Bishop Ahr coach hits 300 career wins
Talented players and luck cited as keys to milestone
By Harry Thomas
Correspondent
EDISON — Stan Domin answered an advertisement for the job as junior varsity softball coach at Bishop George Ahr High School in 1988, hoping it would help pay his children’s tuition to the diocesan high school. The move turned out to be so much more for the Domin family.
Domin, now in his 17th year as head coach of the Bishop Ahr varsity team, earned his 300th win May 2 when his team beat Highland Park. The team, which won the Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division title, then reeled off five more victories to improve its record to 21-1.
Bishop Ahr’s only loss this season was a 3-1 defeat to South Brunswick High School in South Brunswick. “Hey, one bad day out of 20 — I can’t complain,” Domin said.
First postseason test
When the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament begins May 20, Bishop Ahr will be out to help Domin win his fifth championship since he become head coach of the varsity in 1990. Only J.P.Stevens High School, Edison, with five tournament titles, has won more.
“You don’t hang around for 300 wins without having great players and sometimes great luck,” said Domin, a resident of South Plainfield with his wife Carol, who is Bishop Ahr’s junior varsity coach. “To me, a milestone like 300 wins is a testament to the players who did all the work. I just enjoyed the ride.”
Bishop Ahr is having another brilliant season in part because of junior Ashley Brewer, a pitcher, who is also hitting .590.
“I just get the team ready,” Domin said. “By the time they get to me they are pretty much well prepared in what they have to do. For us as coaches, it’s just about putting it all together. I’ve been very lucky.”
Bishop Ahr made it to the state Non-Public A state tournament final in 1996 and 2000, but has never won it all. The team went a combined 50-4 for the 1996 and 1997 seasons and was 54-7 in 2000-2001.
Domin said he’s confident the team will be the top seed in the upcoming state sectional tournament. Earlier this year, the team scored a marquee win over St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel.
“Beating them is a benchmark,” he said. “We beat them in 2000 to get to the state final and they beat us in 2001 to get to the final. The girls know they can play with anybody. It’s (Non-Public A) an extremely tough group. But I think our team has as good a chance as any we’ve had here.”
Family ties
Domin attends Mass at Sacred Heart Church, South Plainfield. He grew up in Manville, played high school baseball at Manville High School and was in the Air Force before working at Camp Kilmer 20 years ago. His son, Daniel, graduated from Bishop Ahr in 2000, daughter Abigail in 2001 and his stepdaughter, Amy, in 2002.
“Bishop Ahr is like a big family to us; it’s really worked out for us,” said Domin, who turned 50 on May 10.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law