Prep insider: Avon Old Farms baseball tradition is shaped by Dowling

Rob Dowling has been the head coach at Avon Old Farms since 2001. (Courtesy photo)

Avon Old Farms has been among the exclusive prep school baseball programs in all New England.

Over the years, the Winged Beavers have sent a multitude of players off to top collegiate programs, including some who have reached the big leagues. Do the names Juan Nieves and George Springer ring a bell?

One constant with this program is stability. Head coach Rob Dowling has been with the program since 1996. He started out as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach Peter Evans before taking over the reins in 2001 after Evans, who also was the school's athletic director, decided to stepped down after 30 years. Evans' track record at Avon was certainly unprecedented, winning 355 games and 18 league championship. Since the torch was handed down to Dowling, nothing has changed. Dowling's overall record at AOF is a remarkable 431-83.

"One our strengths here has been continuity in terms of coaching,'' said Dowling, who also serves as a provost at the school. "Avon Old Farms baseball has had consistent leadership for the last 50 years. That has inspired confidence in our players that our program is going to provide them all they need, and that longevity has given us coaches the opportunity to establish meaningful relationships with people within the baseball community. That continuity says a lot about the program, but it also says a lot about the school."