Preseason Team Preview: Dwight Morrow

March 5, 2016

New Jersey Staff

High School: Dwight Morrow
Head Coach: Mario Lugones, Jr. (First Season)
2015 Record: 5-15

Coach Mario Lugones hopes to bring new energy to the Raiders in his first year as head coach. Dwight-Morrow struggled at times last year, but with Lugones at the helm, hope to make the North 1 Group 3 state tournament this year. It will be exciting to see what Coach Lugones and his staff are able to get out of the squad this year. He has seen success as an assistant at both Paramus Catholic & Bergen Catholic, and also guided Englewood’s NJABL team to the NABF World Series in Battle Creek, Michigan. Interestingly enough, the entire staff still plays on that team.

RHP Wander Jimenez (Bergen CC) will be the staff workhorse, and his arm will keep them in games while OF Anexis Ruiz (Framingham State) will lead a stacked line-up that hopes to get to post-season play. The Raiders’ strength is definitely its athletic line-up. Junior OF Lisandro Ulerio is one of the best hitters in the Big North, and he will join Ruiz in the outfield. Infielders David Veras and Ody Castillo will provide slick gloves and senior leadership. However, if Dwight-Morrow wants to challenge for a Big North-American championship, they are really going to need pitchers Chris Crump and David Vasquez to eat up innings and post zeros on the scoreboard.

Keep an eye out for junior C/INF Jamir Banks. Banks is a transfer from St. Joe’s Montvale, and brings back a winning attitude. If he is able to step in from day one and produce, while guiding a solid pitching staff, then Dwight-Morrow could be a team to watch out for on the first weekend of the Bergen County Tournament.

There is a new energy that has not been seen in Englewood in quite some time. The young staff is eager to begin the season, and with a strong core of juniors, the foundation for the future of Dwight-Morrow baseball has been laid and appears to be headed in the right direction.

Team’s Biggest Matchups in 2016:
+Dumont
+Fort Lee
+Ridgefield Park
+Cliffside Park
Biggest Rival:
+cross town rival Dwight-Englewood

Notable Baseball Alumni:
+MLB All-Star Richie Scheinblum played 8 years in the big leagues from 1965-1974