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NJ Class of 2027 Rankings Update

December 16, 2025
TJ Hunt
Director, Prep Baseball NJ

With the fall circuit fully behind us, we are hitting the refresh button on the rankings one last time as we get into the off-season. There was a bit of movement throughout, as well as some new names added that we will continue to touch on.

For now, take a look at some of the notable names in this update below.

CLICK HERE to view the full list of 200.

The Top 10

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Cooper Burti NJ Cherokee 2027 LHP
2 Finnian O'Loughlin NJ Delbarton 2027 OF Alabama
3 Michael Fekete NJ Cherry Hill East 2027 RHP Virginia Tech
4 Ricky Lopez NJ Ranney 2027 SS Louisiana State
5 Kyle McBride NJ Delbarton 2027 RHP Wake Forest
6 Brayden Longo NJ Mount Olive 2027 OF Rutgers
7 Alex Odud NJ Cherokee 2027 C Arkansas
8 Jack Nicholls NJ Haddon Heights 2027 RHP
9 Curt Friedrich NJ Delbarton 2027 OF Penn State
10 Steven Pannullo NJ Delbarton 2027 RHP Boston College

At the Top

LHP Cooper Burti (Cherokee) emerged as the top dog in our last update after dominating this past summer, featuring a true three pitch mix in the upper 80s with big upside. Burti committed to Tenneesee earlier in the fall, but with the departure of Tony Vitello to the San Francisco Giants, Burti reopened his recruitment last month. Younger for his age class, expect Burti to be a major player on the national circuit come next summer, and an innings eater for Cherokee in 2026.

Alabama recruit OF Finninan O'Loughlin (Delbarton) remains at the top of the list as well, and his hit tool has kicked it into high gear as of late. Similar build and offensive game to 2026 Jason Amalbert, in my opinion, expect O'Loughlin to be a big name in the middle of the order for a perennial power yet again.

Virignia Tech commit RHP Michael Fekete (Cherry Hill East) is your true workhorse starting pitcher. Big bodied at 6-foot-2 217-pounds, Fekete possesses a clean, athletic arm stroke and the durability needed to log some major innings, both during the high school season and summer circuit.

Newcomer to the Top 10

Uncommitted RHP Jack Nicholls (Haddon Heights) has taken his game to the next level after a successful summer and fall circuit. Recently into the mid-90s with his heater, Nicholls impressed at the Future Games with his whippy arm and strike throwing prowess. A late breaking, hard slider is his out pitch - looks like a fastball out of the hand and gets many hitters with the 3/4 swing for punchouts. Expect Nicholls' stock to continue to rise as he logs additional innings in the spring. A major riser since June.

Just Outside the Top 10

A trio of arms and athletes come in at 11, 12, and 13 in our rankings in Boston College commit Joey DiMeo (Toms River East), Miami recruit LHP/OF Ethan Suppi (St. Augustine) and Maryland commit RHP Ted Masino (Delbarton). Notably, Delbarton posesses some of the most top to bottom talent yet again, with five players ranked in the top 13. Masino's high octane arm and ability to impact the game at the plate will be something to look for this spring, while DiMeo and Suppi's versatility in the field can impact the game at many different levels.

Uncommitted Names in the Top 25

Burti and Nicholls lead a talented crop within the top 10, while the raw talent from RHP's Jack Lerro (St. Augustine Prep) and Jamari Whitley (Schalick) are guys to follow. Both have been into the upper 80s and low 90s, with Whitley spinning arguably the best breaking stuff in the class thus far. RHP/INF Nikash Patel (St. Thomas Aquinas) is coming back off of Tommy John surgery with a big right arm and feel for the barrel at the plate, while Nathaniel Fuller (Ranney), Brayden Morrison (Union Catholic) and Matthew Gryskiewicz (Eastern) are big bats that return with some varsity experience, too. 

Helium Hopefuls

Rutgers commit Benjamin Faigin (Monroe Township) has a quick left handed arm who struck out almost two batters per inning in 2025, while Pittsburgh commit OF/1B Jackson Staples (The Hun School) has arguably the most projection out of a hitter in this class. The 6-foot-4 left handed hitter reminds me a lot of Brandon Hylton with the way he fills out a uniform and fills up the batters box. Expect these guys to make a big jump this spring as they continue to mature.

All in all, the Top 50 contains 24 commitments to boot. It will be interesting to see how college teams continue to mold their recruiting at the high school level, with more an more relying solely on the portal for their recruiting. It seems like the high majors are hitting the portal harder these days, which means that the mid majors can draw some higher end talent. All told, this class is shaping up to be yet another talented crop as they head into the all important junior spring.

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