Groton — Roger Bidwell, who has distinguished himself among the nation's top amateur baseball coaches, announced his retirement Thursday as the baseball coach at UConn Avery Point.

Bidwell, who will remain as Avery Point's athletic director, spent 34 seasons as the school's coach, winning 1,007 games. Bidwell, who won his 1,000th game in May, led the Pointers to 13 New England titles and six trips to the Junior College World Series, including in 2015.

Mike Aldrich, who spent two seasons playing at Avery Point and three seasons assisting Bidwell, has been named the new head coach.

"You know when it's time and I've always been pretty honest with myself," Bidwell said. "I went through this coaching on the Cape (Cod). I knew it was time to leave. I feel that way now.

"It's a young man's game and I found the right guy to take over," Bidwell said. "If I didn't have somebody in place, maybe I'd have stayed on a little longer. I put my whole life into this place and you just can't leave without a plan. Mike is willing to do what it takes to run a program and not just be a coach."

Bidwell said that assistant coaches Gil Varjas and Jeff Clark would be leaving as well, replaced by Dennis Long and Marc Peluso.

Aldrich is a graduate of the University of Hartford and the St. Bernard School.

"I just didn't want to get into the car anymore," Bidwell said. "All the showcases and games, I did it 12 months a year for 34 years. I figured, you know, if I don't have that passion I'm shortchanging the program. That's the last thing I wanted to do."

Bidwell turned Avery Point into a national program in his 34 years, parlaying high standards, character and a sense of humor.

"Thank goodness Roger stayed," Avery Point graduate and former Major Leaguer John McDonald of East Lyme said of Bidwell. "I didn't need Avery Point. I needed Roger Bidwell. I needed the environment he created. He made me believe. I didn't think I was good enough to be a Major Leaguer. He told me I was. He believed in me. He told me he'd get me to a place where I'd realize my full potential. I needed that guidance. I bet hundreds, maybe thousands of kids now have gotten that same guidance."

Bidwell amassed scores of great memories, including Avery Point's first trip to the World Series in 1999, when Griswold High School graduate Jay Drobiak hit a 15th-inning homer in the District final. His team's runner-up finish at the 2010 Series and Doug Domnarski's no-hitter this past spring — the day Bidwell won his 1,000th game — made the top five, too.

"Imagine his sales pitch to a recruit: I have no scholarships. No budget. Bad weather. Mandatory study halls. No dorms, so you'll have to rent for seven months," Fitch baseball coach and Avery Point graduate Jeff Joyce said. "And yet you read the Avery Point baseball program and look at the hundreds who have played at the next level. Add up the scholarship money his players have accumulated. Look at the tax returns for his players who have gone to the majors. Why come to Avery Point? It's simple: Roger Bidwell."

m.dimauro@theday.com

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