Baseball Program Overview
Avon Old Farms School possesses a rich tradition of enthusiasm and success in baseball. The many wins, league championships, and college players (and a few professionals) illustrate some of the accomplishments of the program. Equally important however, is that Avon players develop their physical and mental skills, learn how to play on a team, compete, and have fun. Avon players respect the game, play it at a high level, and maximize their personal potential and future baseball opportunities.
While the varsity team is historically recognized as one of the top prep teams each year, Avon boasts competitive teams at the junior varsity and thirds levels as well. Avon also offers “developmental” or “Varsity B” baseball in some years depending on student interest. The school provides at least two coaches at each level of baseball, and the program is designed to provide an enriching baseball opportunity for all grades and skill levels to enjoy. The program is proud to mention that most varsity players at Avon have worked their way up from the lower level teams in earlier years.
Facilities/Fields: Carpenter Field, constructed in 1998, is one of the finest fields in all of New England. Complete with dugouts, bullpens, spectator area, batting tunnel, scoreboard, and scenic views of Avon Mountain, it is truly a spectacular place to play and watch baseball. While the varsity team calls Carpenter Field home for practices and home games, each team at Avon has its own regulation field and batting tunnel.
Avon Baseball has a spacious “club house” style locker room for the varsity, has a permanent facility (complete with batting tunnel and two pitching mounds) set up in the hockey rink during the season, and use of the school’s massive indoor fieldhouse. In addition, the school’s fitness center was constructed in 2006, and offers Avon athletes the opportunity to focus on strength and conditioning both during the season and in the off-season.
Schedule/League Competition: After being a strong team in the Connatonic League from the early 1970s to 1995, Avon switched to the Colonial and Founder’s Leagues in 1996. The Colonial League includes Choate, Hotchkiss, Kent, Loomis-Chaffee, Taft, Westminster, and Trinity-Pawling. Avon competes against each team twice (home and away). The Founder’s League includes all of the Colonial League teams, but adds Kingswood-Oxford, and only the first meeting of the teams is considered part of league play. Outside of league competition, Avon will play some college teams (Trinity and Wesleyan some years) and other prep schools such as Deerfield, Salisbury, Northfield Mount Herman and Suffield. Avon plays seven games in Florida each March and twenty-one contests during the season.
Colonial or Founders League Championships won by the varsity team since 1996: twelve in sixteen seasons (1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012)
Varsity Record 1996-2012: 273-60
Selected Colleges/Universities Avon baseball players have enrolled in since 1996: University of Virginia, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill and Asheville), University of Maryland, Yale University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, United States Military Academy at West Point, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, The College of William and Mary, Elon College, Boston College, Fordham University, University of Delaware, University of Massachusetts, John’s Hopkins University, Bryant College, Amherst College, Trinity College (CT and TX), Brandies University, Union College, Williams College, Rollins College, University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University, Wheaton College, Emory University, California State at Bakersfield, Bentley, and more.
Avon players drafted by Major League Teams in recent years:
- Graeme Brown (New York Mets)
- Jason LaVorgna (New York Mets)
- George Springer (Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros)
- Tim Kiene (Washington Nationals)
- Tim Brechbuehler (Toronto Blue Jays)
Spring Trip: Avon Old Farms Baseball goes to Florida each March for seven games and seven practices in Port St. Lucie, FL. Twenty-four players join six coaches for one week of intense baseball. The team stays in the luxurious PGA Kolter resort, which is the same facility many of the New York Mets players enjoy for their spring training. The Florida trip is an opportunity to teach fundamentals, play games, and bond as a team. The trip is a lot of fun and is an indispensable part of each season.
