After a winless 2014 season, the Dragons were demoted to the SSAL Developmental League for 2015. The boys had a strong showing with a 5-2 record. Team captain and senior Henry Schoenfeld cited determination to get back to divisional play as a main reason for their success.
“We were motivated to move our way back up [to the A League],” he said.
The team's maturation was a large factor towards their improvement. As the players have become mentally and physically stronger, they have contributed more offensively, helping the team win games.
“We had strong leadership, and we were also older this year,” Scheiman said. “When we did divisional play two years ago, the players who were freshmen and sophomores are now juniors and seniors, and they had better team spirit and a more of a meaning for our team.”
Throughout the year the team got significant contributions from their freshmen, most notably Andre Alexander and Gabriel Culian. Alexander batted .350 as the starting first baseman, while Culian batted .294 while serving as the catcher for most of the season. Scheiman realized the impact the freshmen had on the team.
“They were very meaningful to the team,” he said. “They helped us win games.”
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The freshmen were helped by the strong leadership of the Dragons, who have eight upperclassmen on the team. With experienced players on the team, it was easier for the freshmen to play well.
“[The upperclassmen] really helped them develop,” he said. "They took them under their wing and showed them they did have a lot of skill and [how] to be confident in themselves.”
Although the Dragons had a great season, they are not satisfied with their accomplishments. The team would like to get back to where they were this year and advance further into the postseason going forward.
“We want to get back to the playoffs,” Scheiman said. “And we want to win a playoff game.”
