By Jim Hague
Two of the best middle infielders in the New Jersey Athletic Conference came into the world a little more than a minute apart a little more than 20 years ago.
Luke and Dominic Magliaro are more than just twin brothers. The Rutgers-Newark junior infielders are the best of friends.
“It’s always nice to have someone there to go to,” said Dominic Magliaro, the younger one of the twins. “It’s not only having my brother with me, but he’s my best friend as well; having that comfort zone, growing up with him, living with him, playing sports together. I’m very fortunate to be able to play together all these years.”
“It’s actually been pretty special,” said Luke Magliaro. “It’s like having a best friend with you all the time. I think we always looked up to each other and we always pull for each other. It’s pretty nice to have a best friend and brother with you every day.”
Although the Magliaro brothers are extremely close, there is a fierce competitive side to their relationship.
“We’re definitely competitive,” Luke Magliaro said. “When we were at the park with my Dad, we would go at it, saying who would miss the ball first. It was really competitive.”
“It’s been that way since Day One,” Dominic Magliaro said. “People would joke about who was better. Either when we were playing pick-up basketball or even Wiffle ball in the yard, we were always competitive. Sometimes, it would get ugly, but nothing too serious. We were both trying to win, but we were always friends off the field, off the court. We might have been friends off the court, but enemies on it. I think it pushed both of us to get a little better.”
Luke Magliaro remembers a certain competition between the two twins.
“We raced against each other in the parking lot once,” Luke Magliaro said. “There were pictures of us running. I don’t remember who won the race. I think Dom did because in the pictures, I looked upset because I lost.”
The twins played all three sports together at West Essex High School, competing in football in the fall, basketball in the winter and of course, baseball in the spring. The two were fixtures in all three sports, except for their senior year, when disaster struck in the second football game of that season.
“I played quarterback and cornerback,” Luke Magliaro said. “Dom was a running back and linebacker.”
In that second game, Dominic Magliaro suffered a broken right fibula, ending his senior year before it really fully began.
“It was tough,” Dominic Magliaro said. “I worked my tail off all summer to get ready for my senior year. You push yourself hard. I guess things happen for a reason. It was an unfortunate thing to happen my senior year. It killed me not being out there.”
“It was tough not seeing Dom on the field,” Luke Magliaro said.
Things got worse for Dom, because he contracted mononucleosis soon after.
“I just got out of my cast on my birthday,” Dominic Magliaro recalled. “I wasn’t feeling well at all. The next day, I got the news I had mono. I knew it was going to be a long road back.”
When it came time to selecting a college, the Magliaro brothers had to weed through offers in two different sports. And through the process, the brothers always had each other in mind.
“We were trying to find the right fit,” Dominic Magliaro said. “I had coaches ask me, ‘Are you guys a package deal?’ I thought we were good enough to play college football. I wasn’t sure that we had to go together. But I always wanted to play baseball in college. I had a special bond with another middle infielder. It helps when that other infielder is your twin brother.”
The Magliaro twins decided to attend college together and play baseball, so they first headed to the County College of Morris for two years.
“We didn’t know what to expect from the junior college level,” Dominic Magliaro said.
“It was an opportunity to show our talents,” Luke Magliaro said. “Baseball was always my favorite sport since I was little. When we were little, I always thought I was (Alfonso) Soriano and Dom was (Derek) Jeter. We’re both Yankees fans.”
The Magliaro twins played alongside each other at CCM for two years. When it came time to select a four-year school to complete their education, they immediately considered Rutgers-Newark.
“The NJAC offered very good competition,” Dominic Magliaro said. “We looked at some schools, but we thought that Rutgers-Newark was the best option.”
“We knew we had a chance to play right away,” Luke Magliaro said. “Rutgers-Newark has a good business school. It was close to home and it was the opportunity to play on a competitive team in the NJAC.”
Rutgers-Newark head baseball coach Mark Rizzi loved the idea of getting two Magliaros for the price of one.
“We threw a flier out there when they were in high school,” Rizzi said. “They had other options and were also thinking about playing football. When they went to CCM, I followed them for two years and kept in contact. They fit us both academically and athletically. We were very happy to have them. They added a sense of maturity to our team. Sometimes, things work out for the best.”
Rizzi said that the brothers had a bit of a struggle getting accustomed to playing baseball at R-N.
“It was a bit of an adjustment,” Rizzi said. “I don’t think they knew how big of an adjustment it was.”
The two began this season as the starting shortstop and second baseman, but Luke has evolved more into the designated hitter.
“We switched guys around a little,” Rizzi said. “We’re looking at everyone to be a part of our lineup. But Dom and Luke give us everything a coach could ever ask for. They give us everything they got. They have similar skills and similar personalities.”
Rizzi was asked if he could distinguish between the two identical twins.
“I can tell the difference between the two,” Rizzi said. “Most people cannot. I can just sense the difference. But personality-wise, you don’t see a difference. They’re very mature and very goal oriented. They have both been very good additions to our program.”
The brothers said that they been deceptive to others in the past.
“When we were little, we switched classes on our teachers,” Luke Magliaro said. “We did it for a while, then some kid ratted us out.”
Still, the two brothers could not even consider life without the other.
“It’s pretty nice knowing that I always have someone I can talk to,” Luke Magliaro said. “Maybe it’s a twin thing, but I can always see how he reacts and I feel the same way about things. I like having him with me. He’ll probably be the best man at my wedding some day. I definitely feel like I made the right decision coming to Rutgers-Newark.”
“It’s definitely cool,” Dominic Magliaro said. “Family is a big part of my life. I look up to my brother and want to be like him. He is my older brother and I do look up to him. He’s a good role model. Not a lot of people can say that their brother is their best friend. I’m doing everything in my life with my twin brother. I feel it’s a blessing. I’m real fortunate.”
