Two FCIAC teams were ranked 1-2 in last week’s GameTimeCT Top 10 Baseball Poll and a No. 1-versus-No. 2 showdown was lined up when top-ranked Fairfield Warde was scheduled to visit second-ranked Trumbull on April 20.
Those two teams are still ranked 1-2 in this current poll, but they have flip-flopped positions because of a pitching gem by a sophomore.
Last Saturday afternoon’s matchup was a classic pitchers’ duel and Trumbull’s Eagles are now No. 1 because their sophomore right-handed pitcher Trevor Schuelke fired a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts to lead them to a 1-0 victory.
Fairfield Warde senior Austin Howard was not too shabby himself on the mound as he pitched all six innings and allowed just two hits and no earned runs. Trumbull’s Aiden Stewart drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored the game’s only run on a two-out error.
The FCIAC has three teams ranked among the top four in this week’s state poll which was released April 23. Fairfield Ludlowe moved up one spot to No. 4 after the Falcons won twice last week to improve their unbeaten record to 9-0.
Southington also improved to 9-0 with a pair of victories and advanced one spot from the previous poll to No. 3.
The teams in the current Top 10, in order with their records at the time the voting took place in parenthesis, are: Trumbull (9-1), Fairfield Warde (9-1), Southington (9-0), Fairfield Ludlowe (9-0), No. 5 Guilford (7-2), Joel Barlow (9-0), Glastonbury (7-1), Woodland (10-0), Daniel Hand (7-1), and Amity (6-2).
Trumbull received 11 first-place votes from the media pollsters, Fairfield Warde got one and Southington received the other four.
Staples (6-3) received the 11th most polling points while the three other FCIAC teams among the 17 total statewide in the “Others receiving votes” category are Danbury (5-4), New Canaan (3-4), and St. Joseph (4-4).
In the FCIAC standings including games played Monday, April 22: Fairfield Ludlowe had a 4-0 record; Trumbull, Fairfield Warde, and Staples were 4-1; Greenwich had the fifth best record at 3-1; Norwalk, Darien, Ridgefield, and St. Joseph were 3-2; while Danbury and Stamford were tied for tied for 10th place at 2-3.
This past Saturday’s victory by coach Phil Pacelli’s Trumbull Eagles ended Fairfield Warde’s 17-game winning streak over the course of the last 11 months. The last time the Mustangs had their previous loss was also to Trumbull, 3-2, on May 15, 2023.
Fairfield Warde’s 17-game winning streak was especially impressive because coach Brett Conners’ Mustangs won nine straight games while defending their conference and state championships to close out last season.
Fairfield Warde won the 2023 FCIAC Baseball Tournament with a 6-1 victory over Westhill and then the Mustangs won their second consecutive CIAC Class LL state championship with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings against fellow FCIAC member Staples.
Fairfield Warde (23-5) and Staples (21-6) were ranked 1-2, Trumbull (17-7) was No. 7 and St. Joseph (18-7) was No. 9 in the 2023 Final GameTimeCT Top 10 Baseball Poll.