The Thursday Thoughts return as Pete Tarrier breaks down Divisions I, II & III weekly, while Dave Haley ranks the contenders in Division IV.  

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Division I 

Division I Standings & Statistical Leaders

1. Pinkerton (10-0) The Astros are sitting atop the rankings at the midway point in the season and looking very much like the clear cut favorite to win it all.  Jackson Marshall is having a triple crown level season so far with 4 homers, 11 RBI and a .560 batting average.   We are pumped to bring you video coverage of the showdown with Londonderry on Saturday!

2. Exeter (9-1) The Blue Hawks won 5-1 over Dover Wednesday to solidify their spot in the Top 2 as Cam Keaveney outdueled Charlie Kubiet.  We are equally excited to be covering the rivalry game against Winnacunnet in Hampton on Saturday on video!  

3. Londonderry (8-2)...Brett McKinnon is swinging a really hot bat right now and has the Lancers right back in the fight for the Championship.  McKinnon is hitting in the middle of the Londonderry order and leads the team with a robust .577  batting average with 12 driven in.    

4. Merrimack (8-1)...yet another good win over Bedford yesterday...and I can hear it now from Merrimack fans..."Hold on Pete!  How the hell can you have Merrimack ranked behind Londonderry when the Tomahawks have one less loss?"  Good question.  I just need to see what Merrimack does against the cream of the crop in the division.  Pinkerton is coming up next Tuesday!  

5. Keene (7-3)...the Owls got thumped by Pinkerton yesterday, but a come from behind win over a tough Goffstown team earlier in the week keeps Keene in the Top 5 just ahead of Windham which has the same record.

6. Windham (7-3)...the Jags have won 3 in a row and 6 of their last 7, but they've got a really hard next couple of games with Portsmouth coming to town on Friday and then Exeter comes in next Wednesday.  

7. Dover (6-4)...I'm placing Dover just ahead of their rivals from Spaulding who play each other on Friday in Rochester so they can settle it on the field.  

8. Spaulding (5-3)...it might be surprising to see the Red Raiders in the Top 10, but it's a worthy ranking as they already have quality wins over Portsmouth, Bishop Guertin and Winnacunnet.  Great job by 1st year head coach Brad Taylor. 

9. Trinity (6-5)...here's the teams Trinity has lost to so far this year...Pinkerton, Londonderry, Exeter, Merrimack and Keene.  All ranked in the Top 5.  We're excited to be covering the Pioneers as they host Portsmouth in our video highlights Game of the Week next Monday.   

10. Portsmouth (5-4) & Goffstown (5-4)...soggy field conditions in Portsmouth on Wednesday forced my hand to declare a tie for the 10th and final spot in the D1 rankings this week.  They are playing it this afternoon so whoever wins can have sole possession of 10th all by themselves.   

Division II Standings & Statistical Leaders
 

1. John Stark (8-0) The Generals have marched to the top of the rankings this week after keeping their unbeaten season going with a 2-0 shutout of Bow yesterday.  Chase Philibotte pitched the 1st 6 innings and Anthony Paolicelli shut it down in the 7th.  It's not going to be easy to stay there as St. Thomas is up next on Friday.  

2. Plymouth (7-1)...the Bobcats were beaten on Monday for the first time this season, a 3-2 loss at Kennett.  But they bounced back behind Johnny Flaherty with a 2-1 win over Lebanon yesterday.  

3. Merrimack Valley (5-1)...the Pride took down Hanover 3 to 1 on Wednesday behind the pitching of lefty Jonas Weed and Landon Abbott.  Weed struck out 12 Bears in 5 innings and then Abbott closed it down.   

4. St. Thomas (6-2)...good win yesterday for St. Thomas over Pelham as Jeff Luchsinger pitched a complete game in the 4-2 Saints victory.

5. Souhegan (7-2)...coach Chris Metz has his Sabers on a 5 game winning streak.  They've scored a ton of runs, but a 3-2 walk-off win in a close game over ConVal yesterday had to give the team confidence in the clutch. 

6. Bow (5-3)...tough one to swallow for the Falcons against John Stark after battling in the 2-0 loss yesterday.  Bow pitched Dillon Abbate at the start and then brought in Sean Guerrette in relief.  We look forward to covering Bow at MV on video in 2 weeks.

7. Pelham (6-3)...I keep going back to the "good losses" on the Pythons schedule so far.  1-0 against Milford, 2-1 in extras vs Plymouth and now 4-2 against St. Thomas.  This is a very good team in the 7th spot.

8. Pembroke (3-3)...the Spartans keep their spot in the rankings after a 2-1 extra innings win over Kingswood yesterday.  Devin Riel pitched all 8 innings for the win while Josh Maccarone drove in the winning run.

9. Oyster River (3-3)...I've got Oyster River and Kennett as the last 2 teams in this week.  They are playing each other today, but for now I have the Bobcats ahead of the Eagles because they have one less loss.

10. Kennett (3-4)...Matthew Charrette has been really good this year for Josh McCallister's team.  He threw a complete game 3 hitter against Plymouth earlier this week handing the Bobcats their 1st loss.  

Division III Standings & Statistical Leaders

1. Conant (7-0)...the Orioles swept the season series against longtime nemesis Monadnock thanks to a thrilling 2-1 extra innings win yesterday in a game we covered on video.  It leaves Conant as the only unbeaten team in D3 and catapults them into the top spot in our rankings this week.  

2. Campbell (6-1)...the Cougars have reeled off 6 wins in a row after an opening day loss to Belmont to grab the 2nd spot in our poll.  We like Campbell's overall record/resume which includes quality wins over Bishop Brady and Gilford and puts them just ahead of the teams behind them.  

3. Gilford (4-1)...big boy win yesterday for Dave Haley's Golden Eagles who took down our pre-season #1 team White Mountains on the road 6 to 4 with a late rally.  I'm placing Gilford just ahead of their Lakes Region rival because of the victory over the Spartans from the North Country.

4. Belmont (4-1)...people will probably question why I have Belmont behind Campbell despite the fact the Red Raiders won the head to head meeting.  I'll reiterate, it's Campbell's overall resume that puts them ahead.  I think it's really close between the top 6 teams in this division.

5. White Mountains (5-1)...I dropped White Mountains from 1st all the way down to 5th after the loss to Gilford.  We talked on the podcast last week about how Gilford had the best chance of beating the defending Champs and it turns out we were right.  

6. Monadnock (7-2)...it seems crazy to be ranking the mighty Huskies so far down this list...especially considering they have lost 2 games to the number 1 team, both by 1 run.  That's a testament to how tough the top of Division 3 really is.

7. Fall Mountain (4-1)...the Wildcats only loss came to Conant last week, but they've got a quality win against Kearsarge which you'll see below is a top 10 team.  Big one on Friday this week against Bishop Brady.  

8. Bishop Brady (3-2)...speaking of the Giants, they lost a tough one yesterday against Hopkinton, but I still have them ahead of one team with a better record and a team with the same record.  

9. Raymond (4-1)...the Rams lost for the 1st time this year when they took on Conant earlier this week.  The 11-1 final looks worse than it really was as Conant broke it open late.   

10. Kearsarge (3-2)...the Cougars hold onto a spot in the Top 10 thanks to a 7-6 win over Newfound earlier this week.  They'll play Conant on Friday in North Sutton.

Division IV Standings and Statistical Leaders

1. Woodsville—We’ll be in Littleton Wednesday afternoon for Engineers/Crusaders II. Mike Hogan, who has been the best pitcher in the division, shut down Littleton last week in the first meeting, allowing only four hits, no earned runs, and striking out 14 in an 8-2 victory that vaulted Brent Cox’s team to the top spot.

2. Newmarket- Yes Jack Ferrelli really hit three home runs in one game, a 12-1 win over Pittsfield. Stan Jurkoic’s team is still figuring out its pitching rotation behind John Schleider (who leads the division in innings pitched with 21), but behind Ferrelli, Parker Sweitzer, and Cam Moran, the bats will keep them in it until they do. We’ll see them next week when they travel to Portsmouth Christian.

3. Littleton- The pre-season #1 drops only two spots because of who their two losses have come against. The loss to Woodsville mentioned above and a loss to White Mountain Regional, the best team in Division III. Blake Fillion has picked right up where he left of last season (.571, one home run and sixteen RBIs) while AJ Bray’s pitching staff may be the deepest bullpen in the division.

4. Derryfield- Kevin Gray’s team bounced back from a 9-8 loss to Newarket to beat the defending champs a week later 4-0 behind a complete game shutout from Alex Drake.

5. Gorham—How good are the Huskies? I’m not sure even head coach Pete Giroud knows yet, but the 5-3 win at Colebrook gave them their first true test of the season, as Jack Saladino pitched five innings for the win.

6. Portsmouth Christian- The 13-3 win over Epping was impressive, and Derek Summers’ team is undefeated, but we’ll know more about where they stand when we cover them next week against the champs. Expect all-state hurler Kian Littlefield on the hill for that one.

7. Concord Christian- Mike Syvertson’s team is 5-0, but the schedule is about to get a lot tougher, with games against Derryfield and PCA coming next week. What is certain is how good TJ Charbono has been on the mound, as he is 3-0 on the season with an eye-popping 39 strikeouts in 15 innings.

8. Epping- The Blue Devils are 3-3 but they have played the toughest schedule in division to this point. Dylan Dulong, Troy Coleman, and Dylan Cummings combined for an impressive 10-9 win over Sunapee.

9. Sunapee- We will be at Mascenic next Friday when the Lakers roll in (yes, THREE Divison IV games on next week’s schedule!). Brock Kangas got off to a great start this season with seven hits in his first ten at-bats.

10. Colebrook- Tim Purrington’s Mohawks edge out Mascenic for the final spot. Kolten Dowse has been terrific at the plate, hitting .500 with eight RBIs, and is second in the division with two home runs. They’re going to need him on the mound if they’re going to put resume-building wins on the board.