Marist looks to have one last memorable baseball season

Pictured as a football player, Marist sophomore outfielder Darius Neal

Pictured as a football player, Marist sophomore pitcher/first baseman Edward Kelleher

It’s been a long time since Fernando Fuentes was a standout baseball player at Weehawken High School, a catcher with no peers who was eventually drafted by the New York Yankees.

It was a long road for Fuentes to go from player to head baseball coach, almost 20 years of bouncing around, trying to find a place to call his own.

That opportunity finally came last year, when Fuentes was named as the head coach at Marist High School. It was like a dream come true, finally getting the chance to be a head coach in his native Hudson County.

The Royal Knights were competitive in his Fuentes’ first season, posting a 9-10 record. But Fuentes was looking and pointing toward the future. That future first took a hit when the school announced it was closing in June.

“I started thinking about the history of Marist and all the great players and coaches they’ve had,” Fuentes said. “I was thinking about getting the program going again.”

Marist had the distinction of being the only school in New Jersey to win baseball state championships with three different coaches, namely Tom Baxter, Mike Hogan and Marist alum Ron Hayward. It’s the school where Joe Borowski pitched and led the Royal Knights to a state championship before Borowski made his incredible climb to the major leagues.

Fuentes went out and purchased a pitching machine to help the Marist players with their hitting. He was in for the long run.

“I really love coaching,” Fuentes said. “I love teaching. I love working with this group of kids. When I heard the school was closing, my mind went out to the current group of kids, who really busted their tail during winter workouts and study hall.”

Then, the second major obstacle took place, the outbreak of the coronavirus, shutting everything down for an indefinite period.

“We have a total of 14 guys,” Fuentes said. “We were ready to go. We had six practices and were going to have our first scrimmage and everything was shut down. We had immersed ourselves in everything and we were ready to go.”

Fuentes knows he cannot change things he cannot control, like a school closing or a national pandemic.

So Fuentes gave his kids some drills to do at home and is keeping in contact with his team via text messages, waiting for the word to get back onto the field for the final season of Marist baseball. He knows it wasn’t supposed to end like this.

When the season resumes, Fuentes will count on senior right-handed pitcher Mark Everett, Jr. The son of the former St. Anthony and Marist star catcher and Jersey City high school baseball and football coach, Mark Everett, Jr. is a standout in his own right.

“He’s a great player,” Fuentes said of Mark Everett, Jr. “He can play anywhere. He’s really a fun player to have. He’s a big kid who just wants the ball in tough situations. He just goes out there and plays his butt off.”

Senior Manny Alvarez is also a fine right-handed pitcher. He’s also the starting catcher.

Senior Jeremiah Hernandez is another righty who can throw quality innings for the Royal Knights.

“He’s a smart baseball player,” Fuentes said of Hernandez. “He is a great kid and a good role model.”

Sophomore Bakari Murrain is an excellent athlete who was on the Royal Knights’ football team in the fall. He’s also a fine pitcher.

Sophomore Edward Kelleher is another pitcher who was also a member of the Marist grid team last fall.

Freshman A.J. Martinez is a lefty who has a ton of potential.

Freshman Timothy Hilliard is another promising right-hander.

“He’s a big kid, about 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds,” Fuentes said. “He’s a physical freak, a great specimen. When he hits the ball, it makes a different sound. He has great physical ability.”

That’s a solid pitching staff that Fuentes gets to work with.

Alvarez and Hilliard will share the catching duties, with Alvarez doing most of the work.

Martinez will do most of the work at first base, with Hilliard and Kelleher getting time there as well.

Everett is the second baseman, but will likely see action at several positions, with Murrain at shortstop.

The third baseman is freshman Christian Weening, who is also a pitcher.

Cory Manger is a sophomore infielder who got a late start with the team, but has been working hard to crack the lineup.

In the outfield, Hernandez will be in centerfield and batting leadoff when he’s not pitching. Junior Joaquin Cepeda is another player getting into the mix in the outfield, along with senior Angel Ortiz, sophomore Daniel Camacho, sophomore Darius Neal and freshmen Alan Holley and Chris Reed.

Fuentes was impressed with Cepeda’s approach in the offseason.

“He can to every single winter workout,” Fuentes said. “He comes on time and never has an excuse. He’s also becoming a good student of the game.”

After the break caused by the coronavirus, Fuentes is raring to go. It’s the last season of Marist baseball and he wants to make it memorable for everyone.

“Of course, I’m ready,” Fuentes said. “If we have to go into July or August, then let’s do it.”

When you wait your entire lifetime for a chance like the one Fuentes has received, a few more days or weeks won’t cost too much.