Bloomfield High School rising senior Evit Dwyer, top row, third from left, poses with young baseball players in the Dominican Republic
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — When it comes to baseball, and finding baseball talent, the Dominican Republic is king.
D.R. is simply a hotbed of outstanding players who have gone on to stellar careers in the Major Leagues for generations.
Bloomfield High School rising senior Evit Dwyer got to witness that baseball talent in the D.R. first-hand.
Thanks to a missionary program this summer, Dwyer was able to coach and mentor kids in the Dominican Republic who are basically around his age.
Dwyer got hooked up with a program called Kids Alive through his grandfather’s church in Connecticut.
“The opportunity came up a couple of months earlier and I decided that it would be a fun experience to do,” said the 17-year-old, who, as a right-handed pitcher-first baseman, helped the BHS baseball team to a terrific season this past spring.
The group arrived at Constanza, Dominican Republic, on Saturday, July 22.
The group was there for an entire week to assist a school for grades K to 10.
One of the men who runs the program also has his own baseball program. Because Dwyer, listed at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, is a baseball player, the missionary suggested that Dwyer help the students with honing their baseball skills.
Dwyer and a former pitcher from Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays got to work with the players on their throwing and catching during each morning. The former Rays pitcher was with the organization called Christ the King that was started by Fred O’Brien – a missionary who works in Costanza full time in a program that also includes a head coach for younger players and other assistant coaches.
Dwyer said it was a worthwhile opportunity and thanked those who helped him with the trip.
“It was a really great experience,” Dwyer said. “Going to a Third World country like that, it’s definitely an eye-opening experience. I was kind of amazed by what I got from everyone, all the donations to help me go on the trip, as well as the equipment donations. I brought some equipment with me for some of the baseball players down there, and it was truly a blessing.”
Dwyer and the group returned home on Saturday, July 29.
Dwyer, who also lettered in basketball for Bloomfield, enjoyed a fine season for the Bengals baseball team. On the mound, Dwyer went 9-1 and sported a 3.93 earned run average, striking out 60 and allowing 54 hits in 51.2 innings pitched. He earned first-team honors on the all–Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division and third-team honors on the all-Essex County team, as voted by the coaches in the division and in the county.
The Bengals, under 17th-year head coach Mike Policastro, finished 20-10 and won the divisional title with an 11-1 mark. They were runner-up in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament, losing a heartbreaking 12-11 decision to Ridgewood in the final at Bloomfield Middle School field to end a stellar season.
Dwyer then participated in the annual Quad County All-Star Baseball Game, which featured underclassmen, and was named the Most Valuable Player. Dwyer threw two innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit with no walks, as the Essex County All-Stars played to a 7-7 tie in nine innings versus the Hudson County All-Stars.
Dwyer is looking forward to next spring in helping the Bengals make another strong run.
“We had a really good year this year and I’m hoping to do the same thing next year,” he said.
Photos Courtesy of Evit Dwyer
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