the latest regional New Jersey high school sports news

Bloomfield’s Murawinski Stars
As A Consistent Contact Hitter

By Steve Tober
for sidelinehatter.com

BLOOMFIELD- One of Essex County’s top hitting teams this spring has certainly been Bloomfield which reached its fifth state sectional final in 16 seasons under coach Mike Policastro while also capturing a division title by finishing 11-1 in the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division.

The second-seeded Bengals (20-10) saw their otherwise outstanding season end with a heartbreaking 12-11 loss to Ridgewood (22-7) in Friday's North 1, Group 4 state sectional final.

Bloomfield certainly began their offensive-minded week in high style in this past Tuesday’s North 1, Group 4 semifinals banging out 10 hits while roaring to an 8-3 victory over a solid third-seeded Livingston team (17-11) to earn a berth in Friday’s N1G4 title tilt.

One of the key performers in a deep Bloomfield lineup vs. the Lancers was the No. 5 hitter in the order, senior left fielder Daniel Murawinski, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and 2 RBI.

Bloomfield snapped an early 1-1 deadlock scoring three runs in the third inning highlighted by Murawinski’s 2-run single, to take a 4-1 lead, and after the Lancers battled back with two runs in the top of the fifth to pull within 4-3, the Bengals broke things open in the bottom of the inning with four runs on four hits.

For his efforts in a big spot vs. the Lances and for his solid hitting throughout a strong stretch of performances by the Bengals, the Drew University-bound senior outfielder is the Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.

“We have a really good hitting team this season with a bunch of guys who keep coming through for us and I just try to do my part,” said Murawinski, who entered Friday’s game vs. Ridgewood with a team-leading 31 hits to go along with a solid .341 batting average. “Early in the season I was hitting third but struggled for a few games and coach moved me to fifth where I was seeing a lot more fast balls and started to really hit the way I’m capable of.

“I try to hit straight through the ball toward center field or right center, but basically just try to do anything I can to get on base for our team.

“In my first at bat against Livingston’s lefty (Julian Schwartz) I hit a curve ball to left field and just felt comfortable at the plate the entire game which is a good place to be.

“Hitting is fun and it can be contagious as well as you can see with the seasons a lot of our guys have put together this year.”

Among the other top Bloomfield hitters have been Murawinski’s fellow senior outfielder Keithdam Perez (.384, 28 runs, 32 RBI, 11 extra base hits, 19 stolen bases), third baseman-pitcher Brandon Piacenza (.388, 25 runs, 24 RBI, 27 stolen bases) and shortstop Tyler Bell (.325, 27 runs), who is one of the team’s very capable table setters.

Murawinski, a sturdy 5-foot-9 160-pound corner outfielder, burst on the scene last year in his first varsity campaign for the Bengals leading the team in batting with a .369 average.

He has increased his run production this season with 23 RBI after knocking in just 12 runs last spring and he has continued to be one of the better 2-strike hitters in the SEC.

“Danny does just a tremendous job when he has two strikes on him,” said coach Policastro. “It just seems like he is in the hole like that in so many at bats yet he always comes through by making contact and frequently getting big hits with two strikes and two outs, which has been big for us.”

Among Murawinski’s biggest games at the plate this season was a solid effort at the plate against Glen Ridge on May 17 when he went 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 4 RBI in a 9-6 Bengals win while also going up against one of the better hurlers in the SEC in the Ridgers’ Xavier-bound DI pitcher Griffin Seibel.
He also had a big triple and scored the winning run on a hit by Perez in an independent 6-5 victory over Bayonne on April 27, a contest in which he went 3-for-4 with 2 runs.

Murawinski has continued to work hard in the off-season to improve his overall game, including spending last summer for ‘Untamed’ Baseball out of Kinnelon, a travel team he hooked up with through former Bengals assistant coach, ex-Roselle Catholic head man and current New Jersey City University assistant James McAndrew. The Bengals standout was able to play against strong competition in several different tournaments throughout the Northeast, including in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York.

“I really enjoyed playing regularly last summer with Untamed Baseball and then I was able to commit to Drew which is a great Division III school,” said Murawinski. “Sports are big in my family and I’m definitley glad that I will be playing college baseball next year.”

Murawinski’s dad Dave, who is 6-foot-3, was a center for the Nutley High School basketball team after playing a couple of years of baseball and his mom, Lisa, was a Nutley cheerleader.

Mom's talented side of the family also includes former Bloomfield standout baseball players Jared and Jonathan Guglelmini, plus another one of her nephews and Daniel’s cousin, Joe Guglielmini, is a current high school baseball in Connecticut who will play Division I baseball next year at the University of Hartford.

And, Daniel’s talented younger sister, Ava, is a standout youth soccer player who will be playing an upcoming, high-level national tournament in San Diego, Calif.

“Ava is a defender and a really good player who will be at Bloomfield High School in the fall,” said Murawinski. “We’ll be heading out to San Diego for a big tournament and it should be a lot of fun!”

The Bengals veteran leftfielder is a solid defender on the diamond and he runs the bases well, including having nine stolen bases this spring. The goal to become an even stronger player at the next level is ingrained in the mind of one of the SEC’s best contact hitters.

“I love baseball and I want to be the best player I can be which I know means continuing to work hard while trying to improve in all facets of the game,” said Murawinski, who is also a fan of the Yankees and Aaron Judge. “This season has been a lot of fun while playing for a strong, veteran team and I want to continue to play this great game as long as I can.”

Follow Steve Tober on Twitter @Chattermeister

***

Parisi Speed School has been empowering athletes for over 30 years, since 1992. As the industry leader in youth performance training in the country, they have successfully trained over 1,000,000 athletes to include schools, teams, youth organizations and individual athletes from 7 years of age to the Pros in MLB, NFL, MLS, NBA and WNBA.

Parents and coaches are invited to visit their website for additional information at www.parisifairfield.com or contact their Director, John Cirilo at 973 227-0199.

Bloomfield's Dan Murawinski has looked to help his team in any way he can including rare appearance on mound. Meanwhile, he has been more known for his contributions as a top hitter, superb defensive leftfielder and adept baserunner for experienced Bengals. (Photos by Jerry Simon)

Bloomfield’s Murawinski Stars As A Consistent Contact Hitter

Bloomfield’s Murawinski Stars
As A Consistent Contact Hitter