPLES (25-3): The Wreckers became the first team since 2001 to win both the FCIAC and Class LL championships, as Duke commit Chad Knight pitched a shutout against Southington on Saturday to lock up the top spot. Last week: 2
2. SOUTHINGTON (21-4): The Blue Knights’ dramatic run in the state tournament came to an end at the hands of Staples, though they had two runners on base in the seventh and looked primed to put together their fourth walkoff of the tournament. LW: 9
3. CHESHIRE (25-2): The top team in the state for most of the season, the Rams fell to Staples 3-loss in the Class LL semifinals. The SCC champion, Cheshire was just one game away from its second straight appearance in the LL title game. LW: 1
4. WATERFORD (17-8): The 15th-seeded Lancers made a run all the way to the Class L final, where junior Jared Burrows pitched a gem against No. 1 Berlin in a 1-0 win. A junior-heavy team, Waterford could make another run next year. LW: Not ranked
5. BERLIN (22-3): The top-seeded Redcoats had no trouble scoring all season, but couldn’t muster much offense against No. 15 Waterford and Jared Burrows in the Class L title game, losing, 1-0. LW: 3
6. ST. JOSEPH (17-8): The Cadets knocked off No. 1 Wolcott in the Class M state championship 6-3, as Atlanta Braves fifth-round pick Stephen Paolini set the tone early with a solo home run on just the second pitch of the game. LW: NR
7. AMITY (19-8): The Class LL powerhouse came close to yet another trip to the title game, but Southington’s Jake Nueman ended Amity’s dreams with a walk-off single in a 3-2 win in the Class LL semifinals. LW: 6
8. COVENTRY (23-2): Led by junior ace Matt Cook, the Patriots were dominant all season and avenged a championship loss from a year ago with a 3-0 win over Shepaug Valley in the Class S final. LW: NR
9. FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE (20-6): One of the state’s best teams all season, Ludlowe’s season ended at the hands of Southington in the Class LL quarterfinals. LW: 5
10. NEWTOWN (20-4): Newtown’s season ended in the Class LL quarterfinals, as No. 7 Amity edged out a 4-3 win. LW: 4
Area
1. SOUTHINGTON (21-4): LW: 4
2. CHESHIRE (25-2): LW: 1
3. BERLIN (22-3): LW: 2 4. COVENTRY (23-2): LW: NR
5. SOUTH WINDSOR (18-4): The Bobcats’ season ended in the Class LL second round at the hands of Trumbull. LW: 3
6. ENFIELD (17-6): Enfield made a run to the Class LL quarterfinals, with wins over NFA and Newington, before falling to top-seeded Cheshire. LW: 9
7. HAND (18-7): One of the SCC’s best this year, and a former No. 1 team in the state, the Tigers lost to Notre Dame-West Haven in the Class L quarterfinals. LW: 5
8. ST. PAUL (18-6): The Falcons held a lead late in the Class S semifinals before falling to eventual state champ Coventry. LW: NR
9. ROCKVILLE (18-6): Rockville, the seventh seed in Class M, made a run to the semifinals before losing 3-0 to eventual champ St. Joseph. LW: NR
10. GLASTONBURY (17-5): The Tomahawks, one of the area’s best all season, beat Wilton in the Class LL first round and fell to powerhouse Amity in the second round. LW: 6